The place of languages in modern day Europe?

Question

I have to write this essay in french in 300 words as part of an assessment of my application to study languages at University. I know it's not a lot but I have no idea where to start! Any help and tips on what to write (in english or french) would be very much appreciated. Thanks

Answer 1

De nos jours, d'une part grace aux moyens de transport rapides et faciles, et de l'autre aux progres faits dans les media, il est devenu indispensable de pouvoir comprendre et communiquer avec les autres nations du monde. Une bonne connaissance des langues etrangeres est necessaire non seulement du point de vue commercial, culturel et touristique, mais aussi pour le bon entendement des nations dans le domaine politique et economique. Bien que l'anglais semble dominer les relations mondiales a cause de l'importance des Etats-Unis, il est bon de connaitre a fond d'autres langues, particulierement celles, comme le francais ou l'espagnol, qui sont parlees, comprises, et utilisees dans beaucoup de parties du globe. Cela permet une flexibilite d'approche, empeche les malentendus, et denote une ouverture d'esprit qui favorise l'entente cordiale.

This is not as sophisticated (but less anglicised) than the above post from Caicos Turkey and more likely to be the work of a good sixth former. You may want to use parts of both offerings to pad out your essay and should really tweek it and add to it so that it becomes yours, not somebody else's. I am afraid my computer does not offer French punctuation and accents, and you will have to put those in yourself. I hope this helps. I have prepared hundreds of year 12 and 13 students for University entrance successfully. Can I suggest you show your final draft to a teacher before you write the fair copy for UCCAS.

Answer 2

As someone from the United States who has been living in Europe for the past four years (France and Spain) I have been consistently surprised by how strong the relationship is between language and identity. In Spain the focus is usually on supporting regional languages that might be in danger of dying out if steps aren't taken to continue their viability. What I mean by this is that for languages spoken by relatively small populations (say 3 to 5 million) there is not the same market for books, television, movies, websites, music, etc in that language. However local groups and governments choose to support these languages (Basque, Catalan, Gallego) by mandating and subsidizing their use. The central government supports these efforts and the official dialog at least is one of celebrating the diversity of the country. I know that this is a concern in other countries as well, although I don't have any personal experience with them.

On the other hand you have France. Although there are a few areas where a few people defend regional languages (Bretagne, Corse and the DOM-TOMs) generally French is seen as a unifier which helps define what it is to be French. French people tend to see the universality of French as something that holds them together as a people and part of what identifies them as a nation. Most French people are proud of their language's grace and precision and will be happy to tell you about it's important place in the history of France. This is not idle talk, French is intertwined with the historical, cultural, and political development of the country, and is therefore considered essential for every French person, publication, or government entity.

So I don't know if this is what you were looking for but this is what I see as maybe two different conceptions of the place and importance of languages in Europe today.

Answer 3

Modern day Europe is becoming more and more integrated, with freedom of movement for goods, labour, services and capital.

Language development, however, is a little more stubborn; it'll be quite a while before we're all speaking the same language to go with our economic integration. Unitl then, we're all going to have to understand each other.

Languages are not just a tool of communication, but a route to semantic and cultural understanding.

Answer 4

Depuis la Tour de Babel, les hommes ont cherché éperdument à se faire comprendre vis-à-vis de leurs voisins d’expression différente. Les dévéloppements technologiques, politiques et géographiques ont tous servi à retrécir notre vision de nos alentours: ce qui était, dans le passé, un pays lointain est tout d’un coup devenu un pays proche où il est indispensable de pouvoir parler avec ces voisins jusqu’à maintenant inconnus.

Answer 5

Read this book: The Cambridge Encyclopedia of Language by David Crystal. (Cambridge university press)
It is a brilliant book and will tell you all you need to know.
Any good bookseller will be able to order it for you.