French language
Romance language
French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It descended from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire, as did all Romance languages. French evolved from Gallo-Romance, the Latin spoken in Gaul, and more specifically in Northern Gaul. Its closest relatives are the other langues d'oïl—languages historically spoken in northern France and in southern Belgium, which French (Francien) largely supplanted. French was also influenced by native Celtic languages of Northern Roman Gaul like Gallia Belgica and by the (Germanic) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders. Today, owing to the French colonial empire, there are numerous French-based creole languages, most notably Haitian Creole. A French-speaking person or nation may be referred to as Francophone in both English and French.
News coverage
You might like
French language media coverage
French prison staff protest after attack that gunned down officers
At least two French prison officers killed in van ambush shootout
Advertisement
More coverage
Cannes 2024: Jury president Greta Gerwig on France's #MeToo movement and Donald Trump on screen
Greta Gerwig and her jury met the press today to discuss their roles as members of the jury, the possible repercussions of the..