See more
How did the French language develop?
French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues d'oïl—languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, which French (Francien) largely supplanted.
How did France start speaking French?
Vikings from Scandinavia invaded France from the 9th century onwards and established themselves mostly in what would be called Normandy. The Normans took up the langue d'oïl spoken there, but Norman French remained heavily influenced by Old Norse and its dialects.
Who invented French and why?
Hannah Morcos looks at how the vernacular of northern France evolved from a regional spoken language to a cross-European written medium between the 8th and 12th centuries. The origins of the French language can be traced back to the Romans' introduction of Latin to the Celtic-speaking inhabitants of Gaul.
When did French start as a language?
The Birth of the French Language: It All Begins in Gaul When Gaul was conquered by the Romans in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC, the Gaulish language (which was a Celtic language) came under attack-hence the true meaning of a 'Romance language' as “to speak in Roman fashion.”
When did they start speaking French in France?
The legal reform known as the Edict of Villers-Cotterêts (1539), however, established Francien as the only official language (as opposed to both Latin and other dialects) after it proved to be the most popular written form.
What did they speak in France before French?
GaulishWhen ancient Gaul, now modern France, was conquered by the Romans in the first century B.C., its inhabitants spoke Gaulish, a Celtic language, which was rapidly supplanted by the Latin of the Roman overlords.
Where did the French descend from?
The modern French are the descendants of mixtures including Romans, Celts, Iberians, Ligurians and Greeks in southern France, Germanic peoples arriving at the end of the Roman Empire such as the Franks and the Burgundians, and some Vikings who mixed with the Normans and settled mostly in Normandy in the 9th century.
Who brought French language to English?
William the ConquerorThe Norman invasion of England in 1066 had a major impact not only on the country, but also on the English language. William the Conqueror and his merry band of Normans brought with them Norman French, which became the language of the court, government and the upper class for the next three centuries.
When did the French language come into existence?
Wondering how the French language came to be? From its humble origins to its official recognition in 1539, there are several major milestones in the evolution of this Romance language. Here are some of the most notable milestones in the history of the French language:
How did the French come to be?
To understand how French came to be, we have to go back two millennia to the age of the Roman Empire. When the Gallic War ended (between 58 BCE and 51 BCE), territories located south of the Rhine became Roman provinces. This change led to the emergence of population centers and increased trade, which improved communication between the Gauls and the Romans. For five centuries, oral Latin, also called Vulgar (from vulgus, meaning “the people”), coexisted with Gaulish, a language of Celtic origin.
What languages did the Oc speak?
The Oc languages, on the other hand, include the Limousin, Auvergne, Provencal, and Languedocian dialects. This fragmentation meant that the people started speaking many different variations, which became very important later.
What languages were spoken in the 10th century?
In the 10th century, the Gallo-Romance language took on hundreds of forms and dialects. Under the influence of the Franks, a group of languages emerged in the North: the so-called languages of Oïl, while in the more Romanized South, there was the birth of the languages of Oc (Oïl and Oc both mean oui). The languages of Oïl include the Picard, Walloon, Burgundy and Frankish dialects, among others. The Oc languages, on the other hand, include the Limousin, Auvergne, Provencal, and Languedocian dialects. This fragmentation meant that the people started speaking many different variations, which became very important later.
What was the Franks culture?
People of this proto-French culture were first unified by King Clovis via military victories and the support of the great Gallo-Roman families. This political support was largely attained by adopting their language, Gallo-Roman, ...
What was the most important contribution of the Franks?
However, the Franks’ most important contribution was providing the name of what was one day to become France.
Why was the French language re-latinized?
Re-Latinization. In order to render legitimacy and distinction to the French language, it was “re-Latinized” during the Enlightenment — although sometimes this was done in the wrong way. The word doit became doigt (finger) from the Latin digitus, while pie became pied (foot) from the Latin pedis.
When did the French language start?
For the period until around 1300, some linguists refer to the oïl languages collectively as Old French ( ancien français ). The earliest extant text in French is the Oaths of Strasbourg from 842; Old French became a literary language with the chansons de geste that told tales of the paladins of Charlemagne and the heroes of the Crusades .
When did France become the official language of France?
By the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts in 1539 King Francis I made French the official language of administration and court proceedings in France, which ousted Latin, which had been used earlier.
What language did the Gallo Romance group speak?
The Gallo-Romance group in the north of France, the langue d'oïl like Picard, Walloon and Francien, were influenced by the Germanic languages spoken by the Frankish invaders. From the time period of Clovis I, the Franks extended their rule over northern Gaul. Over time, the French language developed from either the Oïl language found around Paris and Île-de-France (the Francien theory) or from a standard administrative language based on common characteristics found in all Oïl languages (the lingua franca theory).
What does "oc" mean in French?
Langue d'oc used oc or òc for "yes" and is the language group in the south of France and northernmost Spain. The languages, such as Gascon and Provençal, have relatively little Frankish influence.
How many vowels are there in French?
In French, however, numerous sound changes resulted in a system with 12–14 oral vowels and 3–4 nasal vowels (see French phonology ). Perhaps the most salient characteristic of French vowel history is the development of a strong stress accent, which is usually ascribed to the influence of the Germanic languages.
How did the Frankish language influence Latin?
The Frankish language had a profound influence on the Latin spoken in their respective regions by altering both the pronunciation (especially the vowel system phonemes: e, eu, u, short o) and the syntax. It also introduced a number of new words ( see List of French words of Germanic origin ).
When was the first grammatical description of French?
The first grammatical description of French, the Tretté de la Grammaire française by Louis Maigret, was published in 1550 . Many of the 700 words of Modern French that originate from Italian were introduced in this period, including several denoting artistic concepts ( scenario, piano ), luxury items and food.
What language did France speak?from thefreedictionary.com
French- the Romance language spoken in France and in countries colonized by France
How many countries use French as their first language?from britannica.com
At the beginning of the 21st century, French was an official language of more than 25 countries. In France and Corsica about 60 million individuals use it as their first language, in Canada more than 7.3 million, in Belgium more than 3.9 million, in Switzerland (cantons of Neuchâtel, Vaud, Genève, Valais, Fribourg) more than 1.8 million, ...
What is the Francien dialect?from britannica.com
The Francien dialect was basically a north-central dialect with some northern features. Before that, other dialects, especially Norman (which developed in Britain as Anglo-Norman, widely used until the 14th century) and northern dialects (such as Picard), had more prestige, especially in the literary sphere ( see Anglo-Norman literature ).
What was the first document written in French?from britannica.com
The first document apparently written in French probably dates from 842. Known as the Strasbourg Oaths, it is a Romance version of oaths sworn by two of Charlemagne ’s grandsons. Some claim that the text of that document is thinly disguised Latin constructed after the event to look authentic for political propaganda purposes, while others suppose that its Latinizing tendencies reveal the struggle of the scribe with the problems of spelling French as it was spoken at the time. If the language of the Strasbourg Oaths is northern French, it is difficult to ascertain what dialect it represents; some say that of Picard, the dialect of Picardy, others Franco-Provençal, and so on.
Why is Latin important?from britannica.com
Latin remained important as the language of diplomats, theologians, philosophers, and jurists; though the Edict of Villers-Cotterêts (1539), requiring judgments in the law courts to be given solely in French, marked a turning point. Erasmus polemicized in Latin with the Sorbonne or with…
What is French cut?from thefreedictionary.com
French- cut (e.g, beans) lengthwise in preparation for cooking; "French the potatoes"
What were the influences of the French language?from britannica.com
Linguistic change was more rapid and more drastic in northern France than it was in other European Romance regions, and influence from Latin was comparatively slight (though borrowing of Latin vocabulary has been great since the 14th century). The influence of the Germanic Frankish invaders is often held to account for exotic features in Old French, such as strong stress accent and abundant use of diphthongs and nasal vowels, but by the 15th century the language had begun to change, and a sober (even monotonous) intonation and loss of a stress accent became characteristic. The popularity of French as a first foreign language, in spite of numerous pronunciation difficulties for nearly all foreign speakers, is perhaps as much the result of the precise codification of its grammar, effectuated especially during the 18th century, as of the brilliance of its literature at all periods.
Where did the French language come from?
French came from the ancient Gaulish language , although there are no traces left today.
When did the French use French?
The French aristocrats used French exclusively and in 1714 , the Treaty of Rastatt established French as the international diplomatic language.
Why did French become a Romance language?
That put an end to the Gaulish language and the reason why French became a Romance language – it’s because they were forced to speak in the way the Romans speak. Latin became the dominant language in the region and was a requirement if people wanted to rise up the social ranks.
What is the first French record?
Le Serment de Strasbourg (Strasbourg Oaths) is the first Old French written record. It was a declaration of alliance created in 842 AD between Louis the German and the Charles II, the Holy Roman Emperor. Some historians claim that it was not written in French but in a language that resembles Latin, especially created to make it look authentic for political reasons. Others believed that the scribe who wrote it was struggling with the spelling of the type of French that was spoken during that time.
What are the influences of French?
Other influences. Like other languages, French continues to evolve. It was further influenced by English, Italian and Greek, with English having the most influence in modern-day le français. Different dialects and variations of French exist, with Parisian French becoming the model of the language of the French people.
What was the impact of the German invasions on the language of the 4th century?
The German invasions in the 4th century AD had a big effect on the language. The language of the Franks, Visigoths and the Burgundians again mixed with Vulgar Latin and the other dialects from various regions. The patterns of usage and the stress patterns of the language of the Franks were enforced on Vulgar Latin, which explains why the language, which evolved into French, is different from Spanish and Italian.
What is the origin of the word "battre"?
Today, around 70 of those words became the origin of some of the French words today, such as battu, which became ”battre” meaning to beat or batter and artuas that evolved into ”ardoise,” a color that is close to slate or purplish gray. With the expansion of the Roman Empire, pure Latin became adulterated by other dialects spoken by ...
Where did the French language spread?
With the colonial expansion of France, the language spread to America (e.g., Canada, Louisiana, the Caribbean islands) and Africa (e.g. Morocco, Algeria, Congo).
What is the origin of French?
Roots of French language. A member of the Romance branch of the Indo-European family, French is descended from Vulgar Latin, (as distinguished from literary Latin) of the Roman Empire. When ancient Gaul, now modern France, was conquered by the Romans in the first century B.C., its inhabitants spoke Gaulish, a Celtic language, ...
How many Nobel Prizes has France won?
France has won 12 Nobel Prizes for literature, more than any other country. French is the idiom of great writers and philosophers such as Molière, Victor Hugo, Flaubert, Proust, Descartes, Rousseau, Voltaire, Camus, and Sartre. The country of Asterix and Obelix has the 4th largest economy in the world after the US, ...
What was the Middle French language?
Middle French (14th-15th centuries) This period was marked by changes both in the pronunciation and in the grammar. A common literary language, based on the dialect of l’Île de France (the region of Paris), was promoted by the writers. French was replacing Latin in the texts of the public administration in France.
How many countries speak French?
La langue française, the language of love, is the first or second language in more than 43 countries and is spoken by 125 million people around the world, on every continent. French is one of the official languages of Belgium, Switzerland, and Canada, and it is considered an unofficial second language of many countries such as Morocco, Algeria, and Tunisia. It is also one of the six main languages of the United Nations.
When was Gaul conquered?
When ancient Gaul, now modern France, was conquered by the Romans in the first century B.C., its inhabitants spoke Gaulish, a Celtic language, which was rapidly supplanted by the Latin of the Roman overlords. In the 5th century A.D., the Franks, a group of Germanic tribes, began their invasion of Gaul, but they too were romanised.
When did the Franks invade Gaul?
In the 5th century A.D., the Franks, a group of Germanic tribes, began their invasion of Gaul, but they too were romanised. Although modern French thus inherited several hundred words of Celtic origin and several hundred more from Germanic, it owes its structure and the greater part of its vocabulary to Latin.
Where did French originate?
French is part of the family of romance languages, which means that it is originally derived from Latin – the language spoken by the Romans about 2000 years ago.
What does it mean when children are brought up speaking traditional French?
This meant that children who were brought up speaking traditional dialects were starting to use standard French in social situations more often than their native dialects.
What language did the Gallo-Romans speak?
However, when it came to the language spoken by the Gallo-Romans, the mixing process was not so successful, and the Gaulish dialects eventually disappeared as Latin took over.
Why is French regionale dying?
The death of the dialect and of regional French can be attributed to many factors including urbanisation, advancements in technology and the French education system.
What has led to changes in the language spoken on its own soil?
France’s history of colonialism has also led to changes the language spoken on its own soil .
Why is the adoption of foreign words more likely?
As technology advances and education and media in other languages become more accessible, the adoption of foreign words becomes more likely.
Does the French government preserve regional dialects?
In addition, although there have been efforts made by the Fren ch government to pre serve some of these regional dialects, funding and resources are only available for certain varieties and in areas where there is a demand for teaching.
What language did France speak during the French Revolution?
During this time, French continued to be the language of the geographical center in France, while regional languages were still spoken in the respective provinces. This did not change until the French Revolution, when the educational system was expanded. Even in the country’s provinces, people began to talk to each other in French.
What is the history and politics of the French language?
Posted by Kenzie Shofner. The politics of the French language is an interesting case that ties together language and the state. Foreign companies planning to do business in France are well advised to learn something about French language politics and culture before starting a localization project in ...
Why did the French government create the French language laws?
According the French government and the Académie francaise, these laws were enacted not so much to protect the French language, but to protect the country’s citizens. French workers unions, above all, take up these mandates and protect the employees of companies, especially those of foreign companies, who have problems communicating in English.
Why was the French Academy founded?
The Académie francaise, the French academy, was founded in 1635 to take up matters of the French language , and still exists today. The Academy was established to create rules and regulations for the language and foster its development. During this time, French continued to be the language of the geographical center in France, while regional languages were still spoken in the respective provinces.
Why is it important to understand French?
For companies looking to expand into France, it’s important to understand the French language and how it came into being. Understanding the political and cultural influences behind a language allows you to better understand your clients and their language requirements.
When did France become the language of the republic?
In 1992 , following France's signing of the Maastricht Treaty, French was referred to as the "language of the republic" in the country's consitution. In 1994 the Toubon Law was enacted, which was even stricter than the Bas-Lauriol. It states that foreign words used in advertisements have to be translated into French.
When did France start a language defense?
As more and more Anglicisms were found in the French language thanks to the global influence of English, France intervened in defense of its language. In 1975, the Bas-Lauriol law was enacted, which states that texts in public life have to be in French. This applies to packaging, public signs, marketing texts, certificates, contracts and more.
Why Is French Not Phonetic?
In other words, the spelling of the letters in a phonetic language (e.g., Spanish, Arabic) is related to how the words are pronounced. The same can be said of languages such as French and English, which are not phonetic in that they have letters that can be pronounced in a variety of ways or not at all.
When Did The French Accent Develop?
There is no one answer to this question as the French accent developed over time and is likely influenced by a variety of factors. Some say that the French accent began to develop during the Roman occupation of Gaul, while others believe it emerged during the Middle Ages.
Does French Have Phonetics?
In the modern era, there are 26 scripted letters. In modern French, at least 38 phonetic sounds are used, but none are as complex as in old French.
French Phonetics In English
French phonetics in English can be a bit tricky for native English speakers. The main difference between French and English phonetics is that French has more nasal sounds. This can be difficult for English speakers to produce correctly, as they are not used to producing sounds through their nose.
French Diphthongs
French has two diphthongs: Oi: careful pronunciation, this diphthong is pronounced “wa” rather than the English “oi” or “oy.” Except for the Quebec dialect, where they pronounce it “w*,” they use the English version. The words “il” and “ille” are pronounced “eey” when preceded by vowel sounds. Pareille (pah-rey) is also known as ***-y.
How did the French language evolve?
French evolved from Gallo-Romance the Latin spoken in Gaul and more specifically in Northern Gaul. … French was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the (Germanic) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders.
When did French language develop?
When Gaul was conquered by the Romans in the 2nd and 1st centuries BC the Gaulish language (which was a Celtic language) came under attack-hence the true meaning of a ‘Romance language’ as “to speak in Roman fashion.”
Where did the French come from?
The modern French are the descendants of mixtures including Romans Celts Iberians Ligurians and Greeks in southern France Germanic peoples arriving at the end of the Roman Empire such as the Franks and the Burgundians and some Vikings who mixed with the Normans and settled mostly in Normandy in the 9th century.
How did the French accent develop?
I think that this question was a very good one and it has an even better answer: French has undergone many more pronunciation changes because it originated from Latin that was newly learned by completely different tribes the Germanic tribes while all other Romance languages were basically developed by speakers whose …
When did France become France?
The Treaty of Verdun of 843 partitioned the empire with West Francia becoming the Kingdom of France in 987. … France.
Which language is mother of all languages?
SANSKRIT SANSKRIT is one of the official languages of India and is popularly known as a classical language of the country. Considered to be the Mother of all Languages it belongs to the Indic group of language family of Indo-European and its descendents which are Indo-Iranian and Indo-Aryan.May 5 2014
What is the French language known for?
French a Romance language is widely regarded to be among the most beautiful languages in the world. A Romance language is a language that uses Latin — historically spoken by the ancient Romans — as its root.
Roman Gaul
The Ancestor of The Franks
- By the 4th century, several Franks (tribes of Germanic origin) had already settled in the northeast of Gaul and were integrated into the Roman army. Even after the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the Franks remained in what is now modern-day France. People of this proto-French culture were first unified by King Clovis via military victories and the support of the great Gallo-R…
Political Birth
- At the end of the 8th century, the Dark Ages spurred an educational decline for the majority of the population — meaning that most people could no longer understand the Latin that clerics spoke. After the Council of Tours in 813, King Charlemagne required that priests give sermons either in the “Roman rustic language” or Theotiscam (a Germanic language) so the common people coul…
The Frankish Inheritance
- In the 10th century, the Gallo-Romance language took on hundreds of forms and dialects. Under the influence of the Franks, a group of languages emerged in the North: the so-called languages of Oïl,while in the more Romanized South, there was the birth of the languages of Oc(Oïl and Oc both mean oui). The languages of Oïl include the Picard, Walloon...
Old French
- Latin continued to be the prevailing language in religion, education and law, but little by little the vernacular language also started being used for written communication.At the end of the 11th century, the troubadours started chanting their poems in the various dialects of the country. In fact, the Song of Roland, written in the Oïl language, is one of the most emblematic examples of …
Middle French
- In the 14th and 15th centuries, France witnessed its darkest years: The Black Plague and the Hundred Years’ War devastated the population. The texts of François Villon, written in Middle French, reflect this turbulent period perfectly. For the modern reader, the terminology he employed is somewhat understandable to those who speak Standard French. This is thanks to the loss of …
Re-Latinization
- In order to render legitimacy and distinction to the French language, it was “re-Latinized” during the Enlightenment —although sometimes this was done in the wrong way. The word doitbecame doigt(finger) from the Latin digitus,whilepiebecame pied(foot) from the Latin pedis. Meanwhile, words that were considered “barbaric” — that is, not of Latin origin — were systemati…
as A Lingua Franca
- It may come as a shock to Francophiles and students of history that, at the time of the French Revolution, less than half of France’s population could speak French, and only a fraction of those speakers could do it conversationally. That said, French was an extremely popular language with the elite and higher classes, as it was adopted by nearly all European courts and it even reached …
Overview
French is a Romance language (meaning that it is descended primarily from Vulgar Latin) that specifically is classified under the Gallo-Romance languages.
The discussion of the history of a language is typically divided into "external history", describing the ethnic, political, social, technological, and other changes that affected the languages, and "internal history", describing the phonological and grammatical changes undergone by the langu…
External social and political history
Before the Roman conquest of what is now France by Julius Caesar (58–52 BC), much of present France was inhabited by Celtic-speaking people referred to by the Romans as Gauls and Belgae. Southern France was also home to a number of other remnant linguistic and ethnic groups including Iberians along the eastern part of the Pyrenees and western Mediterranean coast, the remnant Ligures on …
Internal phonological history
French has radically transformative sound changes, especially compared to other Romance languages such as Spanish, Portuguese, Italian and Romanian:
The Vulgar Latin underlying French and most other Romance languages had seven vowels in stressed syllables (/a ɛ e i ɔ o u/, which are similar to the vowels of American English pat/pot pet pate peat caught coat coot respectively), and five in unstressed syllables (/a e i o u/). Portugues…
Effect of substrate and superstrate languages
French is noticeably different from most other Romance languages. Some of the changes have been attributed to substrate influence, which is from Gaulish (Celtic), or superstrate influence, which is from Frankish (Germanic). In practice, it is difficult to say with confidence which sound and grammar changes were caused by substrate and superstrate influences, since many of the changes in French have parallels in other Romance languages or are changes that are undergon…
See also
• Old French
• Old Frankish
• Gaulish
• Reforms of French orthography
• Influence of French on English
External links
• Histoire de la langue française (in French)
• The Breton Wikipedia page on the French language gives examples from various stages in the development of French.
Overview
French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues d'oïl—languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, which French (Francien) largely supplanted. French was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern R…
History
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.
Due to Roman rule, Latin was gradually adopted by the inhabitants of Gaul, and as the language was learned by the common people it developed a distinct local character, with grammatical diff…
Geographic distribution
Spoken by 19.71% of the European Union's population, French is the third most widely spoken language in the EU, after English and German and the second most-widely taught language after English.
Under the Constitution of France, French has been the official language of the Republic since 1992, although the ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts made it manda…
Varieties
• African French
• Aostan French
• Belgian French
• Cambodian French
• Canadian French
Current status and importance
A leading world language, French is taught in universities around the world, and is one of the world's most influential languages because of its wide use in the worlds of journalism, jurisprudence, education, and diplomacy. In diplomacy, French is one of the six official languages of the United Nations (and one of the UN Secretariat's only two working languages ), one of twenty official and three working languages of the European Union, an official language of NATO, the Inte…
Phonology
Vowel phonemes in French
Although there are many French regional accents, foreign learners normally use only one variety of the language.
• There are a maximum of 17 vowels in French, not all of which are used in every dialect: /a/, /ɑ/, /e/, /ɛ/, /ɛː/, /ə/, /i/, /o/, /ɔ/, /y/, /u/, /œ/, /ø/, plus the nasalized vowels /ɑ̃/, /ɛ̃/, /ɔ̃/ and /œ̃/. In France, t…
Writing system
French is written with the 26 letters of the basic Latin script, with four diacritics appearing on vowels (circumflex accent, acute accent, grave accent, diaeresis) and the cedilla appearing in "ç".
There are two ligatures, "œ" and "æ", but they are often replaced in contemporary French with "oe" and "ae", because the ligatures do not appear on the AZERTY keyboard layout used in French-speaking countries. However this is nonstandard in formal and literary texts.
Grammar
French is a moderately inflected language. Nouns and most pronouns are inflected for number (singular or plural, though in most nouns the plural is pronounced the same as the singular even if spelled differently); adjectives, for number and gender (masculine or feminine) of their nouns; personal pronouns and a few other pronouns, for person, number, gender, and case; and verbs, for tense, aspect, mood, and the person and number of their subjects. Case is primarily marked using word …
Brief History of The Evolution of French Language Dialects
Roman Influence
German Influence
Other Influences
Variations of The French Language
- Le Serment de Strasbourg(Strasbourg Oaths) is the first Old French written record. It was a declaration of alliance created in 842 AD between Louis the German and the Charles II, the Holy Roman Emperor. Some historians claim that it was not written in French but in a language that resembles Latin, especially created to make it look authentic for po...
Modern Dialects
Characteristics and Features of The French Language