The French Language ...
French like English serves as an international language, spread to various parts of the world by conquest, colonisation and as a language of culture and of diplomacy.
The French hold their language in high regards. Some go as far as saying that the French still take threats of linguistic invasion almost as seriously as formal military invasion, and will not go down without a fight!
No other nation has fought so hard to preserve its language. L’ Academie Francaise works ceaselessly to ensure its purity. When the General de Gaulle died, Noel Coward was asked what he thought the General and God would find to talk about in Heaven. Coward replied: “That depends on how good God’s French is!”
The linguistic bequest of the French to the world has been indispensable. What sort of romance could be conducted without a “tête-à-tête”, and a “rendez-vous” with the right “ambiance”…! What would we eat in a restaurant, buffet or café without casseroles, hors d’oeuvres, soufflés, vols au vent, croissants, omelettes or sauces ?!
“Anglo-Americans consider language a tool, but the French regard it as an accomplishment, even a work of art. They love and cherish their language… It is their national monument”.
J.B. Nadeau & J. Barlow Authors of “Sixty Million Frenchmen can’t be wrong”
