> FRENCH SPEAKING EUROPEAN COUNTRIES
(1) France
The French language originated in France. French developed out of the vulgar Latin spoken in the province of Roman Gaul. Originally the precursor to modern standard French was only spoken in the northern parts of the country, especially around Paris. In other parts of the country, closely related dialects like Provencal and Picard, or completely separate languages like Basque and Breton, were spoken. But the use of standard French increased over time at the expense of the regional dialects and languages. Today the vast majority of the people in France use French as a first language.
(2) Belgium
Belgium’s three official languages are French, Dutch and German. Slightly more then half of its population speaks Dutch, while slightly less than half speak French.
(3) Switzerland
French is one of four official languages in Switzerland. French is the second most widely spoken language in the country, after German.
(4) Monaco
French is the official and most widely spoken language of the tiny nation of Monaco.
(5) Andorra
French is an official language in the small nation of Andorra, which is located on the French-Spanish border. The language is only spoken as a first language by a minority of the population, however.
(6) Luxembourg
French is an official language in Luxembourg, a country lying on the Belgium-Germany border. Like Andorra, however, only a minority use it as a first language.
> FRENCH SPEAKING COUNTRIES and TERRITORIES IN THE AMERICAS
(1) Canada
French is one of two official languages in Canada, the other official language being English. French is spoken by the majority of people in the province of Quebec. It is also spoken by significant minorities in the provinces of Ontario and New Brunswick.
(2) Haiti
French is the official language of Haiti. In everyday life, however, Haitian Creole is used. Although Haitian Creole’s vocabulary is largely derived from French, it is unintelligible with standard French.
(3) United States
Cajun French is spoken by a few thousand people in southern Louisiana and western Mississippi. French is spoken in the northeastern United States by French Canadian immigrants or their descendants.
(4) French overseas territories
French overseas territories in the Western Hemisphere include the islands of St. Pierre and Miquelon, French Guiana, Guadeloupe and Martinique. St. Pierre and Miquelon are small islands off the coast of Canada. French Guiana is in South America. Guadeloupe and Martinique are Caribbean islands. In Martinique, Guadeloupe and French Guiana French-based Creoles are spoken.
(5) the Caribbean
French-based Creoles are spoken on some Caribbean islands including St. Lucia, Dominica, Trinidad, and Grenada. English, however, is the official language on all of these islands.
> FRENCH SPEAKING COUNTRIES and TERRITORIES IN ASIA and THE PACIFIC
(1) South and Southeast Asia
French is spoken as a second language in Cambodia and other parts of southeast Asia. A few thousand people in Puducherry, India use the language.
(2) French Polynesia
French Polynesia is an overseas possession of France. It is made up of several islands scattered across the South Pacific ocean. The most famous of these islands is probably Tahiti. French is the official language of French Polynesia, but local Polynesian languages are also spoken. On the island of New Caledonia, off the coast of Australia, people of French origin (known as Caldoches) speak French as a first language. People of Indigenous origin (known as Kanaks) speak Melanesian languages. French and Wallisian (or Uvean) are spoken on the islands of Wallis and Futuna.
> FRENCH SPEAKING COUNTRIES IN AFRICA
The French language is used mainly in African countries that were former French colonies.
(1) North Africa
French is spoken in Algeria, Morocco and Tunisia
(2) West Africa
French is an official language throughout much of West Africa. Senegal, Mali, Guinea, Burkina Faso, Cote D’Ivoire (Ivory Coast), Niger, Togo, Benin, Chad and Cameroon all recognize it as an official language. In Cameroon....
Read the full article here
Showing posts with label languages. Show all posts
Showing posts with label languages. Show all posts
Thursday, October 28, 2010
Wednesday, October 20, 2010
The history of the English language
History of the English Language
Scholars recognize 3 distinct stages in the development of the English language:
(1) Old English (formerly called Anglo-Saxon), 449-1066 or 1100
(2) Middle English, 1066 or 1100-1450 or 1500
(3) Modern English, 1450 or 1500-present
Modern English can be subdivided into Early Modern English (1500-1750), and Late Modern English 1750-present.
(1) Old English, 449-1066 or 1100
Old English was spoken by some Germanic groups in the area of what is now southern Denmark and northern Germany. These were the Angles, Saxons and Jutes. When these groups invaded and colonized Britain in the 5th century A.D., they brought their language with them. The Brythonic Celtic speakers were displaced. Brythonic Celtic survived only in the more remote parts of the Britain, such as Wales and Cornwall. The Celtic language of the pre-Anglo-Saxon inhabitants seems to have had relatively little influence on Old English. Most words of Celtic origin that are used in modern English are relatively recent additions to the English vocabulary.
Four major dialects of Old English are recognized: Kentish, which was spoken by the Jutes; West Saxon, the Saxon dialect of Wessex; and Northumbrian and Mercian, which were dialects of the Angles. In the 9th century, the Saxons of Wessex became the rulers of most of England. As a result, their dialect is the one often found in written documents from this period of time. The most famous example of Old English literature, however, was the epic poem Beowulf, which was written in Mercian.
Old English contained a number of words of Latin origin. Some of these words probably entered the language before the Angles, Saxons and Jutes settled England. Some others may have entered the language via Celtic people. The spread of Christianity, however, played the most important role in the bringing Latin vocabulary into Old English.
The other foreign source of vocabulary were the Scandinavian dialects of Norse invaders and settlers. The Norse ruled and colonized many areas of Britain during the 9th, 10th and early 11th centuries. A number of Scandinavian words entered the language during this period of time.
Old English was very different from Modern English. For a Modern English speaker, Old English would be completely unintelligible. The grammar of Old English was quite different from its modern counterpart. In Old English, for example, made grammatical distinctions for gender. This is no longer done in modern English.
(2) Middle English, 1066 or 1100-1450 or 1500
One of the most significant events in the development of the English language was the Norman conquest of 1066. The Normans were Norse invaders who had settled in northern France. They had adopted the French language of the local people. The dialect they spoke was called Norman French. When the Normans conquered England, they brought Norman French with them. This became the language of the ruling aristocracy. The common people, however, still spoke the Anglo-Saxon tongue. Many French terms were introduced into English during this period of time. Many of these terms were related to administration.
During the Middle English period, English grammar became simplified. This may be because the use of English became restricted to commoners. The formal Old English of the Saxon nobility was replaced by the French of the new Anglo-Norman aristocracy. The only English that was still used was the informal, colloquial English of the commoners.
(3) Modern English, 1450 or 1500-present
During the Modern English period, English began to resemble contemporary English. Documents written during this period are at least somewhat intelligible to today’s English speakers. During this period many words were borrowed from other European languages, such as Latin, Greek, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. Colonial expansion brought many new words into the vocabulary.
Words of colonial origin include:
Raccoon from the Virginia Algonquian ‘aroughcun’.
Wigwam from the North American Algonquian language Abenaki ‘wikewam’.
Llama and quinine, from the South American language Quechua via Spanish.
Barbecue and cannibal from the Caribbean language Arawak.
Chimpanzee from the Central African language Kikongo via French.
Bandana from the Indian language Hindi via Portuguese.
Kangaroo and boomerang from Australian Aborigine languages.Read the entire article here
Scholars recognize 3 distinct stages in the development of the English language:
(1) Old English (formerly called Anglo-Saxon), 449-1066 or 1100
(2) Middle English, 1066 or 1100-1450 or 1500
(3) Modern English, 1450 or 1500-present
Modern English can be subdivided into Early Modern English (1500-1750), and Late Modern English 1750-present.
(1) Old English, 449-1066 or 1100
Old English was spoken by some Germanic groups in the area of what is now southern Denmark and northern Germany. These were the Angles, Saxons and Jutes. When these groups invaded and colonized Britain in the 5th century A.D., they brought their language with them. The Brythonic Celtic speakers were displaced. Brythonic Celtic survived only in the more remote parts of the Britain, such as Wales and Cornwall. The Celtic language of the pre-Anglo-Saxon inhabitants seems to have had relatively little influence on Old English. Most words of Celtic origin that are used in modern English are relatively recent additions to the English vocabulary.
Four major dialects of Old English are recognized: Kentish, which was spoken by the Jutes; West Saxon, the Saxon dialect of Wessex; and Northumbrian and Mercian, which were dialects of the Angles. In the 9th century, the Saxons of Wessex became the rulers of most of England. As a result, their dialect is the one often found in written documents from this period of time. The most famous example of Old English literature, however, was the epic poem Beowulf, which was written in Mercian.
Old English contained a number of words of Latin origin. Some of these words probably entered the language before the Angles, Saxons and Jutes settled England. Some others may have entered the language via Celtic people. The spread of Christianity, however, played the most important role in the bringing Latin vocabulary into Old English.
The other foreign source of vocabulary were the Scandinavian dialects of Norse invaders and settlers. The Norse ruled and colonized many areas of Britain during the 9th, 10th and early 11th centuries. A number of Scandinavian words entered the language during this period of time.
Old English was very different from Modern English. For a Modern English speaker, Old English would be completely unintelligible. The grammar of Old English was quite different from its modern counterpart. In Old English, for example, made grammatical distinctions for gender. This is no longer done in modern English.
(2) Middle English, 1066 or 1100-1450 or 1500
One of the most significant events in the development of the English language was the Norman conquest of 1066. The Normans were Norse invaders who had settled in northern France. They had adopted the French language of the local people. The dialect they spoke was called Norman French. When the Normans conquered England, they brought Norman French with them. This became the language of the ruling aristocracy. The common people, however, still spoke the Anglo-Saxon tongue. Many French terms were introduced into English during this period of time. Many of these terms were related to administration.
During the Middle English period, English grammar became simplified. This may be because the use of English became restricted to commoners. The formal Old English of the Saxon nobility was replaced by the French of the new Anglo-Norman aristocracy. The only English that was still used was the informal, colloquial English of the commoners.
(3) Modern English, 1450 or 1500-present
During the Modern English period, English began to resemble contemporary English. Documents written during this period are at least somewhat intelligible to today’s English speakers. During this period many words were borrowed from other European languages, such as Latin, Greek, Italian, Spanish and Portuguese. Colonial expansion brought many new words into the vocabulary.
Words of colonial origin include:
Raccoon from the Virginia Algonquian ‘aroughcun’.
Wigwam from the North American Algonquian language Abenaki ‘wikewam’.
Llama and quinine, from the South American language Quechua via Spanish.
Barbecue and cannibal from the Caribbean language Arawak.
Chimpanzee from the Central African language Kikongo via French.
Bandana from the Indian language Hindi via Portuguese.
Kangaroo and boomerang from Australian Aborigine languages.Read the entire article here
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