Every language has its own unique history. And if a language is spoken by more than 300 million people worldwide, like French, there’s a good chance the story is steeped in lore, legend, and (in this particular case) a rightful claim as the world’s first lingua franca. The history of the French language is filled with fascinating turns, and its rich linguistic heritage is as multi-layered as the famous French pastry mille feuille.
What began as a concentrated spoken form in Northern Europe has grown into a truly global tongue. Nearly 30 countries have designated French as their official language, and dozens of other states and territories speak it as a second or third language. While French isn’t the most commonly spoken language today (it’s solidly in the top 10), there were times in French language history, particularly during the expanding French Empire in the 19th century, where it rivaled any global language in terms of total speakers.
But where did the French language come from? What are the key dates along the French language history timeline? What about the origin of the French language…and what does the future hold?
Get ready – we’re about to take a journey back in time. And it starts over 2,000 years ago, during the waning days of the Roman Republic.
The Origins of the French Language
Where did French, maybe the most eloquent of all the Romance languages, get off the starting blocks? The origin of the French language begins, like every other spoken language today, with modest roots. Similar to many other European languages, French language history began with Latin!
In the first century BC, France was inhabited by the Gauls, who spoke a variation of the Celtic language called Gaulish. This is where the origin of the French language begins – the Gauls began to speak what’s known as “Vulgar Latin” with elements of Gaulish mixed in.The earliest form of French began to slowly build from there, slowly borrowing words from Gaulish and developing its own distinct dialect. This version of French varies greatly from the French language spoken today. But make no mistake – if you want to know where (and who) the French language came from, it was the Gauls.
The Evolution of Old French
The Roman Republic gradually became the Roman Empire. Yet Roman cultural influence in present-day France slowly began to fade. Imperial power created a vacuum in the first few centuries AD.
This is an important time in the history of the French language. The barbarians weren’t at the gates of Rome – yet. However, Germanic tribes relentlessly invaded Gaul, most notably the Franks, Visigoths, and Alemanni tribes. The Frankish language, in particular, had a lasting influence on French. Other Germanic tribes also helped contribute loanwords and subtle modifications to this ever-evolving language, which morphed into what’s known as the Old French language.The next 1,000 years or so included critical contributions to the French language history timeline. Viking invasions, low-grade conflicts between various French factions, and contact with Arab traders all had their own unique impact on the next phase of the history of the French language: Middle French.
Middle French and the Emergence of Modern French
From the 1500s through the 1800s, the roots of modern-day French were firmly established, including slang words. During this period, the most consequential development in French language history happened when the Kingdom of France officially declared French its official language, which pushed Latin and other obscure French dialects aside.
Middle French, if spoken today, would be mostly intelligible to modern French speakers. Of course, some antiquated phrases and words were naturally eliminated as the centuries passed, particularly toward the end of the 19th century.Foreign influence on Middle French reached its zenith during the Italian Wars, a series of battles that occurred from the late 15th to the late 16th centuries. Fought between the Kingdom of France and the Holy Roman Empire, the Italian Wars were mainly concentrated in Italy, which resulted in the French language absorbing and adopting many words from Italian. This unintended linguistic event was actually a natural fit, given the Romance roots of both languages.
French Goes Global: The Enduring Legacy of the French Language
Once a subject of the Roman Empire, modern France made its own imperial designs. During the 19th century, French global power increased, thanks to stunning military victories, overseas colonies, and worldwide commerce. So influential was French, it was known as the “language of diplomacy” during most modern wars.
The French Empire took hold in the Americas (including Canada), the Caribbean, and parts of Africa. Everywhere French explorers, soldiers, and diplomats went, the French language followed. And even though English has surpassed French as the preferred language of modern business, the history of the French language has left a lasting imprint on global communication.Become part of French language history yourself – learn French with Pimsleur today!
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