French Beginners Workbook Anthony Bulger by Anthony Bulger 9782700508543, 2700508548 instant download after payment.

If you have just bought this book, then you know that French is both a useful and an important language. For those of you who might be reading this introduction and wondering whether our method is worth the investment, let us explain the advantages of learning with Assimil. French is, of course, identified with France. But it punches well above its weight in relation to the number of native speakers. Used by an estimated 300 million people across ail five continents, French is the main or official language of more than 25 countries, from Canada to Cambodia. lt is an official or working language of major organisations such as the United Nations, UNESCO, the European Union, NATO and the International Red Cross. And it is the favoured medium of communication in fields such art, fashion, food, dance, and the visual arts. At the same time, French is becoming increasingly global, thanks partly to bodies such as the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie, which brings together nearly 90 states and govern­ ments to promote the French language and French-speaking cul­ tures. By some estimates, French could become the first or second most important world language by the middle of the twenty-first century. But arguably the main reason for learning French is pleasure: the pleasure of mastering a language that is melodic, precise and not unduly difficult to learn; the pleasure of being able to read great writers in the original (France is the country with the most Nobel Prize winners in Literature); the pleasure of watching undubbed movies made by world-renowned directors; the pleasure of being able to communicate with local people in some of the world's most exciting and beautiful countries. As one great author and philoso­ pher said: Ma patrie, c'est la langue française (see lesson 100 for more information)