If you are aiming to learn French, you might want to know how it replaced English once before and how it may be on the verge of replacing English as the lingua franca of the world again; because that’s its primary advantage, to begin with.
The tug of war between the English and French has been going on for years. In fact, both have been successfully able to outnumber each other at different intervals to claim to be the lingua franca of the world.
English is not going to be the lingua franca of the world one day. It’s already at the brink and with an economic decline and the USA losing its hegemony of economic and violence it is sure to happen. In fact, the change is so visible in the EU at the moment.
English will no longer be one of the official languages of the EU, courtesy of Brexit. As the hegemonic language, either German or French will replace it,
France became the single most powerful European power in the 18th century, replacing Spain. It also gave a popular way of life to many Europeans as it was the heart of the values that enlightened people.
While the British Empire grew stronger, its upper class could speak French fluently. English was spoken widely by foreigners only in the 20th century with US influence. The norm was learning French to travel around Europe. Even today there are multiple institutions in the EU that use French as their official language. The International Court of Justice, as a matter of fact, uses only French in its official communication.
There exist several reasons why people choose to learn a second language. These reasons include expanding their job prospects and other personal aspects. Around the globe, French is known to be the most commonly learned second language. Considering the benefits it provides, it’s time for you to learn French.