27 August 2010 Last updated at 06:59 ET

Should British pupils give up studying French?

By Will Smale BBC News

Savez-vous que vous parlez très mal français?

If your answer to the above question (do you know you speak very poor French?) - was a resounding "you what?" then you are not alone.

But while British people have always had a reputation for our inability to speak foreign languages, French has historically been the one that most of us can at least say a few words in, thanks to having had to learn it at school.

For many adults, distant memories of begrudgingly attending French classes at the local comprehensive have left us equipped to do complicated and stressful things, such as buying a loaf of bread while on holiday in France.

Although possibly only with the help of some judicious pointing, while desperately hoping that the shopkeeper doesn't ask us a question in return.

Yet with the latest GCSE results showing that the number of pupils studying French has dropped 45% in eight years, the average Briton's grasp of the language may be falling even further.

But why are fewer students choosing to take French? And no offence to the likes of Charles De Gaulle, Asterix and the Michelin Man, but does it really matter?

For language learning expert Paul Noble, who teaches French and Spanish on CDs by Collins, the reasons for the decline are straightforward.

Fall in French

• In 2002, 341,604 pupils in England and Wales took GCSE French (3.3% of all GCSEs)
• In 2010, it was 188,688, down 45%
• Over the same period, number of A levels in French fell by 14%

Firstly, he points to the decision of the then Labour government in 2004 to make it no longer compulsory for schools in England to teach a foreign language to 14 to 16 year olds.

"That decision certainly didn't help," says Mr Noble who is also fluent in Italian, German, and Mandarin, and runs his own language school.

"But the core reason is because pupils know French is difficult to pass, and difficult to get something out of it.

"On the first point, with French or any language, you either know how to say it or you don't - you can perhaps be a bit more vague with subjects like religious studies.

"On the later point, what I mean is that students realise that even if they do get a GCSE in French, they still won't be able to speak the language.

"Even students who come out of doing French A-levels can be surprised at what they can't say - the teaching should be far more conversationally based."

The National Union of Teachers (NUT) also blames the decline on the end of a compulsory language at GCSE. Its head of education John Bangs says: "The policy drift on modern foreign languages is unforgivable." It means more young people are ill-equipped for life in a global society, he adds.

The sudden decline in French-speaking could mark the end of a long-held attachment the British have felt to the language.

For nearly 400 years when the country was ruled by Norman kings, it was the language of the ruling class, says Jonnie Robinson, co-curator of a forthcoming exhibition, Evolving English, at the British Library in London. So the nobility spoke French, like everyone at the royal palaces and in the judiciary.

"After the Norman Conquest [in 1066], Norman French became the language of power, although English remained the language of the people. And official documents were written either in Latin, the language of the church, or in French."

Take a deep breath, smile and point

There is evidence that its grip on power had loosened a little by 1362, when the opening of Parliament was conducted in English for the first time since 1066, says Mr Robinson. And the Library has a document dating to 1419, written in English by King Henry V, who was fighting a prolonged war with the French and was probably making a statement about English nationality.

In the centuries that followed, French travelled around the world as a colonial language, he says, and played a key part in the founding of the United Nations, the Olympic movement and the European Common Market, hence its status, alongside English, as the language of diplomacy.

For a monolingual country like England (there are generations of bilingual families in Wales, for example), says Mr Robinson, people were impressed to see Tony Blair speaking French in Paris when prime minister, and more recently hear Nick Clegg speaking French, Spanish or Dutch.

But despite the prowess of the deputy prime minister, a spokesman for the Department for Education said the coalition government currently has no plans to make languages compulsory again for 14 to 16 year olds in England.

If not French...

• Spanish (up 16% among GCSE-takers since 2002) is widely spoken and increasingly in the US
• Mandarin (up 38%) is popular among those with ambitions in business
• German historically had an image problem but is the language of the EU's largest economy

So is this putting UK companies at a competitive disadvantage? English may be described as the world's business language, but 200 million people speak French around the world, and it is an official language in 32 countries.

Russell Lawson, public affairs manager at the Federation of Small Businesses, says giving school children a solid grasp of French has always helped them go on and learn other languages.

He adds: "English may be the world's predominant business language, but if you can speak just some of another language, it can be a great help. It's a cultural acknowledgement that you are at least trying to engage with the customer on their terms, and that can reap business rewards."

Madonna's daughter Lourdes attended a French school in London and is bilingual

For the right-wing think tank, the Adam Smith Institute, the decline in the number of students learning French all boils down to the school league tables - languages are hard, so pupils are encouraged to take "easier" subjects.

This is a point echoed by Michel Monsauret, attache for education at the French Embassy in London, who says that subjects perceived to be easier, such as religious studies, are on the increase.

"What I would say, is that languages are taught more extensively at private schools in the UK, and their pupils go on to dominate places at Oxbridge and the other best universities."

There is a lot at stake for the UK economy, he adds. "If you go to the City [of London] you will find that many top ranking bankers are French - UK firms always resort to foreigners when dealing with the outside world."

But if getting more British pupils to study French and other foreign languages is important, where do you start? Paul Noble thinks it is very simple.

"You have got to make French classes more enjoyable," he says. "French needn't be hard to learn if taught correctly, it can even be fun.

"Start by teaching children how to converse in French in any given situation, help them better express themselves in French, and it becomes a lot more enjoyable."

A selection of your comments appears below

I got an A* at French GCSE. 10 years later I met my French fiancee and thought I'd be OK talking to his family. Wrong! two years of regular french lessons later and I can only just about join in the simplest of family conversations. It made me realise that GCSE french is little more than tourist french, but my further studies are rewarding and worthwhile, and made me wish I'd done more in school

Vicky, London

Leave this once great country with the historical fact of contributing a modern ,understandable language to the world as our contribution to a global society.All developed countries speak it, it is technical, expressive, and is already spoken fluently in all technologies. English is already THE international choice of most nations who WANT to communicate on equal terms!

John Sawyer, Taunton, Somerset

The UK is massively under-represented in the European public service - thanks in no small part to the low numbers of people learning other European languages (including French) to an acceptable standard. This is a pity.

Hugh Annand, Brussels

As a French citizen living in London for a decade I have to say that I am very impressed by the commitment of English people to learn French. When I go back to France I am appalled by my fellow countrymen; they can't speak at all. Go to where I come from Toulouse and try to ask for a direction. Overall I do think that you are ahead of us but I think it would be good for future generations to learn any foreign language.

Christophe, London

In some respects, French has been an overrated language (no offence to those who speak or learn it). Spanish encompasses all of Latin America and other places, which is a prospering and growing region. As China is becoming more important in the world economy, naturally people will want to learn Mandarin to conduct business there. Finally, the article states that 200 million people speak French and is the official language in 32 countries. However students are smart enough to realise that there is no future for business prospects in many of these countries (eg, Central African Republic, Mali, Niger, Congo, Guinea) and why spend so much energy learning French for really no reason. I remember learning French in school and resenting it, however I have spent a lot of energy to learn Spanish and Arabic, two far more useful languages.

Peter, St Andrews

Why not teach languages that students can actually practice everyday locally? Like Urdu, Gujarati, Punjabi, Bengali, Cantonese etc. This would give jobs to those in traditionally under-employed communities, allow for greater cross-cultural communication, increase the sharing of customs, strengthen community ties, and students would be taught by native speakers. The increased difficulties of non-Latin scripts would hopefully be balanced against the ease of practice with native speakers and greater possibilities for 'language immersion' when exchange trips can be done within a town, rather than on a more expensive overseas trip.

Michael, Herts

I gained an A* in GCSE French and Spanish this year, but I can't really speak either language. At the end of two years of study students can parrot back answers about why you shouldn't take drugs and what they did on their holidays, but in real life situations they are lost. The deep knowledge of a language needed to converse spontaneously is not focussed on or even acknowledged and classes are taught in such an artificial environment that having a GCSE in a language is almost worthless. Before we even bother trying to encourage more people to study languages at school we need to make them worth studying.

Rose , Worcester

Back in the early 80s I studied French at university. Even then almost everyone I met thought I was mad. However, I believe learning foreign languages gives you a wider outlook and makes you more tolerant of differences. Both my children are bi-lingual (French-English) since I live in France and they enjoy changing from one to the other. So go on, be brave and vive la France!

Julia, Metz, France

I spent 2008 & 2009 travelling the world and Spanish is far more useful than French as it's spoken from Mexico to Argentina

Chase, Wimbledon

French classes at school had a catastrophic effect on my ability to communicate in the language. I remember sitting in class chanting "Notre notre nos, votre votre vos..." etc with no idea what I was doing. Most people I know who took languages at A level are unable to function in that language. So what's the point of taking them at all? You may as well take biology or art and learn the language later, secondary to your main subject or career. Languages must be taught in context, and with an emphasis on communication. Sounds obvious, but look at the comments on this site and you'll see it isn't happening in schools. I don't think any language should be taught in a school unless those criteria are met. It's a waste of everybody's time.

Lynn, London

I remember going on a day trip to France with the school in the late 80's, to practice our french. I remember going into a shop, picking up an item and asking the shop keeper "C'est combien?" (How much is this?). The shop keeper answered us in English. Also, despite being expected to get an A grade in GCSE French and going on to A level my comprehensive decided to get rid of our language teachers in cut backs, resulting in poor substitute teaching and my getting a C instead. Did not go on to A'level.

Wendy Lynch, Ilford

Stop putting religious studies down! I took both French and RS at GCSE (admittedly 14+ years ago) and found RS far more challenging and intellectually stimulating; more philosophy than bible studies, teaching you to construct a considered and balanced argument. On the other hand French consisted of learning stock phrases by rote - not exactly difficult if you have half a brain...

Kate Parks, Wimborne, Dorset