French language
French is a romantic language that comes from the Indo-European family. It is the official language of more than 29 countries across the continents. A number of these countries are the members of Organization international de la Francophonie also known as OIF.
OIF is a community comprising 84 countries and contributing to the official use and teaching of French all over the world. More than 300 million people speak French globally, 235 million of which speak it daily. It is also part of the six languages used in the United Nations.
French in the US – An Overview
French is an important language in the US. It is considered a minority language and is spoken accordingly. According to statistics, more than 3 million Americans speak French. It makes French the fourth most spoken language in the United States after English, Spanish, and Chinese.
The French language has evolved a lot over the years in the US. There are different factors that happen to be the reason for the French’s evolution in the US.
Here is the main classification of the different dialects and speaking styles of the French, which people in different corners of the US speak.
- The descendants of the colonists speak Louisiana French
- 19th and 20th-century Canadian migrants speak New England French
- Missouri French is what, French settlers in the Illinois country speak
- The habitants of Michigan speak Muskrat French.
- Métis people speak Metis French
The language also comes to the state through the francophone migrants. French is the second most spoken language in the Vermont and Maine states. It is the third most spoken language in the state of Connecticut, New Hampshire, and Rhode Island.
French is also one of the popular most taught foreign languages in American educational institutes. Many Americans enroll their children in the French heritage language.
French as a Learning Language in the US
French has been an immensely popular language in the US. It has been the first choice for the citizens to learn and speak. According to a report after 1998, it is considered to be the second most studied foreign language in the United States after Spanish.
According to a survey, around 1.2 million students from the school selected French as a foreign language in the past years, and overall 14% of the students got enrolled in foreign languages.
A number of American universities offer French language courses. Along with this other degree courses in the language are also quite common. The reports say that the number of enrollments for French is second highest behind Spanish.
There are multiple mediums that students use to find the French classes in the states. Here, a few of these have been shortlisted to make it easier for the students.
Private French classes
There is an option of home tutorizing. The students can opt for this option. This mode of learning can be a little expensive. However, those who are passionate about learning French do avail this option.
The French tutor can either come home or the student can take the classes through online and digital platforms. This is the most convenient medium available. The student can take the classes in the comfort of his home. The private teachers are available according to the student’s convenience.
Berlitz
Berlitz is one of the reliable language institutes all over the world. It is quite popular for its consistency and good results over the years. The method of teaching is very effective at Berlitz.
They ensure to teach the students effectively so that they get the command of language and speak it fluently. So, the students learn the language in a way that helps them to communicate flawlessly.
Berlitz has established a good reputation over the years. They also offer online classes. Moreover, it is one of the most reliable institutes for French test preparation.
FrenchPod101
FrenchPod101 is another amazing institute that offers useful French lessons and classes. They offer the classes with audio and video-based lessons to teach the students about all the pronunciations as well.
There are a number of teachers who are available for the students to guide and teach. The teaching technique of the FrenchPod101 is quite effective.
There are different teachers available for the students so they get exposure to different speaking styles with different dialects and voices. They are quite active with their content and keep releasing their content regularly to engage the potential audience.
French Institute Alliance Française (FIAF)
Established in New York City the FIAF is an excellent organization. They offer their teachings in the French language and culture. FIAF is one of the best institutes in the US to learn French.
They offer personal coaching as well as online teaching to students who are eager to learn the French language and culture. Moreover, the institute offers premium-level French lessons with culturally enriched settings and exceptional level education for all potential students.
These are the students who plan to appear to prepare for the official French exam in the US or even in France. FIAF also takes care of the students who have learned French earlier and feel to be out of practice.
They offer refresher courses of one and two weeks for all such students who want to brush up their French-speaking skills. FIAF has multiple dimensional French courses for travelers, for test-taking students as well as for the ones who need to be proficient in the language to get a confirmation on the job.
The additional feature of the FIAF is, it offers specially designed courses for kids and teenagers. There are different learning levels, they offer from beginners to advanced so the students can take up any course which they find compatible with the proficiency.
Rocket French
Rocket French offers the learning program as interactive sessions. Their main teaching technique includes audio and video interactions. The duration of the lesion is around 25 to 30 minutes. Students get to engage in a number of activities including flashcards, games, and other interactive sessions to enhance the learning process.
Rocket French further offers the voice recognition lesson to ensure the right pronunciation of the learners. The students and learners can track their progress through a mobile app that has been designed by rocket French for the convenience of the students.
This app offers a free trial for some time and later on the user has to make the purchase. The platform is accessible through multiple levels.
Babble
It offers more than 12 languages to learn and get excelled. Babble offers the teaching method which involves the work on conversation and real-life live dialogues. They offer realistic situations and debates for the active learning programs.
The duration of the sessions is around ten to fifteen minutes. The babble also offers the repetition feature for improvised memorization.
They also customize and plan the lessons as per the preferences of the learners whether they want it to be visual or audio mode.
The students can always ask for the customized French lesson as per their preferences and convenience. This way the students can get more engaged and indulge in the process of learning. Babble also offers a mobile app to help the students on the go with short interactive sessions and videos.
Rosetta Stone
Rosetta Stone is one of the most popular language-learning platforms in the US. The popularity is due to its amazing self-paced learning feature which helps in French and 25 more languages.
They have an easy and interactive curriculum for all languages. The students get unique experiences and get great exposure to their rare teaching techniques. The teaching strategies are quite the same and similar to the way how we learn native languages.
The rosetta stone and its study material is accessible through desktop or mobile phone. The users can access the
- Phrasebook
- Stories
- Audio lessons
- Instant feedback and voice recognition software
Superprof
It is another excellent online teaching platform. It has the content and details about literally everything and language. they cover the topic of arts, musical instruments, and crafting calculus.
They cater to students from every domain. Superprof offers a list of teachers and tutors to the students and students can decide about their private teacher.
The students can also learn French from the teachers of their vicinity. There are expensive as well as fare teachers available there. the students after having sufficient knowledge about the language can also create the teacher profile at the website and can start earning right away.
Conclusion
French is a popular language in the US. It is considered the main official language in many parts of the states. Furthermore, it is the second most taught and spoken language in American institutes and schools.
The number of students who opt for learning French as a foreign language is relatively high as compared to the other languages.
Moreover, the best institutes which offer French classes in the US have also been shared for the convenience of the students who are in the US and looking for effective and economical French classes.