Informative Speech on French Culture Essay

The drinking age is kind of an experiment around the world. In many places around Europe, people who are below the age of twenty-one are allowed to drink by law. Many teenagers around the US find this law biased, because teens aren't given enough credit for how responsible they can be. In Northern Europe, people see alcohol as a culture issue. In many countries it is traditional to have a glass of wine or two during each meal. The drinking age in other countries vary but the normal legal age is between 16-18 years of age. A recent "study that compared DUI laws in the United States to those in comparable nations, such as the European Union States, Canada, Australia, New Zealand, Japan and Brazil, found that the United States had the highest proportion of traffic fatalities that were alcohol-related among the 12 countries reporting data." It was reported that the United States had "relatively lax enforcement" in comparison to other countries ("National Minimum Drinking Age-Choose Responsibility").

Today, there are 195 countries in the world, but none of them are as unique as (or even similar to) France. It holds claims to some of the richest traditions and cultural heritages that have ever existed. But, these facts are not even the most impressive thing about this country: its language is way more awe-inspiring. French is the only language that is spoken on every single continent, and it has the capability to bring different countries and the world together.

This paper will focus on the many elements and dimensions of France and the affect it has on the business that takes place locally and internationally. There will be constant comparisons and contrasts between France and the United States of America taking place throughout this entire research article. I will focus on how the elements and dimensions of the culture separately are adapted by the locals and integrated into everyday life and business. I will also give insight on how to conduct business in France for other countries, mainly the United States, by talking about the countries imports and exports and

There are many cultural differences between the United States and France. Some of these are simply social and others are cultural. Hofstede’s Value Dimensions can be used to highlight the differences between the cultures. Individualism vs collectivism, uncertainty avoidance, masculinity/femininity, power distance, and long-term vs short-term orientation are all characteristics that differ between France and the United States.

First and foremost you may want to hit the most famous spots like the Eiffel Tower, Arc de Triumph, Notre Dame, and all the typical tourist attractions, although these may be the most well known places in France there are so many other things to see and do. France is known for its museums and cathedrals but did you know that you could visit King Louis the XIV’s Palace of Versailles or Claude Monet’s home that was the background of many of his most accomplished paintings? Cave art, historical sights, world-renowned restaurant ands so much more are all apart of France’s rich

The people of France take pride in their selves. Although they seem like very modest people in France it is normal to have affairs while being married. They celebrate eleven official holidays. The French celebrate the traditional Christian holidays as well such as Easter and Christmas and normal ones like Fourth of July, Good Friday, Easter Monday, and Labor Day. On July fourteen they celebrate Bastille Day, which is the day that the Bastille fortress was stormed in and it started the French revolution. Another few that are not common here is victory in Europe day, Ascension Day, Whit Monday, Assumption day and , All Saints day and Armistice day, and last but not least St. Stephens Day. Although there are many great things about France there is one thing that’s not so positive about France is that it is well known for a lot of human trafficking. Although many laws have been passed to lower the rates of this awful problem and also to protect and keep the woman safe it is still very common. A little more information about their culture is that due to the fact that there country is a six sided shape they often use the word hexagon to describe their nation due to the similarity. France is a beautiful country filled lots of history. These are the five themes of geography for

French concepts are all over America. Everyone who lives here experiences French elements in their daily life. The root of these French influences come from when the French immigrated here hundreds of years ago. The city with the most French influence is New Orleans. New Orleans adopted many traditions and customs from the French. This is due to it once being France’s territory. Even today, New Orleans still has many French qualities,

The drinking age in the United States is a contradiction. At the age of eighteen, one can drive a car, vote in an election, get married, serve in the military and buy tobacco products. In the United States you are legally an adult at eighteen. An eighteen-year-old, however, cannot purchase alcoholic beverages. The minimum drinking age should be lowered from twenty-one in the United States.

From doing this first assignment project, I learned how focused the French culture is on art and how involved it is in their everyday lives. Art can come in so many forms in the French culture, a few being paintings, sketches, sculpting, and making music. As well as this, I learned about Impressionism which is a form of art that specifically came from the French culture in the 1870s and the 1880s. This form of art was created by a group of Impressionists whom were all French. Lastly, I learned how the French culture is full of elegance and love, which is also displayed through their artwork as well.

In today’s society, the United States has a culture full of arts, architecture, and cuisine. Since the United States is a huge melting pot, much of our arts, architecture, and cuisine, and architecture have influence from many different nations, especially in Europe. It’s hard to imagine the United States without first knowing about the influence of the French art, architecture, and cuisine.

The major cities in France are PARIS (capital) 10.62 million; Marseille-Aix-en-Provence 14,890,100; Lyon 1.488 million; Lille 1.042 million; Nice-Cannes 991,000; and Toulouse 933,000 (2011). It covers approximately 543,965 sq km or 210,026 sq miles, making it the third largest country in Europe (Monitoring, B.) with a population density of 121 people per km². The complete population of France is approximately 63.2 million, taken from a United Nations census in 2012 and an annual growth rate of 0.49% as of 2013 (Monitoring, B.). Most of the population being French, this country also is home to a few other major ethnic groups, them being Celtic and Latin with Teutonic, Slavic, North African, Indochinese, and Basque minorities (Factbook, C.). France’s general median population age is 40 years old, but the median age for woman is 39 years old, and for men it is 42 years old (Factbook, C.).. Meaning most of France’s population is of working age and most likely financially stable. The life expectancy of the French is 78 for men, but 85 for woman, healthy ages for the average person (Factbook,

In France the education system is run by the state, it is supported by the state and is therefore basically free. During a French education, emphasis is placed on the transfer of knowledge. This

France to me has always been a country I would love to visit. French is the language of love and the way the pronunciation of the simplest words rolls off the tongue is so fascinating. To able to study the language at such an up front and personal point of view would be an honor and humble experience. The delectable French food, however would be the best part in my opinion. One of my main points of traveling around is to be able to indulge in the different meals one wouldn't normally find or prepare in my kitchen. It is well known for the French chefs to care a lot about their food and prepare every meal with delicacy and perfectionism. The country is known for its rich history in culinary arts and offer a wide spectrum of types of food there. Like me, this is every food lover's dream.

Using Hofstede’s four cultural dimensions as a point of reference, what are some of the main cultural differences between the United States and France?

The French are all about preserving their culture and being individualized. They often take great pride in the French products and the French style, and believe in keeping the French culture “pure” so they also limit the amount of foreign goods that are being imported. But during the World Wars the French began to allow foreigners to immigrate into France to take jobs due to an increase in job shortages. The immigration from the World Wars added to the diversity of the French culture. Ever since the 1850’s there has been a steady flow of immigration into France, and now nine percent of the French population is made up of immigrants (Gofen 62). The break down of the cultures in France is eighty-five percent of the French population is Roman