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Year 7 and 8 students at Monterey Secondary College are very fortunate to be studying French. In an increasingly globalised world, fluency in a language other than English (LOTE) is becoming more important and is viewed upon highly amongst employers and can open up speakers to a number of opportunities that non-LOTE speakers may not have. Below are some interesting reasons why French is an excellent second (or third) language choice for our students:

• French is second only to English for the number of countries where it has official status – 32 as opposed to 45 for English.
• French is also the only language, along with English, that is taught in every country of the world, with 100 million students and 2 million teachers.
• French is still a working language of the UN, the EU, and dozens of international organisations including the International Red Cross Committee, International Labor Organization, Amnesty International, and Doctors Without Borders.
• France is the most visited country in the world with 75 million tourists every year.
• About a third to a half of basic English words come from French, including pedigree, surf, view, strive, challenge, pride, staunch and war.

Becoming proficient in a language requires a level of commitment. Therefore, it is recommended that students of French spend at least ten minutes a day revising the new vocabulary they learn each week in class.