SOME FACTS
FRENCH: a language of France
SIL code: FRN
ISO 639-1: fr
ISO 639-2(B): fre
ISO 639-2(T): fra
Population 51,000,000 first language speakers in France.
Population total all countries 77,000,000 first language speakers
(1999 WA), 128,000,000 including second language speakers (1999
WA).
Region Also spoken in 53 other countries including Algeria,
Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon,
Canada, CAR, Chad, Comoros Islands, Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, DRC,
Djibouti, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon.
Alternate names FRANCAIS
Dialects STANDARD FRENCH, NORMAN (NORMAND), PICARD (ROUCHI,
CHTIMI), WALLON (WALLOON), ANGEVIN, BERRICHON, BOURBONNAIS,
BOURGUIGNON, FRANC-COMTOIS, GALLO, LORRAINE, POITEVIN, SANTONGEAIS.
Classification Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western,
Western, Gallo-Iberian, Gallo-Romance, Gallo-Rhaetian, Oil,
French.
Comments 89% lexical similarity with Italian, 80% with Sardinian,
78% with Rheto-Romance, 75% with Portuguese, Romanian, and
Spanish, 29% with German, 27% with English. Investigation needed:
intelligibility with Walloon, Picard Jerrais. National language.
Dictionary. Grammar. SVO. Deciduous forest. Intensive agriculturalists,
industry, business. 80 meters. Christian. Bible 1530-1995.
Also spoken in:
Algeria Language name FRENCH
Population 110,600 in Algeria (1993).
Comments 20% of the population can read and write French,
and more can speak it. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry under
France.
Andorra Language name FRENCH
Population 2,400 in Andorra, 6% of the population (1986).
Comments National language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Belgium Language name FRENCH
Population 4,000,000 in Belgium (M. Harris in B. Comrie 1988),
33% of the population (1990 WA).
Alternate names FRANCAIS
Dialects WALLOON (WALLON), PICARD.
Comments The eastern subdialect of Walloon is considered
to be more difficult to understand within Belgium. The following
municipalities have minority rights for Dutch-speaking persons:
Comines-Warneton, Mouscron, Enghien, Floubecques; and for German-speaking
persons: Malmedy, Weismes, Welkenraedt. Official language.
Bible 1530-1986. See main entry under France.
Benin Language name FRENCH
Population 16,700 in Benin (1993 Johnstone).
Comments Official language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Burkina Faso Language name FRENCH
Comments Official language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Burundi Language name FRENCH
Comments Official language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Cameroon Language name FRENCH
Comments Official language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Canada Language name FRENCH
Population 6,700,000 mother tongue speakers in Canada, or
less than 24% (1998 Statistics Canada). Mother tongue of over
80% of Quebec's population (1997 DiverCite Langues). 300,000
speak Acadien, 500,000 speak Franco-Ontariens.
Alternate names FRANCAIS
Dialects QUEBEICOIS, FRANCO-ONTARIEN, ACADIAN (ACADIEN).
Comments Difficult intelligibility between speakers of Quebecois
and Acadian for speakers not fluent in Standard French. National
language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry under France.
Central African Republic Language name FRENCH
Population 9,000 in CAR (1996).
Comments Official language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Chad Language name FRENCH
Population 3,000 in Chad (1993).
Comments Official language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Comoros Islands Language name FRENCH
Population 1,700 in Comoros Islands (1993).
Comments Language of all formal education except Koranic.
Official language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry under France.
Congo Language name FRENCH
Population 28,000 in Congo (1993).
Comments Sole language of formal education. Official language.
Bible 1530-1986. See main entry under France.
Cote d'Ivoire Language name FRENCH
Population 17,470 in Cote d'Ivoire (1988 census).
Comments Official language. Grammar. Bible 1530-1986. See
main entry under France.
Democratic Republic of Congo Language name FRENCH
Comments Official language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Djibouti Language name FRENCH
Population 15,440 in Djibouti, 2.84% of the population (1988).
Comments Official language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
French Guiana Language name FRENCH
Comments National language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
French Polynesia Language name FRENCH
Population 15,338 first language speakers in French Polynesia,
foreign born (1977). 50,215 attending French schools, second
language users (1978).
Comments National language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Gabon Language name FRENCH
Population 37,500 in Gabon (1993 Johnstone).
Comments The only language of formal education. Official
language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry under France.
Guadeloupe Language name FRENCH
Comments There is a variety on the northwest end of St. Barthelemy,
west of but not including Gustavia, similar to Cajun French
of the USA, which may or may not be a French dialect (Julianne
Maher 1997). National language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Guinea Language name FRENCH
Comments Official language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Haiti Language name FRENCH
Population Second language speakers in Haiti: 400,000.
Comments National language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Italy Language name FRENCH
Population 100,000 in Italy (M. Harris in B. Comrie 1987).
Alternate names FRANCAIS
Comments Official language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Lebanon Language name FRENCH
Comments An estimated 20% of the population speak French
in their daily lives, and up to 65% of the population can read
and converse in French. A number of government and private
universities teach in French. Official language. The language
of instruction in most schools. Newspapers, magazines. Bible
1530-1986. See main entry under France.
Luxembourg Language name FRENCH
Population 13,100 or more (1993 Johnstone).
Comments Used mainly by intellectuals, professionals, authorities.
Taught in school as a third language. Used for streets, shops,
travel tickets, hotel registries, menus. National language.
Bible 1530-1986. See main entry under France.
Madagascar Language name FRENCH
Population 18,000 in Madagascar (1993 Johnstone).
Comments Official language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Mali Language name FRENCH
Population 9,000 in Mali (1993 Johnstone).
Comments Official language for instruction in schools. Official
language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry under France.
Martinique Language name FRENCH
Comments National language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Mauritius Language name FRENCH
Population 37,000.
Comments Used in stores. Widely used by young people as second
language. The elderly tend to use creole. Newspapers, radio
programs, TV. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry under France.
Mayotte Language name FRENCH
Population 2,450 in Mayotte (1993 Johnstone).
Comments Official language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Monaco Language name FRENCH
Population 17,400 in Monaco, 58% of the population (1988).
Alternate names FRANCAIS
Comments National language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
New Caledonia Language name FRENCH
Population 53,400 first language speakers in New Caledonia
(1987), 35.6% of the population.
Comments National language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Niger Language name FRENCH
Population 6,000 in Niger (1993 Johnstone).
Comments Official language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Reunion Language name FRENCH
Population 2,400 in Reunion (1993 Johnstone). Including second
language speakers: 160,500 in Reunion, 30% of the population
(1986).
Comments Official language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Rwanda Language name FRENCH
Comments Official language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Senegal Language name FRENCH
Comments Official language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Seychelles Language name FRENCH
Population 977 in Seychelles (1971 census).
Comments Spoken by the French settler families, 'grands blancs.'
Official language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry under France.
St. Pierre and Miquelon Language name FRENCH
Population 5,114 out of 5,235 population in St. Pierre and
Miquelon (1967 census).
Comments National language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Switzerland Language name FRENCH
Population 1,272,000 in Switzerland, 19.2% of the population
(1990 census).
Alternate names FRANCAIS
Dialects FRANCHE-COMTOIS (JURASSIEN, FRIBOURGOIS).
Comments 33% of the population of Switzerland speak French
every day (1990 census). Official language. Used for education
in French-speaking areas. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry under
France.
Togo Language name FRENCH
Population 3,000 in Togo (1993).
Comments Official language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Tunisia Language name FRENCH
Population 11,000 in Tunisia (1993).
Comments Bible 1530-1986. See main entry under France.
United Kingdom Language name FRENCH
Population 14,000 in England (1976 Stephens).
Dialects JERRIAIS, DGERNESIAIS.
Comments French is only spoken by about 11% of the population
of Channel Islands, mainly older people. Official language.
Bible 1530-1986. See main entry under France.
Vanuatu Language name FRENCH
Population 6,300 in Vanuatu (1995), 3.8% of the population.
Comments National language. Bible 1530-1986. See main entry
under France.
Wallis and Futuna Language name FRENCH
Population 120 in Wallis and Futuna (1993 Johnstone).
Comments National language. Bible 1530-1986.
Contact us for translation: English
- german – french - german – flemish
- german - greek - german - holland - german - italian - german - portuguese
- german - spanish - german - slovenian - german - turkish - german - bulgarian
- german - croatian - german - polish - german - romanian - german - slovak -
german - serbian - german - czech - german - hungarian - german - dutch - german
- estonian - german - finnish - german - icelandic - german - latvian - german
- lithuanian - german - norwegian - german - swedish - german - armenian - german
- azerbaijani - german - georgian - german - moldavian - german - russian - german
- ukrainian - german - byelorussian - german – arabic - bengali - german
- chinese - german - hebrew - german - japanese - german - mongolian - german
- persian - german - vietnamese - german – kasakh
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