Page 21 - Reading Success B6

Of the hundreds and thousands of languages and dialects in the world today,
the French language is one of the most interesting languages. Many people,

especially Americans, try to learn it as their second language, even enrolling in
classes at their universities or online. French is spoken originally in France,

Belgium, Luxembourg and Switzerland; now, out of 54 countries that speak
French, 41 have it as their official language. These countries form French La

Francophone, which means the community of French-speaking nations.
After English, it is the second most frequently learned second language. In the

Americas, Haiti has French as their official language. In Africa, countries like
Congo, Guinea, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, and Togo also have French as their

official language. Laos and Lebanon use French as their administrative language.
There are a lot of French words and phrases incorporated in the English

language. Words such as art, force, machine, competition, police, routine, table,
among others , are French in origin. French phrases like “A la carte” (ordering

individual dishes rather than a fixed-price meal), “concierge” (a hotel desk
manager), “esprit de corps” (a feeling of solidarity among members of a group) are

often used in everyday English conversations.
In the United States, the French language is a minority language. Most French

speakers are to be found in states like Louisiana (south) and in New England
which is near Canada.

Main Idea

What is the main idea of this story?

a. Some African countries use French.

b. Many French phrases are used in everyday English conversations.
c. In the U.S., the French language is a minority language.

d. French language is one of the most interesting languages in the world.

24_Reading Success B 6