One cannot deny the fact that France is one of the most beloved countries in the world.
Hodophiles and vagabonds always have it marked on their bucket lists, chefs study the culinary arts, polyglots learn the language, and aesthetes admire the art and architecture. So, as a person who loves learning French, you have surely been curious about the origin of the French language!
As a French lover, you will find it fascinating and intriguing to know about the great French Empire and the origins of French-speaking countries. It will also aid your learning process as the more you indulge in it with utmost curiosity and dedication.
So, how did France develop its melodious, expressive tongue, and why is it spoken in so many places around the world? Let’s have a look at some of the facts and information about the French Empire, and the language too!
How the French Language Came To Be
Where did French all start?
It can be incredibly difficult for historians to decipher the exact origins of a language for many reasons, but there is a lot of information known about the evolution of French!
How Old Is The French Language?
The first document that may have French recorded on it is a version of the Strasbourg Oathes.
However, the legitimacy of the document is debated by scholars and it’s possible that it was actually created later on as a form of propaganda, though many believe it contains a lot of typos and errors because the scribe wasn’t very familiar with the French language.
We have another document, dated 880–882 CE, that depicts Old French. It is a short writing by Prudentius, a Christian poet, which describes the life of St. Eulalia.
So, we know that Old French was an established language somewhere between 842 and 880 CE, making it about 1,143 to 1,181 years old as of 2023.
Who Invented the French Language?
Like any natural language, it wasn’t so much invented as it was cultivated over time.
The exact origins of French may be anyone’s guess, but we know that it likely began when the Romans encountered the people who originally occupied the area now known as France: the Gauls.
The Gauls were a group of Celtic people who ventured out and started living in this new area which was known as, simply, Gaul.
When Latin was introduced to the Gauls (who spoke - what else? - Gaulish) by the Romans, the two languages began to mingle and evolve together over time. Many modern-day French words differ from other Romance languages because of this Gaulish influence. For example, ‘mouton’ (sheep) and ‘manteau’ (coat) are Gaulish-derived words. It’s also likely that the odd French counting system is due to Gaulish influence.
Over time, Gaul was invaded by Germanic tribes. Notably, the Franks. This is where the words “French” and “France” originate!
The Gaulish-Latin hybrid language was then influenced by the Frankish language, leading to the invention of spelling, pronunciation, and words that differ a lot from other Latin-based languages like Spanish and Italian.
During the 16th century, King François I established French as the official language of the Kingdom of France, replacing Latin and facilitating its spread to areas where local dialects were prevalent. This period also marked the beginning of Modern French.
Then, if that weren’t enough, the Normans began interacting with the fairly new country of France and mingling Norse with Old French. Both languages were influenced by one another.
Since then, the French language has been able to develop and evolve on its own, as any language does over time.
Time Periods of the French Language
We can break down the above timeline into 4 different distinct eras for the development of the French language. These eras tell us when the language took steps to become more developed, coherent, widespread, and valuable.
What Are the Different Periods of the French Language?
There are 4 distinct evolutions of French language that we know of: Gallo-Romance, Old French, Middle French, and Modern French.
Gallo-Romance
This time period refers to the time when Caesar began the Gallic Wars in 58 BCE until the late 8th century. Because of Roman influence, Latin became the lingua franca. Otherwise, people spoke Latin mixed with their local Gaulish dialect; hence, Gallo-Romance!
After about 800 years of regional Gaulish language, then adding Latin in, we come to the 2nd period.
Old French
This time period covers from the late 8th century to the 14th century. This is when Germanic tribes began encountering the Gauls, changing the language.
Over time, we can see through written documents that Old French really became a different language than Latin, Gaulish, or the Germanic languages. People began to write literature in Old French.
Middle French
From the 14th century to the 16th century, French began to develop a more distinct and regular set of rules and stylings. It started to resemble the French we see today. While Old French would be difficult for even a fluent speaker to understand, they may be able to comprehend a fair amount of Middle French.
Modern French
On 10 August, 1539, Francis I of France declared French the mandatory language on legal documents, effectively making French the official language of France. However, the legal order wasn’t actually created until 1992!
While French has certainly changed since 1539, we can still consider ourselves in the Modern French Era.
Find the best French classes in Bangalore here on Superprof.
Why French is Known Around the World
The first king to declare himself King of France was Philip II in 1190; so that’s when the first iteration of France is presumed to have started.
Eventually, the Île-de-France was established in 1387, which had previously been a central point for the Roman Empire. If you didn’t already know, Île-de-France is the region of France that has Paris as its capital!
After these developments, France worked to explore the world and gain power.
The First French Colonial Empire (1605 to 1814)
French explorer Jaques Cartier began spreading French influence around the world in 1534. He sailed to the area of Canada near Newfoundland and claimed a bit of land for France, calling it, creatively, New France. At first, it was just a small settlement and exploration; there were no notable colonies yet established, which is why the official start of the Empire wasn’t until 1605 when Pierre Du Gua de Monts founded Port Royal in what is now Nova Scotia.
For the following 230 years, New France expanded into a crescent-shaped expanse of French-held territories spanning from the eastern reaches of Canada to the deltas of Louisiana. New France’s territory included modern-day Quebec, Ontario, and Manitoba in Canada, and Louisiana, Arkansas, Mississippi, and Missouri in the US. The establishment of New Orleans was pivotal for the strength of New France and eventually facilitated the formation of Chicago in 1779.
With the French language being firmly introduced to a large swath of North America (despite France losing most of its claimed territory later on), you can see why there is a lot of French influence in North American English.
Meanwhile, in 1624, France also began claiming land in the West Indies (the Caribbean). France’s reach extended well beyond the islands, however.
During this First Colonial Empire period, France worked to colonize parts of North America (as we know), as well as the Caribbean, West Africa, and even parts of India.
Their inventory of colonized countries included:
- Brazil
- Guiana
- Senegal
- Saint Kitts
- Guadeloupe
- Martinique
- Saint Lucia
- Haiti
- Réunion
- India
- Mauritius
- Tobago
- Seychelles
At the end of this colonial period, France had lost most of its colonies, either to Britain or due to revolution, but the impact of the French presence remained.
The Second French Colonial Empire (1830 - mid-20th century)
In this era of French colonization, which began with the conquest of Algeria, France focused less on North America and the Caribbean (where they had already lost most of their territory) and instead focused on Africa and Asia.
Inspired by the successes of the Napoleonic Wars, France started to make a comeback in the colonization empire game.
Between 1830 to post-WWI (1918), France laid claim in the following places:
- Cambodia
- Laos
- China
- Vietnam
- Mauritania
- Senegal
- Guinea
- Mali
- Ivory Coast (Côte d’Ivoire)
- Benin
- Niger
- Chad
- Central African Republic
- Republic of Congo
- Tunisia
- Djibouti
- Morocco
- Syria
- Lebanon
- Togo
- Cameroon
- Polynesia
You can see why the First French Colonial Empire was the second largest only to Spain and then, later, Britain!
After WWII, France again lost most of their colonies due to revolutions by the indigenous peoples to expel colonial rule from their homes. By 1960, most of the African colonies had broken away from French rule.
More and more French colonies broke free over time, so today only 13 remain, 2 of which are uninhabited:
- Réunion
- Guadeloupe
- Martinique
- French Guiana
- Mayotte
- French Polynesia
- Saint Barthélemy
- Saint Martin
- Saint Pierre and Miquelon
- Wallis and Futuna
- New Caledonia
- French Southern and Antarctic Lands
- Clipperton Island
French Influence Had Been Firmly Planted Globally
Although colonization is not a positive action, it is the method by which France established its legacy of global recognition.
As a result of all of these French colonies, 28 independent nations of the world, plus 8 dependent entities, have established French as an official language. And, many others have it as an influential unofficial language.
Find the best French classes in Chennai here on Superprof.
Why People Are Still Interested in France
In addition to a global empire, France had and still has a lot going on in its homeland that attracts the attention of people around the world.
To appreciate the hundreds of years of art, literature, music, poetry, architecture, philosophy, and more, as well as modern-day France, millions of people have decided to learn French regardless of its presence in their daily lives.
The First French Empire (1804 - 1815)
The monarchy of France was officially abolished in 1792 due to the French Revolution, and the French Republic was formed.
The First French Empire (aka Napoleonic France) was under the rule of Napoleon Bonaparte who wore the crown on 2 December 1804.
The First Empire lasted about 10 years, constitutionally from 1804 to 1814. The Napoleonic Wars, (1803 - 1815) extended French influence to much of Western Europe and into Poland. In 1812, the Empire ruled over 44 million subjects with 130 departments, while maintaining a military presence in Spain, Germany, and Italy.
All this warring and winning expanded France’s influence, expanded the French language, and allowed France to build many of its historic monuments which still generate interest in the country and the language to this day.
The Second French Empire (1852 - 1870)
The Second French Empire existed for a period spanning from 1852 to 1870 under the reign of Napoleon III (Napoleon Bonaparte’s nephew).
The Empire received a lot of criticism from historians on the grounds of his reckless decisions and foreign policies. However, domestic policies were beneficial, especially after he liberalized his rule in 1858. However, Napoleon III failed to lead peacefully and ended up with no allies or governance at the end of his reign in 1870.
Find great French classes near me on Superprof.
More Recent French Eras
After these historic government organizations, France went through a lot, along with the rest of the world.
A handful of other iterations of the French government include:
- The Third French Republic (1870 - 1940)
- Vichy France aka French State (1940 - 1944)
- Provisional Government of the French Republic (1944 - 1946)
- French Fourth Republic (1946 - 1958)
- French Fifth Republic (1958 - Present)
Over all this time, France was in the global awareness each time a new event occurred; France has been a world player for a long time, even if, in recent years, it’s less noticeable.
The repeated exposure through history, the collection of arts, and the beauty of the country (especially Paris) have captivated people for hundreds of years.
For all these reasons and more, French is a respected and oft-learned language globally. In fact, it’s the second-most studied language in the world, after English, and above Mandarin!
So, why learn French?
France has been involved throughout ancient, medieval, and modern history. It has more culture to study than one person can even contemplate in a lifetime. The country is beautiful and offers a diverse range of experiences. Knowing another language is always a good idea and leads to more opportunities and a healthier brain. Knowing French gives you the distinct advantage of being able to converse with millions of other people around the world.
Discover various online French classes with Superprof and begin learning French today!
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating!
Loading...
