Welcome to the French and Spanish worlds!
At ELMS, you may choose to study either French or Spanish. The level of difficulty is
about the same for both languages & both are equally useful in our global community.
There are advantages to speaking either language:
French:
Spanish:
Spoken on five continents
Spoken throughout the Americas
One of the official languages of the
European Community (17 countries to date)
There are 37 million Spanish
speakers in this country
Our Northern neighbor (8 million Canadians)
speaks French
Most of our Southern neighbors
speak Spanish
Which language you choose should be based on your personal interests.
Welcome to the French and Spanish worlds!
At ELMS, you may choose to study either French or Spanish. The level of difficulty is
about the same for both languages & both are equally useful in our global community.
There are advantages to speaking either language:
French:
Spanish:
Spoken on five continents
Spoken throughout the Americas
One of the official languages of the
European Community (16 countries to date)
There are 37 million Spanish
speakers in this country
Our Northern neighbor (8 million Canadians)
speaks French
Most of our Southern neighbors
speak Spanish
Which language you choose should be based on your personal interests.
FRENCH or SPANISH?
All foreign languages develop a student's critical and creative thinking skills.
Which language to study depends on your interests.
Both French and Spanish have the SAME level of difficulty
And are equally useful in a global community.
WHY YOU SHOULD STUDY FRENCH:
 Some 40% to 50% of English vocabulary comes from French because the
English royal court spoke French for almost 300 years. Studying French
will help a student increase his/her score on the verbal section of the
SAT and ACT.
 French is the SECOND most widely studied language around the world and
the second most used language on the Internet. It is spoken in 43
countries, on all 5 continents. French along with English is the official
working language of the UN, UNESCO, NATO, and the International Red
Cross, the International Olympic Committee, the Universal post office and
the Council of Europe. In two of the G 8 countries, French is the official
language.
 Today’s colleges are looking for students with diverse language experiences
and having French would be a plus.
 In many scientific fields at the graduate level, most American institutions
require a reading knowledge of FRENCH or GERMAN in order for scholars
to be able to conduct research.
 France is a leader and innovator in science and technology, and in the
medical field (e.g. the Human Genome Project is located in Paris, isolation
of HIV virus, TGV [fastest train], and the Airbus. Both HDTV and the smart
card were invented in France).
 The U.S. needs people who can speak a variety of foreign languages.
FRENCH IS TRULY A WORLD LANGUAGE!
WHY YOU SHOULD STUDY SPANISH:
 Spanish is spoken by 500 million people. It is the FOURTH most spoken
language (after Chinese, English, and Hindustani). It is spoken in more
than 24 countries, and on four continents. About half of the population in
the Western Hemisphere speaks Spanish, making it the primary language
for as many people as English in this region of the world. It is also one of
the official languages of the UN and of its organizations.
 Spanish is the SECOND most frequently spoken language in the USA. It is
the language of origin of nearly one in ten people. Currently there are
about 37 million Spanish speakers in the USA. Hispanics constitute nearly
20 percent of the nation’s total population and are predicted to be 30% by
2050. (This estimate does not include the 3.9 million residents of Puerto
Rico.)

U.S. Hispanic purchasing power surged to over $1 trillion in 2010 and is
projected to reach as much as $1.3 trillion by 2015. It is growing at a rate
that is 2 times the national average and is 9.3% of the current US
purchasing power.
 Job opportunities here and abroad are greater for those who speak
Spanish, especially as more companies trade internationally and Latin
American countries become important commercial partners. Knowing
Spanish helps us to have a sense of how our trading partners think and
feel.
 Spanish language and culture are an important part of our national history
and they continue to have a global influence on architecture, art and
literature.
 Our English language has Latin origins, and because Spanish is also a
Latin language, the study of Spanish will help with understanding English
vocabulary. Because the grammars are similar, it is an effective way to
learn how English is structured.
 The Spanish passion for living is contagious and learning about their
language and culture will open up new worlds here and abroad.
SPANISH IS TRULY A LANGUAGE OF THE AMERICAS!