French is one of the five most widely spoken Romance languages ​​with Latin roots. He represents the Indo-European group. French itself is an evolution of the dialects of the Gallo-Romans, with a rich history that is worth exploring.
Spread
French (as a first language) is currently spoken by more than 77 million people; more than 190 million are used as the second; about 200 million people as a learned foreigner. In total, they speak it in 57 different countries. Most French-speaking lives, of course, in France, where he arose. And they also live in Canada, Monaco, Switzerland, Belgium and Luxembourg. French is also an official language in French Polynesia, New Caledonia, French Guiana, Guadeloupe, Martinique, Saint Barthélemy, Saint Martin, Mayotte, Reunion, Saint Pierre and Miquelon.
In addition, it, along with Arabic, is the official language of Lebanon. In Laos and Cambodia, it is still used as an administrative office, and it is most often taught as the third in India. In French-speaking Africa (essentially the western and central parts of the continent), it is in some cases the first and widespread as the second.
A large number of people who speak French as a second language can also be found in the Caribbean (for example, Haiti). In the United States, he is the third most spoken after English and Spanish, second in the states of Louisiana, Maine, Vermont, and New Hampshire. The number of immigrants from France is increasing, especially in cities such as New York, Washington, Chicago, Atlanta and Milwaukee.
In Canada, French is the second most common after English, and both are state-owned. In addition, it is the only official language in the province of Quebec. In the European Union, it is the third most common after German and English.
It is also the official language of all United Nations agencies and a large number of international organizations, such as the International Olympic Committee (OIF 2009).
Gaul
Modern France and Belgium were once part of the ancient region of Western Europe, known as Gaul, with which the history of the French language is associated. However, there are too few traces of the Gallic left in it.
When for 2 and 1 centuries BC. e. Gaul was conquered by the Romans, the locals were strongly influenced by the Romans.
Latin
Thanks to the Romans, the Latin language gradually assimilated and replaced the Gallic language, becoming dominant in the region. In order to advance along the social ladder, citizens had to learn and fully understand it.
This period is very important in terms of the history of the origin of the French language. Dialects gradually faded. Some words went into French, with approximately seventy words of Gallic origin preserved in its modern form.
However, even the newly made Latin was not protected from transformation. As the Roman Empire expanded, this language, which spread throughout the region, was not the original version in which the playwrights wrote.
In the process of transformation, Latin gradually moved away from its classical roots, absorbed a sufficient number of local elements, and became the "speech of the people" - vulgar Latin.
Thus, considering the history of the origin of the French language, the following should be noted. Although in its modern version there are only a few hundred words of Celtic origin and a little more Germanic, it owes its structure and most of its vocabulary to Latin.
When the Franks became the dominant force in France in the 5th century AD e., the aristocracy began to speak their language. Their influence on modern French can still be seen today in words such as blanc, bleu, guère, brun, fauve and trop. Although the language of the Franks had enough differences from Latin to be considered independent since the 9th century, its Latin roots are still preserved.
Germanic influences
Looking briefly at the history of the French language, the following fact should be noted. The subsequent German invasions, better known as the invasion of the barbarians, also had a great influence. When the borders of the Empire collapsed and Gaul fell into the hands of the Franks, vulgar Latin was further diluted with dialects from different regions.
According to the researchers, the Franks imposed their own models and patterns of using vulgar Latin. And this explains why French is so different from others, originating from Latin, Italian and, for example, Spanish.
Thus, in the process of mixing the Gallo-Roman population with German settlers, the French language emerged from this confluence of Germanic, Celtic and (mainly) Latin roots.
Other influences
Like any other language, French has never been immune from the strong influence of its “neighbors”. This is especially true of Greek, Italian and English, and the strength of the latter manifested itself especially during the twentieth and twenty-first centuries.
History of the French Language: Old French Period (IX – XIII)
Dialects of North Gaul have become a separate language system with their own grammar. The first written material in this language dates back to the Strasbourg oaths in 842. Old French literature has flourished since the 10th century (for example, “chanson de gesture” - Chanson de geste, literally “song of deeds”). In the 11th – 13th centuries, it was the dominant language of administration and crusaders in the Levantine countries.
However, despite this, according to the history of the French language, most Franks still mostly spoke (and less than 1% could write) in lingua romana rustica (Latin dialects of the common people). They varied dramatically both at the national and regional levels.
Provençal was spoken south of the Loire during this period. German dialects such as Flemish and Alsatian continued to influence in the northeast, and Basque and others were widespread in the southwest.
This language was difficult to learn. It was not easy to master its 33 vowels, 16 diphthongs and many other sounds difficult to pronounce. Nevertheless, one of the greatest works of French literature, “The Song of Roland,” was written during this period in the 11th century.
Middle French period (XIV - XV centuries)
He was marked by changes in both pronunciation and grammar. The authors wrote in a literary language based on the le-de-France dialect (Paris region). French replaced Latin in the texts of public administration in the state.
It gradually developed, and by the sixteenth century it was greatly simplified. Most diphthongs have been eradicated, and the sentence structure has become more standardized. Nevertheless, at that time many Latin features persisted. Illiteracy also played a role: only about 2% of the population could read and write.
A giant leap in the spread of the French language among the people occurred in 1539. At this time, King Francois I issued the Ordinance of Ville-Cotreux. This document indicated that it was French, not Latin, that would be the official language of the country. Although this ensured that administrative records and court proceedings should now only be recorded on it, most people outside the French elite still spoke and conducted their affairs in the local dialect (also called patois).
Early Modern French (16th Century)
The goal of the writers of this period, like that of poets, was to raise the French language to the level of Latin as a means of literary expression. Since its proclamation as a state, the government has always been involved in the development and standardization. It should also be noted that not all scholars identify this period as a separate one, especially if they consider briefly the history of the French language.
Classical period (XVII - XVIII)
At this stage, which was of great importance in the history of the French language, the basic modern grammatical rules were established, fueled by the French liberal revolution. By that time, it was used as international throughout Europe and even in the administrative correspondence of countries such as Germany. With the colonial expansion of France, the language spread to America, for example, Canada, Louisiana, the Caribbean and to Africa - Morocco, Algeria, Congo.
In the second half of the 17th century, under the leadership of Cardinal Richelieu and the King of the Sun, Louis XIV, the country entered a period of prosperity. Centralization and standardization began to act as key ways to strengthen absolute power. In 1635, Richelieu founded an academy to develop and defend the French language.
The grammarians of the Academy set the task of preserving its purity. As a result, many of the words used earlier, especially those that were unique to the provinces or borrowed, were excluded. Written and spoken French has become more practical.
By 1714, it became the main one for the aristocracy, for the first time it was used in an international agreement at the conclusion of the Rastatt Treaty. From then until World War I (1914–1919), French remained the language of international diplomacy. As the Holy Roman Emperor Charles V spoke about this:
“I speak English with merchants, Italian with women, French with men, Spanish with God and German with a horse.”
During the Enlightenment, with the advent of English power after the Treaty of Paris (1763), the revolutionary ideas of his greatest political thinkers, such as John Locke, had a huge influence on French thinkers and philosophers, including Jean-Jacques Rousseau and Voltaire. In addition to developing revolutionary ideas about freedom, natural law and human rights, these influential Englishmen also contributed to the expansion of the vocabulary.
In addition, with the development of transport and travel, the further history of the French language continued, which became more and more common and began to supplant the local patois. At the same time, foreign influence increased, and as a result, a lot of German, Italian, Greek, Latin and Spanish words entered the lexicon.
The modern stage (from the 19th century)
During this period in the history of the French language, modern standard pronunciation was established. It was approved as official in the French and Belgian colonial possessions in Africa. While the vocabulary and style of the modern French language has been affected by movements such as romanticism and realism, structurally it has changed a bit since the days of classical Art Nouveau. Its standardization today has become more widespread in the field of education and the media.
Present
This language is spoken in many countries. Therefore, it is not surprising that in French there are various variations and dialects. Nevertheless, in France itself, the Parisian version is a kind of “model” from both a cultural and political point of view.
Structurally, it has not changed too much since the time of standardization, although from the point of view of linguistics, development occurs at every stage of the history of the French language, including the modern one.
Interesting Facts
This language is not only one of the most widely spoken on the planet. The French received 12 Nobel Prizes in literature, more than representatives of any other country. It is the language of great writers and philosophers such as Moliere, Victor Hugo, Flaubert, Proust, Descartes, Russo, Voltaire, Camus and Sartre.
The ways it is pronounced and spelled vary from one place to another. They are highly dependent on local culture, customs and neighboring influences. There are notable differences between French, which is spoken in southern or northern France, Belgium, Switzerland, Canada, and in many French-speaking African countries. They are so strong that people cannot always understand each other.
In particular, the French Canadian province of Quebec is very different from the standard. For example, the “little shop” will be un petit magasin in France and un dépanneur in Quebec. The “bank” is une banque in Paris and the une caisse populaire in Quebec, while the “car” sounds like une car in France and un char in Quebec.
Learning the history of the French language in Russia
Interest in this discipline at different times was shown by many domestic linguists. The result of their work was scientific papers and teaching aids.
The textbook of Vladimir Schetinkin “The History of the French Language” describes its system, the history from the formation of the Latin basis to the modern period. Sociolinguistics and the problems of the formation of the French national language are considered separately. All evolution is considered in its various aspects.
The textbook, written by linguists Skrelin and Stanovaya “History of the French language”, is intended for those who study it as the main one. It poses issues related to its formation, starting with the prehistory (I century BC. - VIII century. E.). In the textbook of L. M. Skrelina, “The History of the French Language,” much attention is paid to three main periods of development. Its functioning is considered from the perspective of external and internal perspectives.
Lectures on the history of the French language are given in all linguistic universities, where it is studied as the main and second. And also their texts are published as textbooks for students. It should be said that this discipline is of interest not only for high school students and high school students. In a special presentation, the history of the French language for children is of interest.