I notice among people I talk to more enthusiasm toward learning French than Spanish. This confuses me; my feeling is that Spanish unlocks far more countries and speakers than French does and so is a more natural first choice.

What do people think motivates this choice?

French has this aura of aspirational lifestyle. I think much of it comes from the 19th century .. but prestige, like other forms of legitimacy, is sticky. Bodega and boutique are the same word (“small shop”)

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Great example, I'm stealing this. "The Bodega and the Boutique" would be a cool headline for an essay analyzing this effect.