![]() ![]() ![]() Instead of saying, ninety-nine, you would say, “quatre-vingt-dix-neuf” or “four twenties, ten, nine.” It gets really interesting when you reach 99. While in English you would say “eighty-three,” in French, you would say, “quatre-vingt” or “four twenties. Nowhere is clearer than between the numbers 80 and 99. Counting in French Has a Different LogicĮvery language approaches counting in their own, unique way, but with French, it can be seen as strange at times. A few examples of these are “café,” “déjà vu,” “décor,” “naïve,” and “restaurant.”Ĩ. In addition to this influence, there are many modern French loanwords in English as well. Presently, roughly 50.000 English words come from French. This invasion resulted in a lengthy infusion of the two languages. This is a result of the Norman Conquest of England in 1066 A.D. And while it shares strong similarities to German, its French influence cannot be denied. 29% of English Vocabulary Comes From FrenchĮnglish is indeed a collage of other languages. In fact, until the 19th Century, French was used more in Germany and Holland. Before this period, France had pockets where various dialects were used. The French language wasn’t widely used across France until after the French Revolution. This is probably the strangest of these French language facts. French is also a working language for many international organizations such as UNESCO, WHO, NATO, and others. In the European Union, it’s one of three procedural languages, along with German and English. But French is also the official working language of other international institutions too. The United Nations works in six different languages: Arabic, Chinese, English, Russian, Spanish, and French. French is an Official Diplomatic Language This number isn’t too surprising when you take into account that there are currently 500,000 French teachers instructing over 120 million students worldwide. Current projections show that the population of French speakers around the world could increase to over 750 million by 2050. Interestingly enough, the language’s popularity continues to increase as French-speaking countries in Africa continue to grow and develop. Since the end of World War 2, the number of French speakers has tripled. While roughly 40% of French speakers reside in Europe, there are also significant populations of speakers in Africa, Canada, and many other countries. Part of the widespread use of French is a result of Belgian and French colonialism that spread the language around the world. ![]() A francophone is a French-speaking person. There is also an organization that promotes the global speaking of French known as the Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie (OIF). In fact, French is an official language of 29 countries and is the sixth most spoken language in the world. With nearly 80 million native speakers and over 274 million speakers worldwide, French is one of the most popular languages in the world. French Is The 6th Most Spoken Language In The World It’s kind of like learning the words to your new favorite song!ģ.Spaced out over time, so you absorb your new language organically.Presented in a natural, everyday context.It teaches you useful words and phrases.Psst! Did you know we have a language learning app? They believe removing some silent letters will make it easier to learn the language. They also voted to change the spellings of some words like “oignon” to “ognon”, which means “onion”. They voted to remove the use of the circumflex over both the “i” and “u,” changing the spelling of many words. The Academy recently announced there would be significant changes in the French language in 2016. Many languages have similar types of academies, except for English. The Academy consists of 40 members who oversee the language, adding new words and contemplating changes to modernize the language. The literary integrity of the French language has been preserved by the Académie Française since its creation in 1634 by Cardinal Richelieu. L’Académie Française Protects the Language All of the Romance languages are descended from Vulgar Latin. Vulgar Latin was essentially informal Latin, whereas traditional Latin is what scholars and academics tend to study. But did you know that the type of Latin French descended from is not the same as traditional Latin? It’s called Vulgar (nonstandard) Latin. Since it French comes from Latin, it’s considered a Romance language. The first of these facts about the French language is probably not that surprising. Here are the 14 incredible French language facts: 1. Learning about this can help you appreciate the language even more. Thanks to France’s rich history and influence, the language hides a fascinating background too. ![]()
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