French language

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French Language

French is the native language of about 75 million people and it's an official language in 29 countries. Most French native speakers live in France, Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, Luxemburg, Monaco, Haiti, in more than 15 countries in Africa and in various French dependencies such as Guadeloupe and Martinique.

History of French Language
French in France and Canada

In France, where the language originated, French is the mother tongue of about 65 million people. In Belgium, French coexists with Dutch and German, which are also official languages, and its speakers have settled mainly in the South, representing 32% of total population. In Brussels, for example, French and Dutch are recognized officially, but the French group is bigger. Besides, at least 11% of the population speak several languages. In some countries of the Caribbean and South America (Haiti, Martinique, Dominique, French Guyana) French language is the official language, even though in everyday life the one employed is their own Creole language, from the combination of African languages with French.

In Africa, French works as a neutral communication medium between the different ethnic groups who own each one their own language at the same time as the language of the administration and the government, as much as in diplomacy and even in education. Furthermore, French is also still spoken by some in Vietnam, and in the French territories of Nouvelle Caledonie and other islands of Oceania, giving it the distinction of being spoken in the five continents.