The French Speaker's Apology

There’s something embarrassing about being a French-speaking American. The language has limited practical use in the USA — Spanish speakers outnumber Francophones 40 to 1. Yet, French remains a foreign language of choice in American schools due to its cultural caché. French is a byword for refinement. It’s associated with upward mobility and Ivy League gentility. Look no further than former Secretary of State John Kerry, who trots out his sonorous, de Gaullesian French at every opportunity. The Department of State YouTube channel hosts videos designed to show off his skills. 

French is one of the “learn to code” foreign languages. You learn it to boost your marketability. In that way, it’s closest to Mandarin, which is becoming popular in schools not to increase cultural understanding and ease tensions between the US and its geopolitical rival, but because knowing Mandarin is helpful for a career in business or tech. French is Mandarin for the culture industry type — the kind of person who trots out a niche art history term in casual conversation for no other reason than to show that they know it.