Knowledge of one or more languages is an important asset for a person. The popularity and power of English are undeniable today, but English is not the only language used in communication. With approximately three hundred million speakers spread across all of the continents, French is the fifth most spoken language in the world.
This book is welcome because it presents the current situation of French and Francophones in the world; the dedication of the third part, ‘French for development’, to the field of linguistic anthropology is useful because the links between the French language and the economy are rarely exposed; this chapter partly fills these gaps. French is also important because it is especially used in African states that will register significant increases in the future. Thus, of the seven countries of Sub-Saharan Africa whose economic growth forecasts for 2019 were greater than or equal to 6%, four are Francophone: Benin, Burkina Faso, Côte d'Ivoire, and Senegal. The French language occupies an increasing place in communication, especially in cities and among the most educated populations; therefore, this rise of the middle classes in French-speaking African countries represents an important potential market.
Regarding the institutional use of French, ‘law and language are consubstantial, because language is the mode of expression of legal thought’ (293). Thus, in the case of Cameroon, a bilingual country, and other states, the choice of the French language for legal procedures implies the designation of French law as a source of legal precedent. Arbitration has a real impact on the activity of French-speaking economic operators. According to data collected from the International Chamber of Commerce (ICC) between 2005 and 2015, the number of African cases doubled (from 68 to 125). The ICC also noted that business related to Africa is 60% conducted in French and 40% in English. Finally, to facilitate and strengthen trade and financial exchanges between Francophones around the world, a virtual Francophone currency was launched in 2018, the Paypite currency. This project also aims to contribute to the creation of a Francophone economic union.
Regarding the use of French at work, the questionnaire results show that between 45% (Yaoundé and Douala) and 98% (Abidjan) of the respondents think that being Francophone is essential to getting a job; in Accra, 92% of respondents consider knowledge of French to be important for doing business with a French-speaking country and 75% for obtaining a job; in Lagos, 52% agree with these two opinions; and in Pretoria, 77% and 38% share these opinions, respectively. Another series of surveys conducted in nine countries from different geographical areas, despite the often-small samples, shows that English is the language most frequently mentioned in job advertisements. French, however, is present and appears to be sought in the following sectors: commercial relations and sales, international organizations (governmental and nongovernmental), hotels, and tourism.
Generally, this book is very interesting and shows that French is not only present but also opening the way to very different positions and sectors.
