DIPLOMACY AND THE QUESTION OF FRENCH LANGUAGE STUDIES

No intellectual of the 21 century makes himself a recluse by language barrier particularly in this era of globalisation. Foreign language acquisition, (especially French) along with the growth of telecommunications and internet, is sine qua non for the relevance ofan intellectual whose carrier is not limited to his own local domain but to the global world at large. Reaching out and interacting with experts in all spheres of life is therefore sacrosanct. Everybody wants to explore the world. This cannot be done meaningfully without the linguistic capacity of French Language for the Anglophone and English Language for the Francophone. Therefore, this article discusses the relevance of French Studies to diplomacy and Nigerian position in the Francophone world. Key-words: [Globalisation, Diplomacy, Internet, French Studies, Anglophone, Francophone]