SOURCE: http://robertbaxter.org/us/the-strategic-importance-of-france-and-the-french-speaking-world/
More than 128 million people in the world speak the French language. Nonetheless, I was surprised to learn that French is not among one of the top 10 most commonly spoken languages in the world. On the continent of Africa, French is the 4th most commonly spoken language, behind English, Swahili, and Arabic, with 90 million speakers. If you are interested in working on the continent, French may be a good choice for a second language.
French vs. Portuguese.
As a non-native Spanish Speaker, I realized that I would be much more competitive learning French, instead of, Portuguese which is a common second and third language for native Spanish-speakers. Although, Portuguese is one of my post-French languages to learn (Heey Mozambique, Angola, Brazil!).
Francophone countries: Morocco, Algeria, DRC, Cameroon, Gabon, CAR, Equitorial Guinea, Algeria, Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, Niger, Chad, Guinea, C'ote D'Ivoire, Burkina Faso, Togo, Benin, Rwanda, Burundi, D'jibouti, Seychelles, Comoros, Reunion, and some other countries I can't read on the map.
SOURCE: http://www.africantelecomsnews.com/resources/AfricaOpp_France_Telecom.html
I've compiled a combination of textbooks, youtube, apps, and friends, to make this French journey as entertaining as possible. I will also be sure to break my learnings down into palatable pieces so that all types of learners can follow along.
I hope you enjoy following along as I master la langue.
Why do you want to learn French? Please share in the comments.
Bonne Chance! (Good Luck!)