Once upon a time, for around 300 years (from the 17th to the 20th century), French was widely considered to be the most important language of diplomacy and commerce, a veritable lingua franca before it was supplanted by English.
Today, many hands are wrung in the Francophone world about the health or otherwise of the language, with particular levels of despair reserved from the encroachment of English words into the French vernacular. However, doomsayers should take a moment to look at the statistics.
Image Credit: @ Think Stock dot com
French is an official language in an incroyable 29 countries. It counts 75 million native speakers in its pack, and an additional 87 million second language speakers. It is the second most commonly studied foreign language in the US, the fourth most-widely spoken mother tongue in the EU, and an official language of international organizations including the UN, Nato, the International Committee of the Red Cross.
It turns out French is in rude health- and is getting its happy ever after, making it a wise language to learn. And due both to French’s colonial past and current expansion, French learners are not restricted to the country of France when they wish to practice their new-found skills. In fact, learners will find native French speakers everywhere from Madagascar to Maine! Voilà:
North America and the Caribbean
Let’s talk Canada: French is the official language of Quebec, where about 95% of the population speak the language. Elsewhere in Canada, there are sizable francophone populations in New Brunswick, Manitoba, and Ontario, and smaller ones in Alberta, Saskatchewan and Nova Scotia. Off Canada’s coast, there’s France’s overseas collectivity of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, which remains under French control.
— Flag of Saint Pierre and Miquelon on Hand — Image Credit: @ Think Stock dot com
Then there’s Haiti, where French is an official language and whose nickname is ‘La Perle des Antilles’ (The Pearl of the Antilles), and Saint Lucia, where French is widely spoken.
Planning on stay-cationing this year? There are several choices in the US where French speakers can practice their new language! Head to Maine and you will be able to parle with French speakers in Madawaska, Frenchville, Fort Kent, St Francis, St Agatha, Van Buren, and more. Perhaps Louisiana appeals, in which you could include the parishes of St Martin, Evangeline, Acadia, Coos County, and Lafourche in your travel plans. And moving east to Florida, Miami, Orlando, and Tampa are home to a growing number of French expats. Fantastique!
Europe
France is the most visited country in the world, with 84.7 million people descending on l’Hexagone in 2013, compared to second placed United States’ 69.8 million. But whether you want to escape the madding touristic crowd or you’re lucky enough to have visited France’s every nook and cranny, Europe has plenty of other options for the French speaking traveler.
French is one of three official languages of Belgium, and is spoken natively by 41% of the population, largely in the country’s southern region of Wallonia, as well as in Brussels. French is also an official language in celebrity-studded Monaco, the tiny country of Luxembourg, and in Switzerland, where it ranks second in terms of speakers only to German. Then there’s the Aosta Valley in northwestern Italy, and Jersey off the coast of Normandy, both of which have French as an official language alongside Italian and English respectively.
Africa
By 2050, some 750 million people worldwide are expected to speak French, with some studies, including one by investment bank Natixis, forecasting that it will become the most spoken language in the world, leaving English and Mandarin. The main reason for this spectacular predicted growth? The fast-growing population in Africa, where French is an official language in a staggering 21 countries due largely to colonialism.
Of those 21 countries, 16 have native French-speaking populations of more than 500,000, with many hundreds of thousands more speaking French as a second language. Clearly, the continent of Africa offers plenty of options for the French-speaking traveler. A sensible way of cutting through the choice is to peruse the Department of State’s Alerts and Warnings list, where, for example, there are currently travel warnings in place for several large French speaking African countries, including Democratic Republic of the Congo, Chad, Cameroon, Niger, Central African Republic, and Burkina Faso.
Having crossed those out, you still have a plethora of choice of countries with large French-speaking populations, such as Madagascar, Ivory Coast (whose official names is Côte d’Ivoire), Togo, Guinea, Senegal, Gabon, and Mali. Time to prepare for the trip of a lifetime?
Overseas Regions
Trivia Question: What country has the most time zones in the world?
Answer: France!
The reason a country roughly the same size as Texas has a whopping 12 zones is largely due to its overseas regions, which are regions belonging to France outside of metropolitan France proper.
The French speaking traveler has a choice of five French-speaking overseas departments, spread from South America to the Indian Ocean and beyond. South America has French Guiana, which forms part of the European Union and has the euro as its official currency. The Caribbean offers Guadeloupe, where more than 80% of the tourists who visit are from French, and Martinique, relatively less-trodden by tourists. Both are EU members and have the euro as their official currency. Further north lie the Collectivity of Saint Martin and Saint-Barthelemy, which are overseas collectivities of France. Wheeling away to the Indian Ocean, travelers can touch down and speak French to the locals in the idyllic archipelago of Mayotte or tropical paradise Réunion- both are EU members.
In the south Pacific Ocean, overseas collectivity French Polynesia offers French-speaking options including Tahiti. And staying in the same area, French is also an official language on the islands New Caledonia, Wallis and Futuna, and Vanuatu!
Over to you- Apart from France, where have you spoken French to native speakers?
