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French

A language of France

ISO 639-3: fra

Population	53,200,000 in France (2005). Population total all countries: 67,838,450.
Region	Also in Algeria, Andorra, Austria, Belgium, Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cambodia, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, Congo, Côte d’Ivoire, Democratic Republic of the Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, French Guiana, French Polynesia, Gabon, Guadeloupe, Guinea, Haiti, India, Israel, Italy, Lebanon, Libya, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Martinique, Mauritania, Mauritius, Mayotte, Monaco, Morocco, Mozambique, New Caledonia, Niger, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Réunion, Rwanda, Saint Pierre and Miquelon, Saudi Arabia, Senegal, Seychelles, South Africa, Switzerland, Togo, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, United States, U.S. Virgin Islands, Vanuatu, Wallis and Futuna.
Language map	Andorra and France
Alternate names	Français
Dialects	Standard French, Norman (Normand), Angevin, Berrichon, Bourbonnais, Bourguignon, Franc-Comtois, Gallo, Poitevin, Santongeais, Lorraine. Lexical similarity: 89% with Italian, 80% with Logudorese Sardinian [src], 78% with Romansch [roh], 75% with Portuguese, Romanian [ron], and Spanish, 29% with German, 27% with English.
Classification	Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Gallo-Romance, Gallo-Rhaetian, Oïl, French
Language use	National language. 50,000,000 L2 speakers.
Language development	Fully developed. Bible: 1530–2000.
Writing system	Latin script.
Comments	SVO. Intensive agriculturalists; industry workers, marketers. Christian.

Also spoken in:

Algeria

Language name	French
Population	111,000 in Algeria (1993).
Region	Mostly cities.
Language development	20% can read and write French.

Andorra

Language name	French
Population	2,400 in Andorra (1986).
Language use	National language.

Belgium

Language name	French
Population	4,000,000 in Belgium (Harris 1987).
Region	Hainaut, Namur, Liège, Luxembourg, Brabant-Walloon provinces, southern hills, and bilingual part of Brussels. Lorraine in Luxembourg Province south.
Language map	Belgium, Luxembourg and Netherlands
Alternate names	Français
Dialects	Lorraine.
Language use	Official language.
Comments	The following municipalities have minority rights for Dutch-speaking persons: Comines-Warneton, Mouscron, Enghien, Floubecques; and for German-speaking persons: Malmèdy, Weismes, Welkenraedt.

Benin

Language name	French
Population	16,700 in Benin (Johnstone 1993).
Language use	Official language.

Burkina Faso

Language name	French
Language use	Official language.

Burundi

Language name	French
Population	2,200 in Burundi (2004).
Language use	Official language.

Cambodia

Language name	French
Language use	Language of wider communication. Still a L2 for older Cambodians.

Cameroon

Language name	French
Region	Used mainly in the Littoral, West, Center, South, East, Adamawa, North, and Far North provinces.
Language use	Official language.

Canada

Language name	French
Population	6,700,000 in Canada (2001). 300,000 speak Acadien, 500,000 speak Franco-Ontarien.
Region	Québéco in Quebec; Franco-Ontarien Ontario; Acadian Caraquet; Shippagan, east coast of New Brunswick, pockets in Nova Scotia and Prince Edward Island. Some Québécois in Manitoba and Newfoundland.
Alternate names	Français
Dialects	Québécois, Franco-Ontarien, Acadian (Acadien), Shippagan.
Language use	Official language. All domains. Most also use English.
Comments	Difficult intelligibility Québécois and Acadian speakers, for speakers not fluent in Standard French. Québécois used more vigorously than Acadian. Christian.

Central African Republic

Language name	French
Population	9,000 in Central African Republic (1996).
Region	Widespread.
Language use	Official language.

Chad

Language name	French
Population	3,000 in Chad (1993).
Language use	Official language.

Comoros

Language name	French
Population	1,700 in Comoros (1993).
Language use	Official language.
Comments	Language of all formal education except Koranic.

Congo

Language name	French
Population	28,000 in Congo (1993).
Language use	Official language.
Comments	Sole language of formal education.

Côte d’Ivoire

Language name	French
Population	17,500 in Côte d’Ivoire (1988 census).
Language use	Official language.

Democratic Republic of the Congo

Language name	French
Language use	Official language.
Language development	Taught in secondary schools.

Djibouti

Language name	French
Population	10,200 in Djibouti (2006).
Language use	Official language.

Equatorial Guinea

Language name	French
Region	Mostly cities.
Language use	Official language. 75,000 to 100,000 L2 speakers in Equatorial Guinea. Commerce, government.
Comments	Declared an official language in 1997. Increasingly becoming a language of wider communication.

French Guiana

Language name	French
Language use	National language.

French Polynesia

Language name	French
Population	25,700 in French Polynesia (2000).
Language use	Official language. 50,215 attend French schools, L2 users (1978).

Gabon

Language name	French
Population	37,500 in Gabon (Johnstone 1993).
Language use	Official language.
Comments	The only language of formal education.

Guadeloupe

Language name	French
Population	7,300 in Guadeloupe (2004).
Language use	Official language.
Comments	There is a variety on the northwest end of St. Barthélemy, west of but not including Gustavia, similar to Cajun French [frc] of the USA.

Guinea

Language name	French
Language use	Official language.

Haiti

Language name	French
Population	600 in Haiti (2004).
Language use	Official language. 400,000 L2 speakers.

India

Language name	French
Population	12,000 in India.
Language use	Official language.
Comments	An official language of Puducherry (formerly Pondicherry) but not recognized as official language by the national constitution.

Italy

Language name	French
Population	100,000 in Italy (Harris 1987).
Region	Aosta Valley.
Alternate names	Français
Language use	Official regional language status.

Lebanon

Language name	French
Population	16,600 in Lebanon (2004).
Language use	Official language. An estimated 20% of the population speak French [fra] 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. Language of instruction in most schools.
Language development	Taught in primary and secondary schools.

Luxembourg

Language name	French
Population	13,100 in Luxembourg (Johnstone 1993).
Language use	National language. Used mainly by intellectuals, professionals, authorities. Taught in school as L3. Used for streets, shops, travel tickets, hotel registries, menus.

Madagascar

Language name	French
Population	18,000 in Madagascar (Johnstone 1993).
Language use	Official language.

Mali

Language name	French
Population	9,000 in Mali (Johnstone 1993).
Language use	Official language.
Language development	Taught in primary and secondary schools.
Comments	Official language for instruction in schools.

Martinique

Language name	French
Population	9,000 in Martinique (2004).
Language use	National language.

Mauritius

Language name	French
Population	37,000 in Mauritius.
Language use	Official language. Stores. Widely used by young people as L2. Older adults tend to use creole.

Mayotte

Language name	French
Population	2,450 in Mayotte (Johnstone 1993).
Language use	Official language.

Monaco

Language name	French
Population	17,400 in Monaco (1988).
Alternate names	Français
Language use	Official language.

New Caledonia

Language name	French
Population	53,400 in New Caledonia (1987).
Region	Mainly Noumea.
Language use	Official language.

Niger

Language name	French
Population	6,000 in Niger (Johnstone 1993).
Language use	Official language.

Réunion

Language name	French
Population	2,400 in Réunion (Johnstone 1993).
Language use	Official language. 160,500 L2 speakers.

Rwanda

Language name	French
Population	2,300 in Rwanda (2004).
Language use	Official language.

Saint Pierre and Miquelon

Language name	French
Population	5,110 in Saint Pierre and Miquelon (1967 census). Ethnic population: 5,235.
Language use	Official language.

Senegal

Language name	French
Population	20,000 in Senegal (2006).
Language use	Official language.

Seychelles

Language name	French
Population	980 in Seychelles (1971 census).
Language use	Official language.
Comments	Spoken by French settler families, ‘grands blancs’.

Switzerland

Language name	French
Population	1,490,000 in Switzerland (2000 census).
Region	West.
Language map	Liechtenstein and Switzerland
Alternate names	Français
Dialects	Franche-Comtois (Jurassien, Fribourgois).
Language use	Official language. 33% of the population of Switzerland speak French daily (1990 census). Used for education in French-speaking areas.

Togo

Language name	French
Population	3,000 in Togo (1993).
Language use	Official language.

Tunisia

Language name	French
Population	11,000 in Tunisia (1993).

United Kingdom

Language name	French
Population	14,000 in United Kingdom (1976 Stephens).
Region	Channel Islands.
Language map	Ireland and United Kingdom
Dialects	Jerriais, Dgernesiais.
Language use	Official language on Channel Islands. 11% of the population of Channel Islands, mainly older adults.

United States

Language name	French
Population	1,640,000 in United States (2000 census).
Region	Massachusetts, Woonsocket Rhode Island, Maine, Connecticut, Manchester New Hampshire, Vermont.
Dialects	Québécois, Acadian (Acadien).
Comments	This variety is considered threatened. Christian.

Vanuatu

Language name	French
Population	6,300 in Vanuatu (1995).
Language use	Official language.

Wallis and Futuna

Language name	French
Population	120 in Wallis and Futuna (Johnstone 1993).
Language use	National language.

Entries from the SIL Bibliography about this language:

Academic Publications

BARKER, Milton E., author. 1969. "The phonological adaptation of French loanwords in Vietnamese."  

BARRO, Ketandi; COULIBALY, Soungalo; WIESMANN, Hannes, compilers. 2004. Wín wɛlɔ dúkúrí : Dictionnaire toussian—français, français—toussian.

BEAPAMI, Roch Paulin; CHATFIELD, Ruth; KOUARATA, Guy; WALDSCHMIDT, Andrea, compilers. 2000. Dictionnaire Mbochi - Français (Nzɛmbisi y’imbɔsi m’embɔsi la leporo).

BEARTH, Thomas, author. 1984. "Périphrases du passif français et la notion de contrôle."

BEARTH, Thomas; FENNIG, Charles, editors. 2004. French/English glossary of linguistic terms.  

GAVED, Tim; STAMMERS, Jon, translators. 2004. Petit lexique mancagne—français: suivi d'un index fançais—mancagne.

GNAGBE, Firmain; KLE, Perez; LEIDENFROST, Csaba Tokpa; YEPI, Babo Alexis, compilers. 2006. Bakʋɛwaklüüa ‒Pɔɔkʋ = Dictionnaire Bakwé-Français .

KINNAIRD, William, author. 1991. La conjugaison du verbe français.  

PATMAN, Keith, author; GERO, Marcia, consultant. 2012. Comprendre pour traduire: Colossiens.

RAND, Sharon R., author. 1993. The French Imparfait and Passé Simple in Discourse.  

RUTTER, Kenji Lawrence, author. 2006. "Going French, going Tahitian: the Tahitianization of French Polynesia."  

SHELL, Olive A.; WIESEMANN, Ursula, authors. 1987. Guide pour l’alphabetisation en langues africaines.

SOUTH, Marie C., author. 2007. Cameroon Bilingualism Test Comparison Study Report.  

WATT, Milton L., author. 2008. Review of: Le Ton Beau de Marot: in praise of the music of language, by Douglas R. Hofstadter.  

Vernacular Publications

1, 2, 3. 2002.

1, 2, 3. 2002.

Calendrier ben/gourma/français 2005. 2005.

Classes Préscolaires au Guera, Guide d’Enseignant. 2006.

Classes Préscolaires au Guera, Guide d’Enseignant. 2010.

Conseils pour les moniteurs d’alphabetisation non-formelle en langue maternelle. 1983.

De la langue maternelle à la langue française, livre de transition. 1983.

Histoires pour lire et comprendre en langue française. 2007.

In dooyo gariya nasaarika 1. 2010.

Joignez-vous à la lutte contre le VIH/SIDA. 2005.

L’histoire de Kadé, manuel du facilitateur. 2007.  

Les pesticides: règles d'utilsation. 1997.  

Livre de calcul - 1. 2009.

Livre de Calcul 2. 2009.

Manuel de redaction. 1980.

Mbela a lɛ́ mut a misombó = Mbela est un pêcheur . 2010.

Mu nɔ̀nsámu vɔ̃n-zũńlowa buamu kàránló vũahṹ. 2009.

Nuhúnhɔ́n nua 1 nua guanuna na guɔ́ŋa nulíbíe = Syllabaire 1 en langue nulíbíe . 2009.

Observer, réfléchir, agir! La lecture: Phase préparatoire / Look, think, do! Reading: preparatory phase. 1980.

Un arbre qui donne la vie ‘Moringa Oleifera’. 1997.