French language

Geographic distribution

French is an official language in the following countries or parts thereof:

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La Francophonie is an international organization of French-speaking countries and governments.

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Legal status in France

Per the Constitution of France, French is the official language of the Republic since 1992 http://www.languefrancaise.net/dossiers/dossiers.php?id_dossier=50.

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France mandates the use of French in official government publications, public education outside of specific cases (though these dispositions are often ignored) and legal contracts; advertisements must bear a translation of foreign words. See Toubon Law.

Related Topics:
France - Education - Contract - Advertisement - Toubon Law

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Contrary to a misunderstanding common in the American and British media, France does not prohibit the use of foreign words in websites or any other private publication, which would anyway contradict constitutional guarantees on freedom of speech. The misunderstanding may have arisen from a similar prohibition in the Canadian province of Quebec which made strict application of the Charter of the French Language between 1977 and 1993, although these regulations addressed language used in advertising and the provision of commercial services offered within the province, not the language of private communication.

Related Topics:
Misunderstanding - American - British - Media - Websites - Constitutional - Freedom of speech - Quebec - Charter of the French Language

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There exist in addition to French a variety of languages spoken in France by minorities; see Languages of France.

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Legal status in Canada

About 12% of the world's francophones are Canadian, and French is one of Canada's two official languages, with English; various provisions of the Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms deal with the right of Canadians to access services in English and French all across Canada. By law, the federal government must operate and provide services in both English and French; proceedings of the Parliament of Canada must be translated into both English and French; and all Canadian products must be labelled in both English and French. Overall about 22% of Canadians speak French as a first language and 18% are bilingual.

Related Topics:
Canada - Canadian Charter of Rights and Freedoms - Law - Parliament of Canada

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French has been the only official language of Quebec since the adoption of the Charter of the French Language (a.k.a. Bill 101). By far the provision of Bill 101 with the most significant impact has been that which mandates French-language education, unless a child's parents or siblings have received the major part of their own education in English within Canada. That provision has reversed a historical trend whereby a large number of immigrant children were being sent to English schools by their parents. In so doing, Bill 101 has greatly contributed to the "visage français" (French face) of Quebec. Other provisions of Bill 101, on the other hand, have been ruled unconstitutional over the years, including those mandating French-only commercial signs, court proceedings, and debates in the legislature. Some of those provisions have remained in effect, for a while, using the constitutional "notwithstanding" clause that permits a non-compliant law to temporarily remain. No "notwithstanding provision" is currently in effect. In 1993 the Charter was changed to allow signage in other languages so long as French is markedly "predominant". The Charter also provides for a measure of access by Anglophones to health and social services in their own language.

Related Topics:
Quebec - Charter of the French Language - Education

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French is an official language of New Brunswick, the Yukon Territory, the Northwest Territories, and Nunavut. In Ontario and Manitoba, French does not have full official status, although the provincial governments do provide full French-language services in all communities where significant numbers of francophones live.

Related Topics:
New Brunswick - Yukon Territory - Northwest Territories - Nunavut - Ontario - Manitoba

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All of the other provinces do make some effort to accommodate the needs of their francophone citizens, although the level and quality of French-language service varies significantly from province to province.

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Legal status in Switzerland

French is an official language in Switzerland. It is spoken in the part of Switzerland called Romandy.

Related Topics:
Switzerland - Romandy

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Dialects of French

• Acadian French
• African French
• Belgian French
• Cajun French
• Canadian French
• Cambodian French
• Louisiana Creole French
• français d'Aoste
• français-germanique
• Indian French
• Levantine French
• Maghreb French
• Newfoundland French
• North American French
• Oceanic French
• Quebec French
• South East Asian French
• Swiss French
• West Indian French
• linguasphere on Romance languages

Languages derived from French

• Haitian Creole
• Seychellois Creole
• Michif
• Lanc-Patuá