What Languages are Spoken in France

How many languages are spoken in France ?

Official Language Of France

France is Located in Continent of  Europe. France country is exactly located in the western region of Europe. France has a population size of approximately 64.86 million people. Additionally, All around the World France has a number of territories and regions, with a total population of 2.13 million. French Language has been the official language of France since 1992, but for legal documents and laws has been the country's administrative language since 1539.

The French language is the language that is evolved from the Vulgar Latin language, which was used during the Roman Empire. This language is believed to have originated in the northern region of the present day France and gradually evolved into Middle French and Old French, respectively. Today, Modern French is considered as the part of the Indo-European language family and belongs to the Romance language sub-group.

As the official language, French language is the primary form of communication that is used by the government and the education system. Additionally, the law dictates that all commercial advertising and legal contracts must be available in French language, although with a French translation other languages are also permitted. French language is also one of the official languages of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO), the European Union, and the United Nations.

Regional Languages Of France

Locally Spoken Langauges within France

Approximately there are over 25 different regional languages are spoken throughout Metropolitan France and some of these languages are spoken in neighboring countries such as Italy, Switzerland, Spain, Germany and Belgium. The regional languages that are spoken in the Country of France are divided into 5 language family sub-groups: Vasconic, Gallo-Romance, Italo-Dalmatian, Germanic, and Celtic. The Gallo-Romance language sub-group is further divided into the largest number of regional languages and also has the largest number of regional speakers.

Within France the most widely spoken regional language is Occitan, a Gallo-Romance language, which can be heard throughout the southern region of the country. Linguists believe this language is originated in the 10th century, when it was used to write poetry. Nearly 1,000 years later, in the late 19th century, a poet attempted to revive the language by standardizing its written form.

Today, Occitan language is spoken by approximately 610,000 individuals and consists of seven dialects: Gascon, Nissart, Limousin, Provencal, Languedocien,  Auvergnat, and Vivaroalpenc. Most speakers of these languages belong to older generations and speak French langauge as a first language, which means dialects of Occitan are in danger of becoming extinct.

Immigrant Languages Spoken In France

In addition to the large number of different regional languages that are spoken in France, a wide variety of languages that are spoken by immigrant within the country have also become an important part of daily life. In the country of France Languages that are most widely spoken by immigrants include English, German, Italian, Portuguese, Polish, Turkish, Maghrebi Arabic, Berber, and Vietnamese language.

According to the 1999 census, Maghrebi Arabic is the most widely spoken immigrant language in the country of France.  Approximately 940,000 individuals, or 2.05% of the population of Metropolitan France, reported speaking the Maghrebi Arabic language as their native tongue. Additionally, it is considered as the most commonly spoken second language in the country of France, and millions of individuals report speaking it at their home. Most of these second language speakers are likely children of the first generation immigrants. Maghrebi Arabic, sometimes known as the Western Arabic, originates in and is primarily spoken in Tunisia, Libya, Algeria and Morocco.

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