Alliance française
 | |
| Founded | 1883 |
|---|---|
| Founder | Louis Pasteur, Ferdinand de Lesseps, Jules Verne, Ernest Renan, Armand Colin |
| Type | Cultural institution |
| Location | |
Area served | Worldwide |
| Product | French cultural and language education |
| Website | www.alliancefr.org |
The Alliance française (French pronunciation: [aljɑ̃s fʁɑ̃sɛz], French Union), or AF, is an organisation whose mission is to promote French language and culture outside France. Its primary concern is teaching French as a second language. It is headquartered in Paris.
The Alliance was created in Paris on 21 July 1883 by a group of eminent men, including the scientist Louis Pasteur, the diplomat Ferdinand de Lesseps, the writers Jules Verne and Ernest Renan, and the publisher Armand Colin.
It finances most of its activities from the fees it receives from its courses and from rental of its installations. The French government also provides a subsidy covering approximately five percent of its budget (nearly €665,000 in 2003)
More than 440,000 students learn French at one of the centres run by the Alliance, whose network of schools includes:
- a centre in Paris,
- locations throughout France for foreign students and
- 1071 locations in 133 different countries.
The organisations outside Paris are local, independently-run franchises. Each has a committee and a president. The Alliance française brand is owned by the Paris centre. In many countries, the Alliance française of Paris is represented by a Délégué général. The French Government also run 150 separate French Cultural Institutes, that exist to promote French language and culture.[1]
Certificates and diplomas
The Alliance Française also offers certification in French, with its own series of certificates and diplomas.
- Certificat d'Études de Français Pratique 1 (CEFP 1): Level 1 at ALTE and level A2 at the CEFR
- Certificat d'Études de Français Pratique 2 (CEFP 2): Level 2 at ALTE and level B1 at the CEFR
- Diplôme de Langue (DL): Level 3 at ALTE and level B2 at the CEFR
- Diplôme Supérieur - Langue et Culture Françaises (DSLCF): Level 4 at ALTE and level C1 at the CEFR
- Diplôme de Hautes Études Françaises (DHEF): Level 5 at ALTE and level C2 at the CEFR
Individual locations also may offer testing sessions for diplomas and exams from other organizations (i.e. DELF, DALF, TCF and TEF).
The Alliance Française in Indian has launched an e-learning course for beginners (A1) called ClickOnFrench in partnership with the French embassy.[2]
Recognition
In 2005, along with the Società Dante Alighieri, the British Council, the Goethe-Institut, the Instituto Cervantes and the Instituto Camões, the Alliance française was awarded the Prince of Asturias Award for outstanding achievements in communications and the humanities.
By Country
- Botswana 1
- Lesotho 1
- Mozambique 1
- Namibia 1
- South Africa 13
- Swaziland 1
- Zimbabwe 1 [3]
- Mexico has 38 Alliance Française organisations throughout the country and 12 affiliated centers.[4]
- United States have 111 chapters in 45 states. [5]
- Australia has thirty-one Alliance Française organisations.
- Hong Kong has two Alliance Française organizations, one in Wanchai while the other one in Jordan. Alliance Française de Hong Kong was created in 1953.
- There are 18 Alliances Françaises on the Indian subcontinent : 18 are located in India (Ahmedabad, Bangalore, Bhopal, Chandigarh, Chennai, Coimbatore, Goa, Gurgaon, Hyderabad, Jaipur, Karikal, Kolkata, Mahe, Mumbai, New Delhi, Pondicherry, Pune and Trivandrum)
- Nepal
- New Zealand has three Alliance Française organisations. The Alliance Française d'Auckland has 900 members.
- Philippines - Alliance Française de Cebu located at Cebu City, Visayas
- Maldives
Further reading
- Bruézière, Maurice (author) L'Alliance Française, Histoire d'une Institution 1883-1983, 1983 Librairie Hachette, Paris. ISBN 2-01-009341-0.
- Ürményházi, Attila J.(author) Un Centenaire de Rayonnement de la Culture Française (the abridged version of the AF's history to include Une Célébration de l'Alliance Française en Tasmanie), 2004. National Library of Australia, Canberra (Australian Collection) Np 943.9052 U77.
References
External links
- Official website
- ClickOnFrench.com (conceived by Alliance française network)