THE ROLE OF FRENCH IN THE WORLD

Abstract

This article discusses the role of the French language in the world. Despite the fact that today the French language is being pushed back more and more from the leading position, internationally it firmly takes the place of the brilliant second "brillant second". French is spoken by only 80-100 million people, but the quantitative figure includes not only people for whom this language is native, but also those with whom it is possible to communicate in this language. Therefore, they distinguish between francophones with a native French language (locuteurs à titre maternel) and francophones with a second French language (locuteurs à titre secondaire). The ratio between the second number and the first is the prevalence index (indice de diffusion) of the given language. This ratio testifies to the social significance and international prestige of this language.