Celebrating French Language Day
17th March 2022
The 20th of March is widely observed as French Language Day. The event was established by the UN’s Department of Public Information in 2010 to celebrate multilingualism and cultural diversity.
The UN selected March 20th for French Language Day in honour of the anniversary of the International Organisation of La Francophonie.
Facts about the French language
- French is estimated to have about 76 million native speakers.
- French is an official language in 29 countries, with the majority of French speakers residing in Africa.
- There are an estimated 120 million Africans that speak the language alongside their indigenous languages.
- French is the mother tongue of an estimated 7.2 million Canadians, which is 20% of the population.
- French is also one of the six official languages used in the United Nations.
- French is spoken as a first language in France; Canada (especially in the provinces of Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick, as well as other Francophone regions); Belgium (Wallonia and the Brussels-Capital Region); western Switzerland (Romandy region); parts of Luxembourg; parts of the United States (the states of Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire and Vermont); Monaco; the Aosta Valley region of Italy and various communities elsewhere.
- French is one of the easiest languages to learn for English speakers.
- French is the sixth most common language on the internet.
History of French Language
The French language originated from Vilgar Latin of the Roman Empire. Back then France was known as Gaul and people spoke Gaulish which is a Celtic language. After the Roman invasion, Gaulish was replaced with the Latin language.
The language’s early forms include Old French and Middle French.
Old French was spoken between the 8th and 14th century and was greatly influenced by Germanic invasions of the country, which led to a split between the north and the south. The earliest evidence of what became Old French can be seen in the Oaths of Strasbourg. Old French had many dialects with one of them, Francien, contributing to the creation of Middle French.
In the 14th and 16th centuries Middle French grew out of this Francien dialect. The language started taking more shape; Robert Estienne published the first Latin/French dictionary and the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts (1539) named French as the language of law.
The 17th century started the period of modern French and in 1635, Cardinal Richelieu founded the French Academy. The purpose of the academy was to maintain the sanctity of the language and its literature.
How to observe French Language Day?
- Start with brushing up on your French language skills or, if you have none, why not start to learn this romantic language from scratch. You can find plenty of resources and language learning apps online.
- Cook a French meal using a French recipe book. France is well known for its exquisite cuisine, including onion soup, cassoulet and souffle. If cooking isn’t for you, find a French restaurant instead and celebrate with your friends and a bottle of Pinot Noir.
- Watch a French movie or listen to French music.
- Find English words that are derived from French and put them to use.
