French language: Quick Facts

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Also Known As	français

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World map highlighting countries where French is an official language in dark pink, including France, much of central and western Africa, parts of Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Madagascar, and several island territories. Lighter pink indicates regions where French is widely spoken but not official, such as parts of North Africa and Southeast Asia.

Thematic map of Europe showing the distribution of Romance languages, with different colors representing areas where Spanish, Portuguese, Catalan, French, Occitan, Provencal, Franco-Provencal, Italian, Sardinian, Romanian, and Rhaetian are spoken. Striped areas indicate regions where bilingualism is common. The map highlights the primary Romance language regions in southwestern, southern, and eastern Europe, including the Iberian Peninsula, France, Italy, Switzerland, Romania, and parts of the B

Learn about the entry of French words in the English language after the Norman Conquest of England

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Franco-Italian language langue d’oïl Frankish dialect Canadian French Old French language Walloon Norman Which African countries speak French as an official language?Franco-Provençal dialect Francien dialect Ladino language Mozarabic language Spanish language Rhaetian dialects Romanian language Sardinian language Catalan language Portuguese language Occitan language Italian language

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Key People

Charles Baudelaire

French author

Iancu Văcărescu

Romanian author

Nicholas Oresme

French bishop, scholar, and economist

Maurice Maeterlinck

Belgian author

Elisabeth Marbury

American theatrical and literary agent

William Caxton

English printer, translator, and publisher

Valery Yakovlevich Bryusov

Russian author

Melvin Van Peebles

American author and filmmaker

Mongo Beti

Cameroonian author

Jacques Lefèvre d’Étaples

French humanist and theologian

Charles Van Lerberghe

Belgian poet

Mme du Châtelet, detail of a portrait by an unknown French artist; in a private collection

Gabrielle-Émilie Le Tonnelier de Breteuil, marquise du Châtelet

French scientist and philosopher

Anthony Munday

English poet, dramatist, pamphleteer, and translator

Mary Louise Booth

American journalist

Marguerite Taos Amrouche

Algerian singer and writer

Harriet Martineau

British author

Pétrus Ky

Vietnamese statesman

Nina Berberova

Russian-American writer

Ferdinand Freiligrath

German poet

Jacques Amyot

French scholar

Buddhist engravings on wall in Thailand. Hands on wall. Hompepage blog 2009, history and society, science and technology, geography and travel, explore discovery

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French language: Quick Facts

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