French is a Romance language (meaning that it is descended primarily from Vulgar Latin) that evolved out of the Gallo-Romance dialects spoken in northern France. The language's early forms include Old French and Middle French. The Indo-European language French (français or langue française) is a Romance language. It, like all Romance languages, descended from the Roman Empire's Vulgar Latin. Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoke in Gaul, and particularly in Northern Gaul, evolved into French. Its nearest cousins, which were traditionally spoken in northern France and southern Belgium but were mostly superseded by French (Francien). Native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul, such as Gallia Belgica, and the (Germanic) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders affected French as well. Today, many French-based creole languages, most notably Haitian Creole, exist as a result of France's historical foreign expansion. In both English and French, a French-speaking individual or nation is referred to as Francophone.
French is the official language of 29 countries on four continents, the majority of which are members of the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), a group of 84 countries that share the official usage or teaching of the language. French is also one of the United Nations' six official languages. It is spoken as a first language in France, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Algeria, Morocco, Canada (provinces of Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick, as well as other Francophone regions), and the Democratic Republic of Congo. Cameroon; Belgium (Wallonia and the Brussels-Capital Region); Ivory Coast; Tunisia; western Switzerland (Romandy—all or part of the cantons of Bern, Fribourg, Geneva, Jura, Neuchâtel, Vaud, and Valais); Monaco; parts of Luxembourg; parts of the United States (the states of Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont); and various communities elsewhere.
In 2015, Europe accounted for roughly 40% of the francophone population (including L2 and partial speakers), followed by Sub-Saharan Africa (35%), North Africa and the Middle East (15%), the Americas (8%), and Asia and Oceania (1%). In the European Union, French is the second most commonly spoken mother tongue. Around one-fifth of Europeans who speak other languages natively can speak French as a second language.
In the European Union, French is the second most often taught foreign language. French, along with English and German, is used as a working language at all EU institutions; in some, it is the only working language (e.g. at the Court of Justice of the European Union). French is also the world's 18th most widely spoken native language, the 6th most widely spoken language by a total number of speakers, and the second or third most learned language (with about 120 million current learners). From the 16th century forward, French and Belgian colonialism brought the French to new territories in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. Gabon, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritius, Senegal, and the Ivory Coast are home to the majority of second-language speakers in Francophone Africa.
French has around 76 million native speakers, 235 million daily proficient speakers, and another 77–110 million secondary speakers, mostly in Africa, who speak it as a second language with different levels of skill. According to the OIF, over 300 million individuals worldwide are "able to speak the language," however the organization does not explain the criteria for this estimate or who it includes. According to a forecast from the Université Laval and the Réseau Démographie de l'Agence universitaire de la Francophonie, the total number of French speakers will reach 500 million in 2025 and 650 million in 2050. By 2050, the OIF forecasts that there will be 700 million people on the planet, with 80 percent of them living in Africa. Many international organizations, including the United Nations, the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization, the World Trade Organization, the International Olympic Committee, and the International Committee of the Red Cross, use French as a major or secondary language.
After English and Standard Mandarin Chinese, Bloomberg Businessweek named French as the third most helpful language for business in 2011. Originating in France, it is now popular around the world, particularly in France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, North Africa, and West Africa. There are an estimated 274 million French speakers in the world. French supplanted Latin as the most significant language of diplomacy and international affairs in the 17th century (lingua franca). It held this position until the mid-twentieth century when the English took over as the main worldwide power after World War II when the United States became the leading global power. The fact that the Treaty of Versailles was written in both English and French, according to Stanley Meisler of the Los Angeles Times, was the "first diplomatic blow" against the language.
France had an era of wealth and prominence among European nations during the Grand Siècle (17th century), under the reign of great leaders such as Cardinal Richelieu and Louis XIV. The Académie française wasLet me know what you think about how useful this blog was for you, and until then, if you haven't seen my most recent blogs, go check them out. I've included links to the blogs below:) Take a look at these. Keep a positive attitude. Maintain a positive attitude.
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