Here are 15 reasons to keep you going and help you realize how cool it is to learn another language:
The frivolous motivation
1. You can finally pronounce mille-feuille and croissant correctly.
2. If you are Canadian, no one will confuse you with an American if you ever travel to a French-speaking country.
3. You have access to all the French content on the Internet: restoring castles in the countryside, masterclasses of wine tasting, French political drama -it is entertaining, French recipes, music, films...
4. You will probably discover a new bizarre word or concept...and you will be able to judge the French even more!
5. You can impress your in-laws at your next dinner.
6. You can finally embody a believable French Snob in your next Halloween party, with the accent and everything!
The ego-booster motivation
7. This is pretty bad-ass to speak two or more languages. Period.
8. You can write a letter, in French, to your high school French teacher who never believed in you. Revenge!
9. You are as cool as Emma Watson, Timothée Chalamet, Bradley Cooper, Jodie Foster, Serena Williams and Diane Kruger.
10. You increase your chances to get this position you really wanted !
The deeper reasons
11. It has been studied that learning a language as an adult is actually one of the very few things you can do to keep dementia away.
Because it encourages neuroplasticity, learning a language as an adult will help your brain stay engaged in new ways, which is really what neuroplasticity is all about.
The only things that could match this level of brain-freshener would be learning a new musical instrument, or a new way to use our bodies.
12. It has been studied that people reasoning in their second language make better decision: less biased, more logical.
Yes, you'll make a better decision if you think about it in French than in your first language. Mind-Blowing!
13. You will developbetter social-skills as a bilingual than staying monolingual. This kind of makes sense if you think about it: you will understand that context is everything, which is key in understanding others and speaking from a place they understand.
14. You will naturally be more explicit when needed because you had to learn consciously how to communicate more explicitly, more deliberately in another language.
Because you have experienced, when you were not mastering your second language yet, how lonely and off-setting it feels to be put in a situation where communication was not explicit, you might be more attentive to inclusivity and a fair distribution of time and audience in future interactions. For example, you will give people time to find their words, instead of cutting them or getting impatient, because you have experienced the struggle.
15. Learning French is also learning transversal skills. While English teaches you flexibility, relativity of opinions, and how to respect different points of views... French will teach you precision, well-argued reasoning and clear, impactful presentation of your point en y mettant les formes.
The process of learning French, in itself, will improve your resilience, your patience and your tolerance to vulnerability.
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