The French Language
With a history dating back to the Latin language of the Roman Empire, French is one of the most popular of the Romance languages. Today, more than 300 million people embrace the French language as their native tongue or second language. Originally spoken in the regions of France, Belgium, Luxembourg, and Switzerland, the language has since spread to parts of Africa, Vietnam, and many islands nations.
The French language originated from Vulgar Latin, which is much different from the literary type of Latin. During the times of ancient Gaul, which is now known as France, the Romans conquered the land during the 1st century BC. At the time, all inhabitants spoke Gaulish (a Celtic language), which was quickly replaced by the Latin of Roman soldiers. During the 5th century, the Franks (Germanic tribes) started to infiltrate Gaul, eventually adapting the Roman language.
The French language began to slowly develop, taking several hundred words from the Celtic and Germanic language, but the basis of the vocabulary was mostly Latin. By the 9th century, the language spoken in France had diverted from Latin and was dubbed "Old French." This kind of speech lasted from the 9th to the 13th century. Between the 14th and 16th century, French was known as Middle French and continued to borrow words and expressions from the Latin, Greek, and Italian language.
There are 54 countries that possess a significant population of French-speaking residents, reaching parts of the Pacific, South America, North America, Europe, and isolated locations in Asia. Across the globe, there are 29 countries that claim French as their official language.
In regards to the French overseas territories, French Guinea, Guadeloupe, Martinique, St. Barthelemy, St. Martin, and Saint-Pierre highlight French as their official language. French is the official language of the Walloon Region in Belgium with the exception of the East Cantons, which is German-speaking. It is also one of two official languages (joining Dutch) of the Brussels-Capital Region. In the province of Aosta Valley in Italy, French joins Italian as the official language. Throughout the land, an assortment of Franco-Provencal dialects is spoken about the province.
In Haiti, the official language is French, which is mostly spoke by the well educated and members of the upper class. The French-based Creole language, known as Haitian Creole, is also widely spoken throughout Haiti, as well as parts of Louisiana. Joining German, Italian, and Romansh, French is one of four official languages of Switzerland. It is estimated that 20% of all Swiss claim French as their native language.
Additional French-speaking countries include Benin, Burkina Faso, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Republic of the Congo, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Monaco, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Togo, and Vanuatu.
Jacob Lumbroso writes articles on history, culture, and foreign languages for the www.ultimatelanguagestore.com
French Articles:
Moving to France
It is easy to see why more and more people are choosing to start a new life by moving to France Many people fall in love with the county once they have visited because of the stunning scenery, architecture and culture
Sofitel Presents the New Scribe French Contemporary Chic in the Heart of Paris
Sofitel, the French luxury hotel brand, presents the new face of the Scribe after two years of renovations. Jacques Grange, renowned interior architect, refreshed the Scribe in a typically elegant Parisian style, perfectly matching the brand's vision of luxury hotels.
New Blog Accuses MySpace of World Domination and Calls for French Resistance
New blog, alldigdown.com, is the morning after pill in the wake of MySpace's launch in France, criticising Rupert Murdoch and News Corp for earning advertising revenue sold on the back of illegally uploaded music. In anticipation of Midem, the music industry conference held annually in France, Shelley Taylor, the author of the blog, has turned her wrath on illegal streaming of music on MySpace (and others like YouTube). She calls on the French to resist!
Tahiti-Haumana Cruises of French Polynesia is Now Listed with AmericanFlyFishingTravel.com
The Haumana luxury yacht is specially designed for cruising in the shallow waters of French Polynesia. The Tahiti Cruises luxury yacht, Haumana, will transport you through the magnificent Polynesian lagoons of the Tuamotus. The Tahiti-Haumana Cruises are now listed with AmericanFlyFishingTravel.com - a major fly fishing travel website
Download Monitoring - New report on downloading behaviour and consumption patterns in the United States, France and the UK
The Infoshop www.the-infoshop.com has announced the addition of a download monitoring report, featuring peer-to-peer and concentrating on France, the United States and the UK.
Cinco de Mayo Book Links Civil War In America To French Battles In Mexico, Debunks Myth Of Mexican Independence Day
In the first adult book on the subject in 60 years, Cinco de Mayo sets the record straight about the historical significance of May 5, 1862, and how it influenced the outcome of the U. S. Civil War. Teachers, tourists, history buffs, students, festival goers, and Latino parents and business people will enjoy this anecdotal slice of Mexican history. Both a Spanish language edition and distribution to Mexico are planned.
New Online World Book Encyclopédie Découverte Leverages World Book's Award-Winning Resources to Provides Authoritative French-Language Reference
Based on the award-winning World Book Student Discovery Encyclopedia, Encyclopédie Découverte offers French-speaking students finger-tip access to reliable information.
Ski Resorts In France
The ski resorts of Les Arcs and La Plagne in France is surrounded by spectacular mountain ranges and both ski resorts attract phenomenal amount of skiing enthusiasts on vacation in France and Europe. La Plagne is like a space city, with its own suburban satellites and at least 2.5 million so called 'skier days' and is arguably the single most visited ski resort in the world along with its link to neighboring Les Arcs ski resort. With so many visitors to La Plagne and Les Arcs, it follows that there are many hotels and accommodations to cater to the skiers and tourists alike.
French Learning Programs Reviewed
There are many French Learning Programs to choose from on the Internet... and for a beginner it's a bit of a daunting exercise.
Horse Breeds: Fleuve, Fouta, Frederiksborg, French Saddlebred, French Trotter, Friesian, Galiceno
*FLEUVE*
The Fleuve is a horse breed from Senegal, Africa It was developed from the crossing of a Barb with a local breed of pony
8 Reasons to Take a Golf Break in France
France is still the world?s most popular tourist destination ? Paris, charming countryside inns, campsites in Brittany, the chateaux of the Loire?There are many reasons Yet, despite this success, the fairways of the 510+ courses in France are often empty
Surface Graphics brings the European Décor Sensation, Interior Wall Decals, into the American Home. : French/American Design Team Offers Uniquely De
Surface Graphics, LLC, maker of removable wall decals for home and office, today announced the launch of their website, http://www.thesurfacestore.com. The site offers a distinctive collection of temporary interior wall decals made of easy to adhere and remove vinyl. Eliminating messy paint or sticky wallpaper, users can quickly & easily decorate any flat surface in minutes.
French Bulldogs Are A Trend
The origin of French bulldogs can be traced back to England. French bulldogs are said to be descendants of the miniature variety of English Bulldogs that have tulip-ears, and are short, under-jawed specimens. They used to be commonly found in London, Nottingham, Birmingham, and Sheffield before they were brought to France by lace workers in Normandy.
The French Atlantic Coast - Tips For A Sailing Holiday
Do you want to have a sailing vacation in Europe Why not try sailing in the France Atlantic coast
One Woman's French Foly
Right upfront it has to be said that this is far from being a hard-hitting news piece And what's more it'll probably only have a limited appeal bearing in mind that among the roll call of names are those that will only be familiar to the French, or French ex-patriots, Francophiles, Francophones and France-watchers