The French language named by Americans the “language of romance” is being spoken by around 80 million people around the world as a first language, and another 110 million as a second language. And about 10 million people around the world have learned French as an acquired language.
French is the native language of France of course, but it is spoken in some 54 countries such as Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxembourg and Francophone Africa.
French is what is called a Latin language. Many words have a Latin root, but it is also a Greek root language obvious in some words as well.
French is an official language in 29 countries which form what is called “La Francophonie“. French is also an official language of the United Nation agencies. Before the raise of the English language in the early 20th century, French was the preeminent language of the diplomacy among European and colonial powers.
French is one of the official languages in Belgium, besides Dutch and Flemish, where the language is spoken with a very distinct accent specific to “Belges”. French is one of the four official languages of Switzerland, which are: German, Italian and Romansh. French is also of course the official and only spoken language of Monaco, and it is also one of the 3 official languages of Luxembourg, with German and Luxembourgish.
French is the other language of Canada, besides English. Canadians have always been great conservators of the French language, where some street signs such as “ARRET” are used in lieu of “STOP”. France uses the word “STOP” for the street signs.
French is also the official language of Haiti, where it is also spoken with a specific accent, and it is also spoken in a number of African countries such as Algeria, Tunisia, Morocco, Benin, Cameroun, Congo, Cote d’Ivoire, Senegal, Gabon and Togo.
The language of Romance has created some of the most famous writers and poets such as Moliere, Voltaire, Hugo, Proust and much more. To learn more details about the French language click Here.