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Has the French language changed over time?
Like other languages, French continues to evolve. It was further influenced by English, Italian and Greek, with English having the most influence in modern-day le français. Different dialects and variations of French exist, with Parisian French becoming the model of the language of the French people.
Is French a declining language?
Across Europe, French has gradually declined from being the lingua franca to falling behind German and English. English is spoken by 41% of Europeans, while only 19% speak French.
Is the French language increasing?
The number of people speaking French has shown a steady increase: up nearly 9.6% since 2014. Measuring from 2010 to today, 22.7 million more people speak French: 68% of these are sub-Saharan Africa, while 22% live in North Africa.
What are 20 countries that speak French?
French is the official language** in Belgium, Benin, Burkina, Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central, African, Republic, Chad, Comoros, Côte, d’Ivoire, Democratic, Republic, of, the, Congo, Djibouti, Equatorial, Guinea, France, Guinea, Haiti, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Monaco, Niger, Republic, of, the, Congo.
When was French language modernized?
17th century
Modern French During the 17th century, French replaced Latin as the most important language of diplomacy and international relations (lingua franca).
What is the future of the French language?
The latest projection is that French will be spoken by 750 million people by 2050. A study by investment bank Natixis even suggests that by that time, French could be the most-spoken language in the world, ahead of English and even Mandarin.
How did modern French develop?
Modern French grew out of this Francien dialect. Grammatically, during the period of Middle French, noun declensions were lost and there began to be standardized rules. Robert Estienne published the first Latin-French dictionary, which included information about phonetics, etymology, and grammar.
When did English overtake French?
During the 15th century, English became the main spoken language, but Latin and French continued to be exclusively used in official legal documents until the beginning of the 18th century. Nevertheless, the French language used in England changed from the end of the 15th century into Law French.
Will French be the most spoken language by 2050?
A recent study by a French bank has caused a stir after it concluded that French, not English or Mandarin Chinese, will be the world’s most spoken language by the year 2050.
Is French the language of the future?
French is predicted to become the most widely spoken mother tongue in Europe by 2025 and the most widely spoken mother tongue in the world by 2050. In addition, there are approximately 125 million French language learners around the world, and French is actively promoted by the French government and the OIF.
How many countries have French as an official language?
At the beginning of the 21st century, French was an official language of more than 25 countries.
What are the best French movies of the 21st century?
The Best French Movies of the 21st Century ✓. 1 1. Amélie (2001) R | 122 min | Comedy, Romance. 2 2. Irréversible (2002) 3 3. A Very Long Engagement (2004) 4 4. The Chorus (2004) 5 5. Angel-A (2005)
According to a demographic projection led by the Université Laval and the Réseau Démographie de l’Agence universitaire de la Francophonie, the total number of French speakers will reach approximately 500 million in 2025 and 650 million by 2050. OIF estimates 700 million by 2050, 80% of whom will be in Africa.
Why is French so popular as a first language?
The popularity of French as a first foreign language, in spite of numerous pronunciation difficulties for nearly all foreign speakers, is perhaps as much the result of the precise codification of its grammar, effectuated especially during the 18th century, as of the brilliance of its literature at all periods.