Essence of being bi-lingual: Are Ghanaians doing enough to speak French?

In my quest to find out efforts being made by Ghanaians in the area of speaking French, I spoke to Arnaud Dornon, Counselor of Cooperation and Cultural Service, Scientific Cooperation, and Isabelle BOKHARI, Linguistic Attaché (Secondary and Higher Education Level) Project Coordinator – French language, at the Embassy of France, Accra, who both shared their thoughts on efforts by the government of Ghana to enhance the learning of the French language in the country and the perception people hold about the language.

He said French is a vital tool in today’s evolving world. According o him, not only is it a means of communicating, but also forges friendships, cultural ties, and economic relationships.

Arnaud Dornon, who has worked in South and East Africa since 1978, specifically South Africa, Botswana and Tanzania, was impressed with government’s push to make French a major language.

He said it is necessary for officers in the Immigration, Customs and the Police Service to learn the language to enhance their work, which to him, is crucial to the development of the nation.
“The French Embassy gives scholarships from time to time to deserving students to
study in France and this is an addition to the many co-operations that the
French government has with Ghana,” he noted.

Ghana’s interaction with neighbouring Togo, Cote D’Ivoire, and Burkina Faso, in trade and other ties makes it imperative for Ghanaians to make that individual effort to communicate at least at the basic level and that he was impressed with the efforts being made personally by the Minister of Education, Alex Tetteh-Enyo and the Ghana Association of French Teachers.

As a policy, the French Embassy continually offers assistance to the University of Ghana lecturers, who over the years, have supported and provided effective teaching of the language at the university to complement government’s efforts.
Learning French can be a very useful skill. French language is the second most popular language in the world. And learning this language can open a number of job opportunities which includes teaching, becoming a translator, and an interpreter.
He stated that even if you are just a casual traveler, learning French can be beneficial since most of the sign boards and instructions in France and French speaking countries are often written in the French. French is one of the greatest languages in the world.

With the language spoken in Africa, the French Caribbean, and in Canada, where it is the official language of Quebec, and other parts of the world, its importance cannot be underestimated.

Learning how to speak French eloquently is, however, not an easy task. And there is no single method that guarantees that proficiency can be achieved if one is not determined to learn.
It is therefore important for one to vary his or her resources to ensure that he/she derives the maximum benefit so far as learning French is concerned.

Learning French is definitely easier than learning a non-European language, at least for most English speakers. Choosing the right course is critical and that can make learning French a cake-walk or much more difficult. Much importance should be given to the accent and pronunciations while learning French.

Learning the French language does not require expensive tutors, but an ongoing process. While you cannot learn French overnight, you can find resources that may give you an edge, time-wise and simply the amount of efforts you exert.

A critical challenge to remember is that of vocabulary. Having used various books and strategies to learn to read French I found several to be of benefit. The most valuable ones were those which present new French vocabulary first. Then a short story utilizing this vocabulary in conjunction with previously learned vocabulary was presented. Finally is the use of basic grammar and basic conjugation.

Being the second most widely spoken language and having a large readership, French is definitely the language to know these days. With English, French is the only other “international” language, being spoken in 5 continents.

The international body supervising the learning of French as a language is known as the International Organization of Francophone, which has 51 countries as its members. And out of these 51 states, 28 have French as their official language.
The widespread use of French as a language can also be inferred from the fact that French, English and Arabic are the official languages of many towering organizations of the world including the United Nations (UN) and the Africa Union (AU).
A recent survey revealed that almost 70% of companies in the United States (US) look for job seekers who can speak English and French eloquently.

Apart from the economic influence of French and France, there is a high degree of intellectual importance associated with French as a language. It is a lonely thing to move even from one side of your own country to another just to experience that people around you speak a language that is alien to you.
Maybe someday this communication gap can be solved, or even sooner than expected. For we never know what lies ahead once people start to understand each other whilst keeping their native tongue.