Researcher ORCID Identifier

0009-0005-4860-756X

Graduation Year

2026

Document Type

Open Access Senior Thesis

Degree Name

Bachelor of Arts

Department

Mathematics

Second Department

French Studies

Reader 1

Christina Edholm

Reader 2

Nathalie Rachlin

Abstract

The French language is one of the most globally spoken languages, with over 300 million speakers and designated the official language of 29 nations. French continues to prosper as a result of its titular nations' imperialist history that emphasized linguistic diffusion as well as the support of international organizations dedicated to promoting both the language and the culture of French-speaking nations. In this thesis, we explore the nuanced history of French-speaking countries and one institution dedicated  to promoting the French language, the OIF. We further examine the media mechanism of the OIF and construct a system of Ordinary Differential Equations (ODEs) that models future acquisition of French speakers in OIF-affiliated countries, with respect to media. From this model, we apply optimal control theory and find that the importance placed on the potential loss of a language greatly impacts the amount of control necessary to increase French language speakers. Moreover, the importance of media exposure in language acquisition exemplified in this model can be more broadly applied as framework to promote multilingualism.

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