Help - Why Learn French

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Many people feel they want a closer connection to Alizée and her music. The most obvious way to do this is to learn her native language, notwithstanding Corsican which is a dialect descended from Latin and spoken on the Island of Corsica where Alizée was born. To be able to read websites, publications about her and to understand her lyrics and the numerous videos on the internet without searching for translations provides great satisfaction.

A brief origin: Latin was the language spoken by the ancient Romans. As the Romans conquered most of Europe, the Latin language spread throughout the region. Over time, the Latin spoken in different areas developed into separate languages, including Italian, French, Spanish, and Portuguese. These languages are considered “sisters,” as they all descended from Latin, their “mother” language.

In 1066 England was conquered by William, duke of Normandy, which is in northern France. For several hundred years after the Norman invasion, French was the language of court and polite society in England. It was during this period that many French words were borrowed into English. Linguists estimate that some 60% of our common everyday vocabulary today comes from French. Thus many Latin words came into English indirectly through French.

English is more related to French than any other language. If you are to learn any language in your lifetime it only makes sense for it to be French.