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French (français, French:, or langue française, French: [lɑ̃ɡ fʁɑ̃sɛːz], or by some speakers, French: [lɑ̃ŋ fʁɑ̃sɛ]) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire , as did all Romance languages.
Five languages have more than 50 million native speakers in Europe: Russian, English, French, Italian, and German. Russian is the most-spoken native language in Europe, and English has the largest number of speakers in total, including some 200 million speakers of English as a second or foreign language. (See English language in Europe.)
Spoken by millions across multiple continents, French stands as an official language in 29 countries and holds a prestigious position as one of the working languages of the United Nations, the European Union, and numerous other international bodies.
Dec 4, 2022 · France has long been occupied by the Gallic tribes who speak the Celtic language, a language belonging to the Indo-European family of languages. It is very difficult to determine, with precision, the exact date of the appearance of French. French is derived from Vulgar Latin or “spoken Latin”, also called “popular Latin”.
May 7, 2024 · While French originates from continental Europe, colonization has spread the language to every corner of the world. In fact, it is estimated that some 80 million people speak French as their first or native language. Check out this list of countries that have French as an official language: France; Monaco; Belgium; Switzerland; Luxembourg ...
May 15, 2024 · Origins and history of the French language. French is part of the Italic branch of the Indo-European language family. It is a Romance language, deriving, like Italian, Spanish, Romanian, and Portuguese, from Vulgar Latin. In the 5th century BC, people spoke three languages on the territory now covered by France: Greek, Ligurian, and Gaulish.
May 18, 2021 · Europe . French is Europe’s third most spoken language after German and English. It is the official language of five countries on the continent, including Belgium, Monaco, Luxembourg, Switzerland, and France. However, it is the only official language in France and Monaco and shares the official status in the other three countries.