French
French (français) is a Romance language globally spoken by about 110 million people as a first language (mother tongue), by 190 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant numbers of speakers in 57 countries.
excerpted from Wikipedia
Most native speakers of the language live in France, where the language originated. The rest live essentially in Canada (particularly Quebec, and to a lesser extent Ontario and New Brunswick), Belgium (particularly Wallonia and Brussels), Switzerland, French-speaking Africa (31 countries, including Cameroon, Gabon, Côte d’Ivoire), Luxembourg, Monaco, and certain parts of the U.S. states of Louisiana and Maine.
Most second-language speakers of French live in Francophonic Africa, arguably exceeding the number of native speakers. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the Francophone country with the largest population.
It is an official language in 28 countries, most of which form what is called, in French, La Francophonie, the community of French-speaking nations. This can be attributed in part as a result of France’s extensive colonial ambitions between the 17th and 20th centuries, which introduced French to America, Africa, Polynesia, and the Caribbean.
According to the European Union, it is the third most spoken second language in the Union, after English (2nd rank) and German (1st rank). In addition, prior to the mid 20th century, French served as the pre-eminent language of diplomacy among European and colonial powers as well as a lingua franca among the educated classes of Europe.
There are a variety of dialect to be taken into consideration in both spoken and written communications:
- African French (Maghreb French and many varieties of African French)
- Canadian dialects
- Acadian French
- Chiac language
- Newfoundland French
- Quebec French
- Acadian French
- Louisiana (Cajun French and Colonial French)
- Asian dialects
- Cambodian French
- Indian French
- Lao French
- European dialects
- Aostan French (French: français valdôtain)
- Belgian French (French: français de Belgique)
- Jersey Legal French
- Meridional French ((French: français méridional))
- Swiss French (French: français de Suisse, Suisse romand)
In addition, there are also French-based creole languages, which are considered separate languages. Those include:
In the Americas
- Haitian Creole or Kreyol ayisyen
- Louisiana Creole (Kréyol Lwizyàn)
- Antillean Creole
- French Guiana Creole or French Guianese Creole
- Karipúna, spoken in Brazil, mostly in Uaçá, the state of Amapá
In the Indian Ocean
- Bourbonnais Creoles
- Mauritian Creole, spoken as the lingua franca (locally Mauricien)
- Agalega Creole, spoken in Agalega
- Chagossian Creole, spoken by the former population of the islands
- Réunion Creole, spoken in Réunion
- Rodriguan Creole, spoken on the island of Rodrigues
- Seychellois Creole, also known as Seselwa, it is an official language as well as the lingua franca
In the Pacific
- Tayo, spoken in New Caledonia
In Africa
- Petit Mauresque or Little Moorish was spoken in North Africa
- Petit-Nègre was spoken in West Africa, especially in Côte d’Ivoire
As you an see from this overview, it is of the utmost importance to properly adjust your language based on the respective target group you are aiming for, not just on a generic language root level, but rather with the necessary amount of localization that makes your target audience feel like they are dealing with “one of their own”.
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