Hello, thank you for your question!
French might not be a universal language and it seems unlikely to become one anytime soon but it is far from being a dying language. In fact, it is the fifth most widely-spoken language, with approximately 275 million speakers. French is spoken in several countries besides France, such as Belgium, Canada, Togo, Congo, Switzerland, Senegal, and many others. It is one of the languages that evolved from Latin, a dead language.
As a native speaker myself I never thought it as a dying/declining language or anything close to it which is why I was intrigued when I first saw this question.
French is the official language of multiple organizations, including the European Union and the United Nations. It is widely used in fields such as literature and the arts, which makes it an essential language for global communication and cultural exchange.
Learning French can open doors to multiple opportunities career- and culture-wise. Considering it is the main language in several countries, being able to speak it can also make travelling more comfortable.
Also it’s impressive to speak multiple languages. French in particular :D
I hope this information has provided you with a better understanding of the role of the French language!
Dear Letterbox Team :)
Citations:
The most spoken languages worldwide 2022 | Statista. (2022, November 29). Statista. https://www.statista.com/statistics/266808/the-most-spoken-languages-worldwide/
Official Languages | United Nations. https://www.un.org/en/our-work/official-languages#:~:text=There%20are%20six%20official%20languages,%2C%20French%2C%20Russian%20and%20Spanish.
Languages, multilingualism, language rules | European Union. (n.d.). European Union. https://european-union.europa.eu/principles-countries-history/languages_en#:~:text=The%20EU%20has%2024%20official,%2C%20Slovenian%2C%20Spanish%20and%20Swedish.
Comentários