French language French language A global congress for French teacher
From the 14th to the 21st of July, the 14th Global Congress for French teachers was held in Liège, the most French-speaking city in Belgium. The event gathered over 1,000 teachers from over 100 countries.
A congress under the symbol of sharing
The city of Liège has been focused on teaching since the Middle Ages and still welcomes 100,000 students today; it was thus the perfect place to host the new edition of the Global Congress of Teachers of French Language, organised by the International Federation of French Teachers (FIPF) with the support of the International Organisation of Francophonie (OIF).
The integration of new technologies in the learning of French, the role of language in education to citizenship or the attractiveness of French to young generation... the Congress embraced all the major issues in relation with the teaching of French throughout the world. This is a great opportunity for teachers to share ideas, techniques and tools to teach and boost their students.
French, second most learnt language worldwide
French is taught to over 125 million people by over 900,000 teachers, and it's the second most learnt language worldwide according to the OIF. Over 50 million people learn French as a foreign language (FLE). Those students will soon join the 274 million speakers of the Francophonie, the French speaking area. As the fifth most spoken language worldwide, French is also the second language of international information, the third language in business after English and Chinese and a work language in most international organizations. Its use is in sharp rise, particularly in Sub-Saharan Africa.
A constantly evolving language
French is a true language for exchange, and French speakers from all over the world are contributing to its evolution. This dynamic constantly enriches our linguistic heritage: this year, the words "balado" (podcast), from Québec, or the "yoyette" (cute fashionable girl) from Cameroon have just entered the new edition of the Larousse dictionary.
Photos © FIPF