If you're new here, you may want to subscribe to my RSS feed. Thanks for visiting!
So, you want to learn French? I think this is a good decision as French language is a widely spoken language and you can reap great benefits by learning French language.
Learning a new language is always a new challenge. But there are many resources available that you can use. This includes the Internet, books and coaching classes in your local area.
The Internet offers many great courses with audio samples, exercises and discussion forums. If you want to go at your own pace without stretching, then learning it from an online source is the best possible choice.
However, if you are on the move and cannot spend the time downloading course materials and visit the Internet regularly for exercises, then it is preferable that you go for a complete and engaging package that will guide and assist you while giving you the freedom of doing it yourself.
While looking around, I discovered that Get Into French offers a complete learning package including two PC CD-ROMs, book, audio CD and a dedicated web site. Designed for people on the go, the flexible approach puts you firmly in control of how, when and where you learn.
The main part of the course is in a CD. Here, you are put into a virtual French town where you can interact and learn the language while having fun. A recording feature allows you to compare your tone to that of native speakers.
In this unique approach, you will have complete freedom to choose a path and style of learning that fits your personal preferences and interests. You will encounter the language that you really need for travel and holidays and, from the very beginning, you will start to speak French and begin to understand when people reply. With clear feedback, you will be able to make progress quickly and enjoyably. A copy of this material can be purchased from Amazon.
The French language is a widely spoken language. The number of people speaking French is about 128 million. France’s native language is French and few other countries like Switzerland, Haiti, and parts of Canada also have large number of French speaking people.
French is a great language and if you plan to learn a second language, then go for French. French is a language that implies class and distinction. Learning the French language will be an asset in your career, and will enhance your experience if you travel to French-speaking nations. If you intend to learn the French language, there are few options available.
You can attend a college or University and earn your degree in French. Earning a college degree in French will provide you with a sound expertise of formal French, both written and conversationally. With a college degree in French, you will most likely be fluent in the language. You can also enroll in accelerated courses in the French language online, which will offer you the opportunity to gain knowledge of a very basic foundation in the language. Learning the language in this manner will be a relatively quick and highly convenient way to learn a second language.
Another option to learn the French language through is by immersion program. In this manner, you will not only learn the French language, but you will also experience French culture. Learning French in France, where the language has its origins, you will plunge yourself into the life and culture, and you will learn the language quickly and with surprising ease. You will learn the conversational and idiomatic styles of the language. You will interact on a daily basis with people who are native speakers of French, and who won’t necessarily be willing or able to communicate in English. Therefore, you will be compelled to try to communicate with them in their own tongue. You will be absorbed into the everyday life of France. Learning the French language through immersion is an ideal way to go provided you have time and means to do it.
This method is a great way to develop your French Language Skills. You can learn the basics from the French Books, and then exercise them on your computer by using Computer Based Trainings. These training work like a tutor and explain to you all the things that are required to learn French and help you to correct yourself. These trainings also include verbal language tutorial that further enhances your French learning skills.
Being fluent in more than one language has many advantages professionally. If you are fluent in the French language, you can be certified as a foreign language translator for example. This is a challenging career opportunity that offers you many options. You can work full-time for a foreign language translation firm, translating important business documents or web pages for global corporations. Or you can do freelance translation work, making your own workload, and setting your own schedule. Another career opportunity is to teach English to students in French speaking countries. By knowing English and French, you will be able to live and work in one of many countries whose native tongue is the French language.
Have a look in our French Learning Books section to get the books you need to learn French language.
So how much vocabulary do you actually need to know before you can “get by” and actually converse in a foreign language? That depends on who you ask, as that tends to vary somewhat.
In his book, “Using Your Memory”, author Tony Buzan says that a mere 100 words comprise nearly 50% of the vocabulary used in every day conversational speech in most languages. Learning the equivalent of these words in a foreign language can help you to quickly develop essential vocabulary for everyday conversational use. But is this really enough?
Link Word Technique
Generally, you can function at the most basic level in a foreign language with a core vocabulary of around 1000 words according to Dr. Michael Gruneberg who formalized the “LinkWord” technique. He claims that, using this technique of linking a word in your own language to a word in the new language, you can acquire a core vocabulary in a foreign language in as little as 10 hours.
It has a long history of software versions in its native United Kingdom being available for the Sincalir, Acorn and BBC micro computers as well as a variety of audio and book editions over the years.
The LOCI Method
According to Cicero, the LOCI Method or Roman Room System is said to have originated in ancient Greece circa 500 B.C. When the building he was in collapsed, crushing all of the people inside beyond recognition, the only survivor, poet Simonides of Ceos identified the victims by name solely based on where they had been sitting at the dinner table. The technique was commonly used for centuries by Greek and Roman orators to give speeches without using notes.
The Pimsleur Method
The Pimsleur Method folks check in at 2,500 words as a minimum core vocabulary to communicate fluently in a foreign language. This is much closer to what I’ve actually found in real-world practice to be an effective depth of vocabulary.
Personally, I advocate a minimum core vocabulary in the range of 1500 to 2000 words. Sure you can “communicate” with much fewer words, as few as 500 depending on the context, but you could often sound “strained”, “artificial” or even “childish” in your speech constructions while trying to get your point across.
In addition, if you’re working in a skilled trade, vocation or profession, the minimum core vocabulary count could ramp up as much as another 300 to 500 words. So any time spent acquiring needed foreign language vocabulary is definitely time well spent. In the next article of this series we’ll consider a simple method you can use to start learning key vocabulary right away.
