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French language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
French language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language
French language
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
French ( français , pronounced
[f ˷˝җ s ɛ ]) is a Romance
language originally spoken in
France, Belgium, Luxembourg,
and Switzerland, and today by
about 300 million people
around the world as either a
native or a second language, [1]
with significant populations in
54 countries.
French
Français
Pronunciation: /f ˷˝җ s
ɛ
/
Spoken in:
Listed in the article
Region:
Africa, Europe, Americas, Pacific, isolated regions of Asia
Total speakers:
Native: 65 [21] -109 [22] million
Total: estimates from 115 million to 500 million
[23] [24] [25] [26]
French is a descendant of the
Latin of the Roman Empire, as
are languages such as Spanish,
Italian, Catalan, Romanian, and
Portuguese. Its development
was also influenced by the
native Celtic languages of
Roman Gaul and by the
Germanic language of the
post-Roman Frankish invaders.
Ranking:
18 (Native), total: 3 to 7
Language
family:
Indo-European
Italic
Romance
Italo-Western
Western
Gallo-Iberian
Gallo-Romance
Gallo-Rhaetian
Oïl
French
It is an official language in 29
countries, most of which form
what is called in French La
Francophonie , the community
of French-speaking nations. It
is an official language of all
United Nations agencies and a
large number of international
organisations.
Official status
29 countries
Numerous international organizations
Regulated by: Académie française (France) Office québécois de la langue
française (Quebec, Canada) Conseil pour le développement du
français en Louisiane (Louisiana)
Language codes
ISO 639-1: fr
ISO 639-2:
fre (B)
fra (T)
ISO 639-3: fra
(http://www.sil.org/iso639-3/documentation.asp?id=fra)
Contents
1 Geographic
distribution
1.1 Europe
1.1.1 Legal
status in
France
1.1.2
Map of the Francophone world
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Official
language in:
 
French language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language
Switzerland
1.1.3
Belgium
1.1.4
Monaco
and
Andorra
1.1.5 Italy
1.1.6 The
Channel
Islands
1.2 The Americas
1.2.1 Legal
status in
Canada
1.2.2 Haiti
1.2.3
French
Overseas
Territories
1.2.4 The
United
States
1.3 Africa
1.4 Asia
1.5 Oceania
2 Dialects
3 History
4 Sounds
5 Orthography
6 Grammar
7 Vocabulary
7.1 Numerals
8 Writing system
9 Samples
10 See also
11 References
12 External links
12.1 Dictionaries
/ Vocabulary
12.1.1
Audio
Dark blue: French-speaking; blue: official language/widely used; Light blue: language of culture;
green: minority
Geographic distribution
Europe
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French language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language
Legal status in France
See also: Toubon Law and Languages of France
Per the Constitution of France, French has been the official language since 1992 [2] (although previous legal
texts have made it official since 1539, see ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts). France mandates the use of French in
official government publications, public education outside of specific cases (though these dispositions are often
ignored) and legal contracts; advertisements must bear a translation of foreign words.
In addition to French, there are also a variety of regional languages. France has signed the European Charter for
Regional Languages but has not ratified it since that would go against the 1958 Constitution.
Switzerland
Further information: Demographics of Switzerland
French is one of the four official languages of Switzerland (along with German, Italian, and Romansh), and is
spoken in the part of Switzerland called Romandie . French is the native language of about 20% of all Swiss.
Belgium
Further information: Languages of Belgium and Belgian French
NOTE: Nuetrality of this excerpt is heavily disputed.
In Belgium, French is the official language of the Walloon Region
(excluding the East Cantons, which are German-speaking) and one of the
two official languages—along with Dutch—of the Brussels-Capital Region
where it is spoken by the majority of the population, be it often not as
primary language. [3] French and German are not official languages nor
recognised minority languages in the Flemish Region, although along
borders with the Walloon and Brussels-Capital regions, there are a dozen of
municipalities with language facilities for French-speakers; a mirroring
situation exists for the Walloon Region with respect to the Dutch and
German languages. In total, native French-speakers make up about 40% of
the country's population, the remaining 60% speak Dutch, the latter of which 59% claim to speak French as a
second language. [4] French is thus known by an estimated 75% of all Belgians, either as a mother tongue, as
second, or as third language [5] .
Monaco and Andorra
Further information: Languages of Monaco and Languages of Andorra
Although Monégasque is the national language of the Principality of Monaco, French is the only official
language, and French nationals make up some 47% of the population.
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Bilingual signs in Brussels.
French language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language
Catalan is the only official language of Andorra, French is however commonly used due to the proximity to
France. French nationals make up 7% of the population.
Italy
Further information: Languages of Italy
French is also an official language, along with Italian, in the province of Aosta Valley, Italy. In addition, a
number of Franco-Provençal dialects are spoken in the province, although they do not have official recognition.
The Channel Islands
Further information: Languages of Jersey and Languages of Guernsey
Although Jersey and Guernsey, the two bailiwicks collectively referred to as the Channel Islands, are separate
entities, both use French to some degree, mostly in an administrative capacity. Jersey Legal French is the
standardized variety used in Jersey.
The Americas
Legal status in Canada
See also: French language in Canada, Languages of Canada, and Bilingualism in Canada
About 7 million Canadians are native French-speakers, of whom 6 million live
in Quebec [3] (http://www40.statcan.ca/l01/cst01/demo11b.htm) , and French
is one of Canada's two official languages (the other being English). Various
provisions of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms deal with
Canadians' right to access services in both languages, including the right to a
publicly funded education in the minority language of each province, where
numbers warrant in a given locality. By law, the federal government must
operate and provide services in both English and French, proceedings of the
Parliament of Canada must be translated into both these languages, and most
products sold in Canada must have bilingual labels.
Bilingual (English/French)
stop sign on Parliament Hill in
Ottawa. An example of
bilingualism at the federal
government level in Canada.
Overall, about 13% of Canadians have knowledge of French only, while 18%
have knowledge of both English and French. In contrast, over 80% of the
population of Quebec speaks French natively, and 95% can speak it. It has
been the sole official language of Quebec since 1974. The legal status of
French was further strengthened with the 1977 adoption of the Charter of the French Language (popularly
known as Bill 101 ), which guarantees that every person has a right to have the civil administration, the health
and social services, corporations, and enterprises in Quebec communicate with him in French. While the Charter
mandates that certain provincial government services, such as those relating to health and education, be offered
to the English minority in its language, where numbers warrant, its primary purpose is to cement the role of
French as the primary language used in the public sphere.
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French language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/French_language
The provision of the Charter that has arguably had the most
significant impact mandates French-language education unless a
child's parents or siblings have received the majority of their own
primary education in English within Canada, with minor exceptions.
This measure has reversed a historical trend whereby a large number
of immigrant children would attend English schools. In so doing, the
Charter has greatly contributed to the "visage français" (French face)
of Montreal in spite of its growing immigrant population. Other
provisions of the Charter have been ruled unconstitutional over the
years, including those mandating French-only commercial signs,
court proceedings, and debates in the legislature. Though none of
these provisions are still in effect today, some continued to be on the
books for a time even after courts had ruled them unconstitutional as
a result of the government's decision to invoke the so-called
notwithstanding clause of the Canadian constitution to override
constitutional requirements. In 1993, the Charter was rewritten to
allow signage in other languages so long as French was markedly
"predominant." Another section of the Charter guarantees every person the right to work in French, meaning the
right to have all communications with one's superiors and coworkers in French, as well as the right not to be
required to know another language as a condition of hiring, unless this is warranted by the nature of one's duties,
such as by reason of extensive interaction with people located outside the province or similar reasons. This
section has not been as effective as had originally been hoped, and has faded somewhat from public
consciousness. As of 2006, approximately 65% of the workforce on the island of Montreal predominantly used
French in the workplace.
Knowledge of French in the European
Union and candidate countries [6]
The only other province that recognizes French as an official language is New Brunswick, which is officially
bilingual, like the nation as a whole. Outside of Quebec, the highest number of Francophones in Canada,
485,000, excluding those who claim multiple mother tongues, reside in Ontario, whereas New Brunswick, home
to the vast majority of Acadians, has the highest percentage of Francophones after Quebec, 33%, or 237,000. In
Ontario, Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island, and Manitoba, French does not have full official status, although
the provincial governments do provide some French-language services in all communities where significant
numbers of Francophones live. Canada's three northern territories (Yukon, Northwest Territories, and Nunavut)
all recognize French as an official language as well.
All provinces make some effort to accommodate the needs of their Francophone citizens, although the level and
quality of French-language service vary significantly from province to province. The Ontario French Language
Services Act, adopted in 1986, guarantees French language services in that province in regions where the
Francophone population exceeds 10% of the total population, as well as communities with Francophone
populations exceeding 5,000, and certain other designated areas; this has the most effect in the north and east of
the province, as well as in other larger centres such as Ottawa, Toronto, Hamilton, Mississauga, London,
Kitchener, St. Catharines, Greater Sudbury and Windsor. However, the French Language Services Act does not
confer the status of "official bilingualism" on these cities, as that designation carries with it implications which
go beyond the provision of services in both languages. The City of Ottawa's language policy (by-law 2001-170)
has two criteria which would allow employees to work in their official language of choice and be supervised in
the language of choice; this policy is being challenged by an organization called Canadians for Language
Fairness.
Canada has the status of member state in the Francophonie, while the provinces of Québec and New Brunswick
are recognized as participating governments. Ontario is currently seeking to become a full member on its own.
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