The 2024 Olympics are being held in Paris, and French is one of the two official languages of the Olympic Games wherever they may be held. Lupin and Call My Agent are only two of the many French television series that have become part of the general conversation in the US. Emily in Paris, filmed in France, is regularly in the news.
Beyond sports and television lies a whole world of fun and entertainment for those who are learning or who speak French. The French government recognizes how important French is to the country’s economy and global status—in 2019, France invested €17 billion ($18.5 billion) in promoting its culture and realized a return of over $50 billion on it.
France is the world’s most popular destination for tourists, the first ally of the US, and a leader in culture and the arts for centuries. In addition, over eleven million in the US are of French and Francophone ancestry, and over two million speak French at home. The relationship between France and the US is reflected in many areas. Over 17,000 US students choose France as their study abroad location, and the US is the leading foreign investor in France, with 4,500 US companies employing 500,000 people there. In addition, nearly 5,000 French companies employing some 700,000 Americans operate in the US.
While a trip to Paris or another Francophone city to attend a game, a concert, an art exhibit, or other event/experience is certainly a wonderful possibility—and many Americans have planned trips to the Paris Olympics— similar possibilities are available online. Both the learning and the use of French can and should be fun, and the variety of media and entertainment available from around the world—with subtitles, in slow French, and/ or with associated learning materials—can make the experience of surrounding oneself with French fun for everyone. French and Francophone TV, news, movies, and music are readily available in our homes and on our devices. Another important aspect is the role of French as a global language, with media and other content available from around the world expanding our horizons and bringing local information and entertainment to heritage-language speakers and learners.
Depending on the level of our French language skills, we can start our day with a news report from any number of Francophone countries or regions, a talk show, music, a blog, a podcast (French-Canadian Legacy Podcast, for example), or an exercise video in French. Throughout the day, news and entertainment from around the world are available in French, along with cultural information, presentations, and documentaries on French and Francophone themes in French through TV5Monde, TV5MondePlus, France 24, RFI (Radio France internationale), and Radio-Canada, among others. Events are available either online or in person through the Alliance Française, as well as through numerous local and community groups and organizations, ranging from Bastille Day and Beaujolais celebrations to other events throughout the year.
Language Learning Can Be Fun
While there are serious reasons to learn any language, there are also people, places, and activities that can help us to stay engaged and motivated. There are even rewards to be had—such as watching a soccer match, concert, or feature film in the target language after completing a more traditional language-learning activity.
While language learning has always involved grammar, vocabulary, and spelling, there is, literally, something for everyone in terms of media, entertainment, culture, sports, and events—to engage even the newest or most reluctant language learner, or to encourage heritage-language speakers to reconnect with their heritage and history, whatever their interests or language skills.
Although it is necessary to encourage and support language learning in schools and institutions of higher learning through organizations like the AATF and many others, it is also necessary to encourage and support independent learning.
Motivation is generally considered to be one of the best predictors of a successful language-learning outcome, and immersion generally the best way to develop language skills. The task for language learners and their teachers and advisers is to create a sustainable language-learning environment based on the skills and interests of each learner. For some, this could include TV, news, and movies. For others, it might include sports news and games. For others, it could include a wide range of online and hybrid events, including cooking classes and demonstrations, documentaries, museum tours, and more.
It is especially important to consider the importance of complementary media, entertainment, and other materials for several reasons—the importance of languages and language skills in a globalized and interconnected world, the role of French as a global language, the availability of online information and entertainment, and the lack of language learning and skills in the US (a challenge for the US workplace). Even for those who may be learning French purely for career purposes, the learning experience can be enjoyable, and a positive experience can lead to a better learning outcome.
Broadening the Appeal of French Language and Francophone Culture through a Global and Holistic Approach
To maximize the impact of French language and Francophone culture in the learning and use of French and in interest among Americans—which may in itself encourage more of us to learn and to use French in our daily and professional lives—it is essential to incorporate activities for all ages, especially for children, and for those whose interests and motivations for learning French may not fall within traditional or academic areas.
Tying learning to athletic events, ranging from cross-border interest in baseball and hockey in New England and Quebec to a French soccer program in New York, is just one of the possibilities. Events like the New Hampshire PoutineFest and others that are offered by the Franco-American Centre (FACNH), including the cabane à sucre and French-themed baking competitions, offer opportunities to connect or reconnect with French and Francophone culture—no matter what the level of language skills of participants—while appealing to different ages and interests.
French news and media are widely available around the world, including in the US. The most important French media are TV5Monde—which reaches 358 million households in 198 countries, including 1.5 million in the US—Radio France internationale, and France 24. Two recent episodes of TV5Monde’s Destination Francophonie have featured Francophone Louisiana. French films had 27 million viewers in movie theaters outside France in 2022.
While Amélie may be the top-earning French film in the US, many other French and Francophone films enjoy great success both in movie theaters and online. During the 2024 Cannes Film Festival, in an interview aired on TV5Monde, Jane Fonda referenced the importance of French films.
The French book publishing sector is valued at $3 billion per year. Albertine is an interesting initiative to connect Americans and French books, offering French titles in French and in translation on site and via selected bookstores through its “French corners.” French art has influenced America in a variety of ways. Many major US museums have significant collections of French art. Among the many examples of French art and French art exhibits, Visitors to Versailles has a wonderful example of the enduring relationship between France and the US. The Nous Foundation in New Orleans offers numerous cultural events throughout the year.
While French singers like Edith Piaf are well known among older Americans, contemporary French and Francophone voices like Stromae and Zaz are attracting younger US listeners. French cuisine has long been popular in the US, with French restaurants and Michelin stars often in the news.
France plays a major role in international sports, with the 2024 Olympics taking place in Paris this summer, and the modern Olympic Games were created largely due to the work of Pierre de Coubertin. France’s second-place finish in the FIFA World Cup and its top-ranked rugby team drew the attention of thousands of US fans.
Conclusions
Motivation is important, and fun and enjoyment are among the best ways to develop and ensure sustainable motivation. There are two areas where we can maximize the appeal, or fun, of French—learning and use—where we can encourage the presence of French throughout the day and in every aspect of daily life, and where French language learners and speakers can live surrounded by all the things that appeal to them—in French— through music, media, and activities.
The use of French also needs to be encouraged in and beyond the classroom, through social and community events and activities, during leisure and recreational activities, and in the workplace and public conversation.
This can be done by encouraging and supporting the use of French in our society and in our daily lives and by the development of media and social media in French, as well as by encouraging the learning of French in our schools, either through immersion or traditional language programs.
Both learning and use can be enhanced by the fun of French. The important thing is to share the joy—and the fun—of knowing and using other languages with language learners and those who speak heritage and additional languages in our society.
References available at www.languagemagazine.com/french-is-for-films-fitness-and-fun-references.
Kathy Stein-Smith, PhD, is associate university librarian and adjunct faculty in foreign languages and related areas at Fairleigh Dickinson University–Metropolitan Campus, Teaneck, New Jersey. She is chair of the AATF (American Association of Teachers of French) Commission on Advocacy. She is Officier dans l’Ordre des Palmes académiques and a member of Pi Delta Phi, the national French honor society. She is the author of three books and several articles about the foreign language deficit, has given a TEDx talk, “The US Foreign Language Deficit—What It Is, Why It Matters, and What We Can Do about It,” and maintains a blog, Language Matters.
Kathy has also recently been elected to the executive board of the American Society of the French Academic Palms (www.frenchacademicpalms.org).
