French is one of the most spoken languages across the globe. Just like Italian and Spanish, French is one of the Romance languages derived from Latin, the language of the Romans.
Latin was widespread by the Roman colonists. However, after the dissolution of the western Roman empire, most of the conquered lands became linguistically isolated, and Latin evolved into various dialects, known as the Romance languages of today. Gaulish, a Celtic language spoken in ancient Gaul before the Roman invasion, and Old Frankish have also impacted the French language a lot.
Where is French Spoken?
François replaced Latin with French as the state language of France in 1539. French is the official language of twenty-nine nations as of now, making it the second official language in the world, with English being the first. The 29 countries include Belgium, Burkina Faso, Benin, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Chad, the Ivory Coast, Djibouti, the Democratic Republic of the Congo, France, Equatorial Guinea, Haiti, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Monaco, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Switzerland, Togo, and Vanuatu.
How Many People Speak French?
Including native speakers, partial French speakers, and numerous dialect speakers, around 300 million people use French in their day-to-day communication. Due to colonization and diaspora, French is the sixth most spoken language in the world, following Mandarin Chinese, English, Hindi, Spanish, and Arabic. French also happens to be the second most studied language in the world, with 120 million students currently learning it. There is an overwhelming majority of people speaking French across five continents: Europe, Africa, North America, Asia, and the Middle East.
Interesting Facts About French
1. French Influence on English
Around 45% of modern English words are of French origin. French became the language of the administration and aristocracy after the Norman conquest of England in 1066. That resulted in a significant number of French words and expressions being incorporated into English. Over the centuries, French remained a primary language influencing modern English.
2. Homophones in French
French has a significant number of homophones, which are words having the same pronunciation but different spellings and meanings. This makes it easier to create tongue twisters. For example:
“Les chaussettes de l’archiduchesse, sont-elles sèches? Archi-sèches.”
3. French Legal Influence
Canada is a country where Common Law is practiced in French. Lawyers from New Brunswick played an essential role in drafting the constitution of Mauritius. The New Quebec Civil Code was influential in the drafting of the new codes of law in Russia and China.
4. The Longest Word in French
The longest word in the French dictionary is anticonstitutionnellement, which has 25 letters!
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