French History
A brief look at the history of the French language takes us back to the first century B.C. with the Roman invasion. The Romans brought Latin to the people of Gaule. The peasants, shop owners, and soldiers learned it but spoke it very badly. Once the Francs established their rule in the fifth century A.D., they were seen as barbarians and the distortions were considered a barbarization of the language. Over time, this gave the language a speech pattern indigenous to the people of Gaule. The Carolingien emperor Charlemagne conquered most of central europe during his rule in the late 8th early 9th centuries, which Napolean Bonaparte would later recover in the 18th century giving these territories a more recent French influence. With the expansion of the empire, the French language also spread out.
Some say that French history does not begin distinctly from ancient Gaule until the Treaty of Verdun in 843, when they divided up (roughly) France, Germany, and Italy among Charlemagne's three grandsons. In his attempt to unify France and have one law enforced all across the country, King Louis IX (Saint Louis) sent government workers to every part of France checking up on the local law enforcers. With them, they carried Parisian French which Louis made the official language of justice in the 13th century. In 1537, the King Francois I, imposed French as the official language of the country in response to the Italian Renaissance and fear of the great influence it had on France. Italianism was growing and he felt this would unify the people of France and encourage them to create their own identity and art.
In the centuries to come, France continued to be a great power in Europe with its large population of over 15 million people in the 14th century and growing rapidly ever since. Though France experienced famine and dearth for a time, the seas opened and maritime trading began. Due to the growth and increasing life span of the population, France was forced to expand its boundaries and began one of many extended empires during the last five centuries. As this phenomenon continued across Europe, several European powers stretched downward through Africa and over to the new world.
The above map shows most of the countries with a French speaking population. In some areas, French is one of the official languages of that provence or country, in other parts of the world, it is simply one of the many different languages that people speak there. The expansion of the empire spread the French speaking community across the globe. The areas I have chosen are those that have a specific French community and are listed in the encyclopedia and CIA World Fact Book as a French speaking country. I explain why and sometimes, where each country has this French speaking community (defined as stable inhabitants and not just tourists).
Feel free to click on any of the countries labeled as French speaking to see where the French language has traveled. The ten areas are:
Today, the French empire has lost many of its possesions since World War II. Scattered remnants of the empire still remain a part of France in which these oversea residents have the same laws and rights as the mainlanders except without the same amount of rights as their mainland counterparts, though they do enjoy more local autonomy. Mainlanders, oversea residents, and territorial collectives all send members to the National Assembly and the Senate, as well as other international conveniences. These possessions have several strategic values which are discussed in their right-ups.
"The independent defense policy launched by Charles de Gaule in the 1960's has turned France into the world's third largest arms supplier. Culturally, it works hard to preserve links with the some 40 countries where French is spoken widely. Alliance Francaise schools--partly funded by the French government--satisfy a worldwide demand to learn the tounge historically liked with culture and diplomacy." National Geographic Society 1989