How can an Indian learn to speak the French language?
French, a Romance language of the Indo-European family finds its roots in the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. Having evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul, its closest relatives are languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium. French has a long history as an international language of literature and scientific standards and is a primary or second language of many international organisations including the United Nations, the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the World Trade Organization, the International Olympic Committee, and the International Committee of the Red Cross. It has also been influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the (Germanic) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. As a result of French and Belgian colonialism from the 16th century onward, the French was introduced to new territories in the Americas, Africa and Asia. Today, there are numerous French-based creole languages, most notably Haitian Creole. An official language in 29 countries across multiple continents (most of which are members of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), the community of 84 countries that share the official use or teaching of French), French is also one of six official languages used in the United Nations. In 2011, Bloomberg Businessweek ranked French the third most useful language for business, after English and Standard Mandarin Chinese.
