French has long been called the language of love but now it’s official: according to an international survey done by Hotels.com, French has been named the sexiest language in the world. Considering what comes to mind when one hears French being spoken or even English with a French accent—I assume, and my husband confirms, that the average man immediately thinks of the stereotypical “sexy French maid” when hearing a woman speak French—it’s no wonder Francais won.

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So what was it that caused a poll that surveyed 8,000 respondents from around the world to choose French as the world’s sexiest language?  It could be the romance and elegance often attributed to the language. It could also be the soft cadence of the French language when spoken in a romantic whisper; even as a child, when my only exposure to the Gallic language was spoken by a love-struck skunk in a Loony Tunes cartoon, I could tell there was something inherently dreamy about French.

 

Interestingly enough, a survey conducted in 2009 by OnePoll.com named the Irish brogue the sexiest accent, with the French accent finishing in fourth place after the Italian accent and the Scottish accent. At the time, the current French President (23rd president, in case anyone was wondering) Nicolas Sarkozy was FRANCE-SARKOZY/blamed by OnePoll for the unfavorable image accompanying the French accent. Whether it was his fault or not, the 5,000 female respondents were clearly turned off. Possibly for zee way zey sound so charming when zee French speak like zis, sometime between 2009 and now the switch must have been flipped into the ON position.

 

 It makes one wonder what really draws tourists to France. Is it the rich history and magnificent and iconic architecture? Of course it is, but one can’t help but think the allure of the language has something to do with making France a popular vacation destination.

 

Do you consider French to be the world’s sexiest language? Why or why not?

 

(For anyone who was wondering, after French, Italian was ranked second with the British English accent coming in at third place.)