This is a list of the member states of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie . These governments belong to an international organisation representing countries and regions where French is the first ("mother") or customary language, where a significant proportion of the population are francophones (French speakers) or where there is a notable affiliation with French culture. [1] [2] [3]
| Country | Joined | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Albania | 1999 | Albanian | Brief French protectorate in Korçë between 1916 and 1920. Approximately 30% of young Albanians choose French as their first foreign language. [4] Albania is home to 300,000 French speakers, and it is the second foreign language of education after English. |
 Andorra | 2004 | Catalan | Formerly part of First French Empire. The President of France is also a Co-Prince of Andorra. |
 Armenia | 2012 | Armenian | See further: Armenia-France relations |
 Belgium | 1970 | officially trilingual, French included | French is the native language of about 39% of the population [5] 48% are non-native speakers of French. [6] Belgium's French community is also a member separately. See also: Languages of Belgium and Belgian French |
*  French Community of Belgium [lower-alpha 1] | 1980 | French as official language | A community of Belgium with its two components Wallonia (excluding the German-speaking community) and Brussels-Capital Region (its French-speaking majority) |
 Benin | 1970 | French | Former French colony |
 Bulgaria | 1993 | Bulgarian | French is spoken as a foreign language by 9% of the Bulgarian people, and taught as a main foreign language in about 25% of primary schools. Furthermore, French is studied by 7.7% of high school students. [7] [8] |
 Burkina Faso | 1970 | French | Former French colony. Membership suspended in 2022 due to a coup. |
 Burundi | 1970 | officially trilingual, French | Former Belgian UN-protectorate |
 Cambodia | 1993 | Khmer | Former French protectorate (as a part of former French Indochina) |
 Cameroon | 1991 | officially bilingual, French included | Over 90% of country was a French protectorate (1945–1959) |
 Canada | 1970 | Officially bilingual, French included | The provinces of Quebec and New Brunswick are participating governments; much of eastern Canada was part of the first French colonial empire. As of 2004, a government representative from Ontario also attends as part of the Canadian delegation, although Ontario is not yet a participating government in its own right. |
*  New Brunswick [lower-alpha 2] | 1977 | officially bilingual, French included | Considered a "participating government", this province of Canada is officially bilingual English-French and home to the largest community of Acadians. |
*  Quebec [lower-alpha 2] | 1971 | French | Considered a "participating government", this province of Canada has French as its official language and is home to 85% of Canada's native francophones. |
 Cape Verde | 1996 | Portuguese | French is spoken as a foreign language by ~11% of the population as of 2014 |
 Central African Republic | 1973 | officially bilingual, French included | Former French colony. The Central African Republic was suspended for instances of la Francophonie at the 88th session of the CPF in March 2012. [9] |
 Chad | 1970 | officially bilingual, French included | Former French colony |
 Comoros | 1977 | officially trilingual, French included | Former French colony |
 Congo-Brazzaville | 1981 | French | Former French colony |
 Congo-Kinshasa | 1977 | French | Former Belgian colony. See also: Languages of the DRC |
 Côte d'Ivoire | 1970 | French | Former French colony. See also: Languages of Côte d'Ivoire |
 Djibouti | 1977 | officially bilingual, French included | Former French colony |
 Dominica | 1979 | English | French and then British colony; Antillean Creole, a French-based creole language, is spoken by 90% of the population. |
 Egypt | 1983 | Arabic | French sees use as foreign language in education and the country was a French colony for a short period from 1798 to 1801 |
 Equatorial Guinea | 1989 | officially trilingual, French included | Country surrounded by French-speaking countries. Former Spanish colony |
 France | 1970 | French | Founder, origin of the French language |
 Gabon | 1970 | French | Former French colony |
 Greece | 2004 | Greek | French spoken as a foreign language by ~7% of the population as of 2014 |
 Guinea | 1981 | French | Former French colony. Membership suspended in 2021 due to a coup. |
 Guinea-Bissau | 1979 | Portuguese | Country surrounded by French-speaking countries. Former Portuguese colony. Guinea-Bissau was suspended on 18 April 2012 following a coup d'état. [10] |
 Haiti | 1970 | officially bilingual, French included | Former French colony |
 Laos | 1991 | Lao | Former French colony (as a part of former French Indochina) |
 Lebanon | 1973 | Arabic and French [lower-alpha 3] | Under a French mandate from 1920 to 1943 |
 Luxembourg | 1970 | Officially trilingual, French included | |
 North Macedonia | 2001 | Macedonian | French spoken as a foreign language by ~11% of the population as of 2014 |
 Madagascar | 1970–1977, 1989 | officially bilingual, French included | Former French colony |
 Mali | 1970 | French | Former French colony. Mali's membership was suspended in March 2012 due to a coup, [11] and again in 2020. |
 Mauritania | 1980 | Arabic | Former French colony, French is an administrative language. Mauritania's membership was suspended on 26 August 2008, pending democratic elections, after a military coup d'état, [12] then again in April 2009. [13] |
 Mauritius | 1970 | Creole is the mother tongue. French and English are also widely used | Dutch, French, and then British colony; French is widely used in commerce and by the media.[ citation needed ] French is also a language of instruction in schools.[ citation needed ] |
 Moldova | 1996 | Romanian | French spoken as a foreign language by ~2% of the population as of 2014 |
 Monaco | 1970 | French | Independent country enclaved in France |
 Morocco | 1981 | Arabic and Berber | Former French and Spanish protectorate |
 Niger | 1970 | French | Former French colony. Membership suspended due to a coup in 2023. |
 Romania | 1993 | Romanian | French is understood and spoken by 26% of the population. [6] |
 Rwanda | 1970 | officially quadralingual, French included | Former Belgian UN-protectorate. In 2009, became a member of the Commonwealth, but remains a member within Francophonie. |
 Saint Lucia | 1981 | English | Former French and British colony. Antillean Creole, a French-based creole language, is spoken by 90% of the population. |
 São Tomé and Príncipe | 1999 | Portuguese | French spoken as a foreign language by ~20% of the population as of 2014 |
 Senegal | 1970 | French | Former French colony |
 Seychelles | 1976 | officially trilingual, French included | Former French colony (first empire), later British colony, French is commonly used |
 Switzerland | 1996 | Officially quadrilingual, French included | French is the native language of about 20% of all Swiss. |
 Togo | 1970 | French | Former French colony |
 Tunisia | 1970 | Arabic | Former French protectorate |
 Vanuatu | 1979 | officially trilingual | Former French and British condominium of New Hebrides |
 Vietnam | 1970 | Vietnamese | Former French protectorate |
| Country | Joined | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Cyprus | 2006 | English, Greek, Turkish | Cyprus was ruled by the French-origin Lusignan dynasty from 1192 until 1489. About 12% of the Cyprus population speaks and understands French. |
 Ghana | 2006 | English | All land borders with French-speaking countries (all former colonies of French West Africa) and trade partners. Study of French is being made compulsory at the basic educational level and certain subjects will be taught in both English and French. Became Associate Member in 2006. [14] |
 Kosovo | 2014 | Albanian and Serbian | Traditional diplomatic and commercial ties with France. French is taught as a third language in most secondary schools. See further: France-Kosovo relations |
 New Caledonia | 2016 | French and New Caledonian languages | Special collectivity of France. Former French colony (1853–1946) and overseas territory (1946–1999) |
 Qatar | 2012 | Arabic | Strong military ties with France. See further: France-Qatar relations |
 Serbia | 2006 | Serbian | Traditional diplomatic, military and cultural ties with France. French is widely taught as a second foreign language in schools. See further: France-Serbia relations |
 United Arab Emirates | 2010 | Arabic | Military and cultural ties with France See further: France-United Arab Emirates relations |
| Country | Joined | Language | Notes |
|---|---|---|---|
 Argentina | 2016 | Spanish and others | Argentina has a large French community. Today more than six million Argentines have some degree of French ancestry (up to 17% of the total population). [15] |
 Austria | 2004 | German | Strong ties with Belgium, a Francophone country located to the north of France. Roughly 11% of the population also speaks French as a foreign language as of 2014. |
 Bosnia and Herzegovina | 2010 | Bosnian, Croatian, Serbian | |
 Costa Rica | 2014 | Spanish | French is the second compulsory language in middle school. |
 Croatia | 2004 | Croatian | Part of the Illyrian Provinces under Napoleon's French Empire. See further: Croatia-France relations |
 Czechia | 1999 | Czech | ~2% of the population speaks French as a foreign language as of 2014. |
 Dominican Republic | 2010 | Spanish | French colony from 1795 to 1808. |
 Estonia | 2010 | Estonian | ~1% of the population speaks French as a foreign language as of 2014. |
 Gambia | 2018 | English | Border with Senegal, a French-speaking country. |
 Georgia | 2004 | Georgian | ~0.4% of the population speaks French as a foreign language as of 2014. |
 Hungary | 2004 | Hungarian | |
 Ireland | 2018 | English and Irish | French is the second most common foreign language spoken at home in Ireland (after Polish), and most commonly spoken by those born in Ireland. [16] |
 Latvia | 2008 | Latvian | ~1% of the population speaks French as a foreign language as of 2014. |
 Lithuania | 1999 | Lithuanian | ~2% of the population speaks French as a foreign language as of 2014. |
*  Louisiana [lower-alpha 4] | 2018 | English | U.S. state with a francophone minority. Once part of the first French colonial empire — now it is home to a strong influence of Cajun, Creole, and Haitian language and culture. Use of the French language in Louisiana is promoted through the Council for the Development of French in Louisiana, a state agency that is responsible for preserving the state's "French heritage". [17] |
 Malta | 2018 | Maltese and English | Formerly occupied by France. |
 Mexico | 2014 | Spanish | A large number of French immigrants arrived in Mexico since the 1830s and today number over six million French descendants. [18] Second Mexican Empire, a puppet state of the Second French Empire under Napoleon III. [19] |
 Montenegro | 2010 | Montenegrin | Part of the Illyrian Provinces under Napoleon's French Empire. |
 Mozambique | 2006 | Portuguese | Trading partner across the Mozambique Channel with French-speaking and the former French colony of Madagascar. |
*  Ontario [lower-alpha 2] | 2016 | English [lower-alpha 5] | A province of Canada whose area was once a part of the Pays d'en Haut region of New France and is home to a francophone minority, the Franco-Ontarians. Although French is an official language in the province's judiciary, legislature, and educational system — the province as a whole is not officially bilingual — with other French-language provincial services not offered province-wide. However, Ontario's French Language Services Act does require Ontario government departments to provide French-language services in areas with significant francophone populations and recognizes the French language as a "historic language of Ontario". |
 Poland | 1996 | Polish | Long-standing cultural and historic ties — Henry III of France was King of Poland from 1573 to 1574 and the Duchy of Warsaw was a client state allied with the First French Empire from 1807 to 1815. France was home to notable Polish émigrés — including Adam Mickiewicz, Frédéric Chopin, and Marie Skłodowska-Curie. |
 Republic of Korea | 2016 | Korean | The Joseon Dynasty was invaded twice by the Second French Empire during the 19th century. Furthermore, the Catholic population grew as a result of French Jesuit missionaries in the country. See further: France-South Korea relations |
 Slovakia | 2002 | Slovak | |
 Slovenia | 1999 | Slovene | Part of the Illyrian Provinces under Napoleon's French Empire |
 Thailand | 2008 | Thai | Thailand has a history of international relations with France for more than 300 years, since the Ayutthaya Kingdom of Thailand. See further: Thailand-France relations |
 Ukraine | 2006 | Ukrainian | |
 Uruguay | 2012 | Spanish |
Note:
Participation suspended
Some countries could also potentially join the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie on the basis of being part of the French colonial empire, including Algeria, [20] [21] [22] Syria, Pondicherry and Chandannagar regions of India. [lower-alpha 6] In 2016, Saudi Arabia applied to join the organisation despite having no historical colonial ties with France. [23] However, the Saudis withdrew their bid in October 2018 due to pressure over their human rights record. [24] In 2021, German state of Saarland applied to join the organisation as observer because it was once a French protectorate from 1947 to 1956 — two years after dissolution of Nazi Germany in 1945. [lower-alpha 7] [25] In 2022, Brazil applied to join the organisation as observer because neighbouring with the French Guiana at the north and west — have historical site named Fort Coligny in Rio de Janeiro built by French naval officer Nicolas Durand de Villegaignon in 1555. [26]
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.
Quebec French, also known as Québécois French, is the predominant variety of the French language spoken in Canada. It is the dominant language of the province of Quebec, used in everyday communication, in education, the media, and government.
The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie is an international organization representing countries and regions where French is a lingua franca or customary language, where a significant proportion of the population are francophones, or where there is a notable affiliation with French culture.
African French is the generic name of the varieties of the French language spoken by an estimated 167 million people in Africa in 2023 or 51% of the French-speaking population of the world spread across 34 countries and territories. This includes those who speak French as a first or second language in these 34 African countries and territories, but it does not include French speakers living in other African countries. Africa is thus the continent with the most French speakers in the world, and African French speakers now form a large and integral part of the Francophonie.
Francization or Francisation, also known as Frenchification, is the expansion of French language use—either through willful adoption or coercion—by more and more social groups who had not before used the language as a common means of expression in daily life. As a linguistic concept, known usually as gallicization, it is the practice of modifying foreign words, names, and phrases to make them easier to spell, pronounce, or understand in French.
Egyptians speak a continuum of dialects. The predominant dialect in Egypt is Egyptian Colloquial Arabic or Masri/Masry, which is the vernacular language. Literary Arabic is the official language and the most widely written. The Coptic language is used primarily by Egyptian Copts and it is the liturgical language of Coptic Christianity.
Hugues Jean Marie Auffray, better known as Hugues Aufray, is a French singer-songwriter and guitarist.
"Le Chant du départ" is a revolutionary and war song written by Étienne Méhul (music) and Marie-Joseph Chénier (words) in 1794. It was the official anthem of the French Empire, and it is currently the unofficial regional anthem of French Guiana and the presidential anthem of France.
The Kingdom of Belgium has three official languages: Dutch, French, and German.
Fouad Laroui is a Moroccan economist and writer, born in Oujda, Morocco. After his studies at the Lycée Lyautey (Casablanca), he joined the prestigious École Nationale des Ponts et Chaussées, where he studied engineering. After working shortly for the Office Cherifien des Phosphates company in Khouribga (Morocco), he moved to the United Kingdom where he spent several years in Cambridge and York. Later he obtained a PhD in economics and moved to Amsterdam where he started his career as a writer. He has published about twenty books between novels, collections of short stories and essays and two collections of poetry in Dutch. He has won several literary prizes, amongst which the Prix Goncourt de la nouvelle, the Prix Jean-Giono and the Grande Médaille de la littérature de l'Académie française.
Henri Wittmann is a Canadian linguist from Quebec. He is best known for his work on Quebec French.
André Salifou was a Nigerien politician, diplomat, and professor. He was president of the High Council of the Republic during the 1991–93 transitional period, briefly served as Minister of Foreign Affairs in 1996, and was an unsuccessful presidential candidate in 1999.
The French diaspora consists of French people and their descendants living outside France. Countries with significant numbers of people with French ancestry include Canada and the United States, whose territories were partly colonized by France between the 17th and 19th centuries, as well as Argentina and Uruguay. Although less important than in other European countries, immigration from France to the New World was numerous from the start of the 19th century to the middle of the 20th century. As of 2013, French authorities estimate that between 2 and 3.5 million French nationals are living abroad but the diaspora includes over 30 million people.
Ezza Agha Malak is a Lebanese-born French novelist, poet, critic and essayist.
The French language became an international language, the second international language alongside Latin, in the Middle Ages, "from the fourteenth century onwards". It was not by virtue of the power of the Kingdom of France: '"... until the end of the fifteenth century, the French of the chancellery spread as a political and literary language because the French court was the model of chivalric culture". Consequently, it was less as a centralising monarch than as a "gentle courtly prince" that the king unwittingly spread his language" and "the methods of expansion were not political"'. This status continued to grow into the 18th century, by which time French was the language of European diplomacy and international relations.
French is a lingua franca of Algeria according to the CIA World Factbook. Algeria is the second largest Francophone country in the world in terms of speakers. In 2008, 11.2 million Algerians (33%) could read and write in French. Despite intermittent attempts to eradicate French from public life, by the 2000s the proportion of French speakers in Algeria was much higher than on the eve of independence in 1962.
Danièle Bourcier is a French lawyer and essayist, who has contributed to the emergence of a new discipline in France: Law, Computing and linguistics.
The Francophonie or Francophone world is the whole body of people and organisations around the world who use the French language regularly for private or public purposes. The term was coined by Onésime Reclus in 1880 and became important as part of the conceptual rethinking of cultures and geography in the late 20th century.
Jean-Marie Dallet was a White Father and a linguist specialized in Berber studies, particularly in the Kabyle language.
Les enquêtes montrent que la Flandre est bien plus multilingue, ce qui est sans doute un fait bien connu, mais la différence est considérable : alors que 59 % et 53 % des Flamands connaissent le français ou l'anglais respectivement, seulement 19 % et 17 % des Wallons connaissent le néerlandais ou l'anglais. ... 95 pour cent des Bruxellois déclarent parler le français, alors que ce pourcentage tombe à 59 pour cent pour le néerlandais. Quant à l'anglais, il est connu par une proportion importante de la population à Bruxelles (41 pour cent). ... Le syndrome d'H (...) frappe la Wallonie, où à peine 19 et 17 pour cent de la population parlent respectivement le néerlandais et l'anglais.
{{cite journal}}: CS1 maint: multiple names: authors list (link)Il faut savoir qu'en 2006, 17% d'Argentins ont un ancêtre venu de France. Près de 6 millions d'Argentins ont donc des origines françaises.
La conséquence de cette émigration fut que, en 1849, les Français représentaient la deuxième nationalité étrangère au Mexique, derrière les Espagnols.
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