137-526: The Brussels–Charleroi Canal ( French : Canal Bruxelles-Charleroi ; Dutch : Kanaal Brussel-Charleroi ), also known as the Charleroi Canal amongst other similar names, is an important canal in Belgium . The canal is quite large, with a Class IV Freycinet gauge , and its Walloon portion is 47.9 kilometres (29.8 mi) long. It runs from Charleroi (Wallonia) in the south to Brussels in
274-744: A French official to teachers in the department of Finistère , in western Brittany, included the following: "And remember, Gents: you were given your position in order to kill the Breton language". The prefect of Basses-Pyrénées in the French Basque Country wrote in 1846: "Our schools in the Basque Country are particularly meant to replace the Basque language with French..." Students were taught that their ancestral languages were inferior and they should be ashamed of them; this process
411-514: A capacity of 1,350 tonnes (2,980,000 lb). The last major improvement to the canal was the addition, in 1968, of the Class IV, 1350 tonne inclined plane at Ronquières , just uphill of Lock #5 at Ittre . The inclined plane is considered a masterpiece of civil engineering , while the lock has a rise of 13.5 m (44 ft), one of the highest in Belgium. On 17 December 2005, the body of
548-431: A comprehensive academic study entitled "The World's 10 most influential languages". In the article, Weber ranked French as, after English, the second-most influential language of the world, ahead of Spanish. His criteria were the numbers of native speakers, the number of secondary speakers (especially high for French among fellow world languages), the number of countries using the language and their respective populations,
685-609: A few neighbouring municipalities have been merged into the City of Brussels, including Haren , Laeken and Neder-Over-Heembeek in 1921. These comprise the northern bulge in the municipality. To the south-east is the above-mentioned strip of land along the Avenue Louise that was annexed from Ixelles. Part of the Université libre de Bruxelles (ULB)'s Solbosch campus is also part of the City of Brussels, partially accounting for
822-555: A foreign language. Due to the rise of French in Africa, the total French-speaking population worldwide is expected to reach 700 million people in 2050. French is the fastest growing language on the continent (in terms of either official or foreign languages). French is increasingly being spoken as a native language in Francophone Africa, especially in regions like Ivory Coast , Cameroon , Gabon, Madagascar , and
959-508: A member of PS , who is in coalition on the municipal council with Ecolo - Groen , DéFI and Forward . Brussels is ranked sixth in the index of cities which are becoming greener fastest as for the year 2022, even though in the past it had a reputation of a "traffic-choked city of high rises and concrete". The authorities released a plan composed of seven steps on how to make the city even more sustainable . Those include introducing "a use-based, circular and low-carbon economy " and making
1096-705: A period of prosperity and prominence among European nations. Richelieu established the Académie française to protect the French language. By the early 1800s, Parisian French had become the primary language of the aristocracy in France. Near the beginning of the 19th century, the French government began to pursue policies with the end goal of eradicating the many minorities and regional languages ( patois ) spoken in France. This began in 1794 with Henri Grégoire 's "Report on
1233-494: A relic of the old nominal case system of Latin longer than most other Romance languages (with the notable exception of Romanian which still currently maintains a case distinction), differentiating between an oblique case and a nominative case. The phonology was characterized by heavy syllabic stress, which led to the emergence of various complicated diphthongs such as -eau which would later be leveled to monophthongs. The earliest evidence of what became Old French can be seen in
1370-683: A result of French and Belgian colonialism from the 16th century onward, French was introduced to new territories in the Americas, Africa, and Asia. French has a long history as an international language of literature and scientific standards and is a primary or second language of many international organisations including the United Nations , the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization ,
1507-637: A tremendous rise in economic importance. The Sambre and Marne valleys are quite rich in coal, and during the reign of King William I of the Netherlands (1813–1840), concrete plans to extend the canal were at last made. The project was undertaken by A. J. Barthélemy, member of the lower chamber of the States-General of the Netherlands and adviser to the regent in Brussels. He proposed inclined planes be used instead of locks , but his idea
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#17327809613861644-547: A variant of Canadian French , is spoken in parts of New England . Missouri French was historically spoken in Missouri and Illinois (formerly known as Upper Louisiana ), but is nearly extinct today. French also survived in isolated pockets along the Gulf Coast of what was previously French Lower Louisiana , such as Mon Louis Island , Alabama and DeLisle, Mississippi (the latter only being discovered by linguists in
1781-457: A working language along with English and German ; in some institutions, French is the sole working language (e.g. at the Court of Justice of the European Union ). French is also the 16th most natively spoken language in the world, the sixth most spoken language by total number of speakers , and is among the top five most studied languages worldwide, with about 120 million learners as of 2017. As
1918-437: Is 95%, and in the French collectivity of Wallis and Futuna , it is 84%. In French Polynesia and to a lesser extent Wallis and Futuna, where oral and written knowledge of the French language has become almost universal (95% and 84% respectively), French increasingly tends to displace the native Polynesian languages as the language most spoken at home. In French Polynesia, the percentage of the population who reported that French
2055-472: Is a widespread second language among the Lebanese people , and is taught in many schools along with Arabic and English. French is used on Lebanese pound banknotes, on road signs, on Lebanese license plates , and on official buildings (alongside Arabic). Today, French and English are secondary languages of Lebanon , with about 40% of the population being Francophone and 40% Anglophone. The use of English
2192-449: Is actually the fourth version. The first version, built from 1827 to 1832, has a gauge of only 70 tonnes (150,000 lb). Just over 20 years later, in 1854, work began to create a "large gauge" canal (today's medium gauge) of 300 tonnes (660,000 lb) on certain sections, which was completed in 1857. Ambitious enlargements began again with the lock at Flanders' Gate (French: Porte de Flandre , Dutch: Vlaamsepoort ) in Brussels, which
2329-489: Is also a working language in nonprofit organisations such as the Red Cross (alongside English, German, Spanish, Portuguese, Arabic and Russian), Amnesty International (alongside 32 other languages of which English is the most used, followed by Spanish, Portuguese, German, and Italian), Médecins sans Frontières (used alongside English, Spanish, Portuguese and Arabic), and Médecins du Monde (used alongside English). Given
2466-405: Is attracting a younger, more well-off, and mostly Dutch-speaking population. This new situation, which has resulted in rising rents, is not without problems for the neighbourhood's less fortunate inhabitants. The Quays Quarter (French: Quartier des Quais , Dutch: Kaaienwijk ) is that of the old Port of Brussels , which for a long time played the role of "belly" of the city. Boats coming from
2603-652: Is enacted only in New Brunswick, where about one third of the population is Francophone. French is also an official language of all of the territories ( Northwest Territories , Nunavut , and Yukon ). Out of the three, Yukon has the most French speakers, making up just under 4% of the population. Furthermore, while French is not an official language in Ontario , the French Language Services Act ensures that provincial services are available in
2740-414: Is granted to many of Brussels' museums. Below is a non-exhaustive list of museums in the City of Brussels: Brussels is well known for its food. Brussels sprouts were named after the city. Like most of Belgium, moules-frites , waffles (gaufres), chocolate , French fries , and beer are common there. It is home to one 2-starred and four 1-starred Michelin restaurants. Among the recipients of
2877-563: Is growing in the business and media environment. Out of about 900,000 students, about 500,000 are enrolled in Francophone schools, public or private, in which the teaching of mathematics and scientific subjects is provided in French. Actual usage of French varies depending on the region and social status. One-third of high school students educated in French go on to pursue higher education in English-speaking institutions. English
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#17327809613863014-404: Is known as Old French. The period of Old French spanned between the 8th and 14th centuries. Old French shared many characteristics with Latin. For example, Old French made use of different possible word orders just as Latin did because it had a case system that retained the difference between nominative subjects and oblique non-subjects . The period is marked by a heavy superstrate influence from
3151-401: Is legally bilingual (French–Dutch). Historically, the City of Brussels was simply defined, being the area within the second walls of Brussels , the modern-day Small Ring (Brussels' inner ring road). As the city grew, the surrounding villages grew as well, eventually growing into a contiguous city, though the local governments retained control of their respective areas. The construction of
3288-461: Is now being promoted as a tourist site. 50°36′31″N 4°13′28″E / 50.6087°N 4.2244°E / 50.6087; 4.2244 French language French ( français [fʁɑ̃sɛ] or langue française [lɑ̃ɡ fʁɑ̃sɛːz] ) is a Romance language of the Indo-European family . Like all other Romance languages, it descended from
3425-469: Is often considered to be a useful skill by business owners in the United Kingdom; a 2014 study found that 50% of British managers considered French to be a valuable asset for their business, thus ranking French as the most sought-after foreign language there, ahead of German (49%) and Spanish (44%). MIT economist Albert Saiz calculated a 2.3% premium for those who have French as a foreign language in
3562-828: Is one of the official languages of such major international and regional courts, tribunals, and dispute-settlement bodies as the African Court on Human and Peoples' Rights , the Caribbean Court of Justice , the Court of Justice for the Economic Community of West African States , the Inter-American Court of Human Rights , the International Court of Justice , the International Criminal Tribunal for
3699-583: Is separated from the rest of Laeken by the Royal Domain and is the site of the Museums of the Far East . The district also extends a little into the neighbouring Flemish municipalities of Vilvoorde and Grimbergen . Neder-Over-Heembeek is a former municipality incorporated into the City of Brussels in 1921, at the same time as Laeken and Haren. It has the distinction of having the oldest place name in
3836-659: Is so named because it houses, on the one hand, the Place Royale/Koningsplein ("Royal Square" or "King's Square"), built under Charles-Alexander of Lorraine on the Coudenberg hill, on the site of the former Palace of the Dukes of Brabant , of which certain levels of foundation still exist, and on the other hand, the Royal Palace of Brussels , which faces Brussels Park , on the other side of which
3973-639: Is taught in universities around the world, and is one of the world's most influential languages because of its wide use in the worlds of journalism, jurisprudence , education, and diplomacy. In diplomacy, French is one of the six official languages of the United Nations (and one of the UN Secretariat 's only two working languages ), one of twenty official and three procedural languages of the European Union , an official language of NATO ,
4110-1176: Is the Belgian House of Parliament ( Palace of the Nation ). Below the Royal District is the Central Station and the Mont des Arts/Kunstberg , home to the Royal Library of Belgium (KBR), the Royal Belgian Film Archive ( Cinematek ), the Brussels Centre for Fine Arts , the Museum of Cinema, the Musical Instruments Museum (MIM), the BELvue Museum , and the Royal Museums of Fine Arts of Belgium . From
4247-553: Is the language of business and communication, with French being an element of social distinction, chosen for its emotional value. French is an official language of the Pacific Island nation of Vanuatu , where 31% of the population was estimated to speak it in 2023. In the French special collectivity of New Caledonia , 97% of the population can speak, read and write French while in French Polynesia this figure
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4384-483: Is the native language of about 23% of the Swiss population, and is spoken by 50% of the population. Along with Luxembourgish and German, French is one of the three official languages of Luxembourg , where it is generally the preferred language of business as well as of the different public administrations. It is also the official language of Monaco . At a regional level, French is acknowledged as an official language in
4521-492: Is the second-most spoken language (after English) in the states of Maine and New Hampshire . In Louisiana , it is tied with Spanish for second-most spoken if Louisiana French and all creoles such as Haitian are included. French is the third most spoken language (after English and Spanish) in the states of Connecticut , Rhode Island , and New Hampshire . Louisiana is home to many distinct French dialects, collectively known as Louisiana French . New England French , essentially
4658-424: Is the sole official language in the province of Quebec , where some 80% of the population speak it as a native language and 95% are capable of conducting a conversation in it. Quebec is also home to the city of Montreal , which is the world's fourth-largest French-speaking city, by number of first language speakers. New Brunswick and Manitoba are the only officially bilingual provinces, though full bilingualism
4795-574: Is to restore the neighbourhood's social mix by redeveloping former office buildings into housing. Despite the district's long-time grim aspect, the centuries-old Meyboom tradition has been maintained, and the former Art Nouveau Magasins Waucquez by Victor Horta have been preserved to house, since 1993, the Belgian Comic Strip Center . Another preserved islet is the 18th-century neoclassical Place des Martyrs/Martelaarsplein , which has gradually been renovated. The victims of
4932-538: Is today, that Brussels' first South Station, the terminus of the South Line, was built in 1839. It was known as Bogards' railway station for the eponymous convent whose site it was built on, and to which the Rue des Bogards / Bogaardenstraat is now the only reference. The former presence of a station at this location also explains the unusual width of the current Avenue de Stalingrad / Stalingradlaan , which goes from
5069-764: The Aosta Valley region of Italy where it is the first language of approximately 50% of the population, while French dialects remain spoken by minorities on the Channel Islands . It is also spoken in Andorra and is the main language after Catalan in El Pas de la Casa . The language is taught as the primary second language in the German state of Saarland , with French being taught from pre-school and over 43% of citizens being able to speak French. The majority of
5206-533: The Avenue Louise/Louizalaan was commissioned in 1847 as a monumental avenue bordered by chestnut trees that would allow easy access to the popular recreational area of the Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos . However, fierce resistance to the project was put up by the town of Ixelles —then, as now, a separate municipality (local authority) from the City of Brussels—through whose territory the avenue
5343-775: The Belgian Revolution of 1830 are buried there in an open crypt with a memorial . Nearby is the Rue Neuve, one of Belgium's main shopping streets, with more than 1 km (0.62 mi) of stores on both its sides; the Boulevard Adolphe Max/Adolphe Maxlaan , a traditional 19th-century artery; and the Boulevard Émile Jacqmain/Émile Jacqmainlaan (where the Théâtre national Wallonie-Bruxelles has been installed since 2004), close to
5480-506: The Bois de la Cambre/Ter Kamerenbos park to the south-east, where it borders municipalities in Flanders . As of 1 January 2023 , the City of Brussels had a population of 194,291 inhabitants. The total area is 33.09 km (12.78 sq mi) which gives a population density of 5,704/km (14,770/sq mi). As of 2007, there were 75,998 registered non-Belgians in the City. In common with all of Brussels' municipalities, it
5617-931: The Boulevard Maurice Lemonnier/Maurice Lemonnierlaan , bordered by the Place Fontainas/Fontainasplein and the Place Anneessens/Anneessensplein (former location of the Old Market ), as well as by the Midi Palace. Each Sunday morning, the Midi district hosts the second largest market in Europe. The damp and marshy land around the present-day Rue de la Senne / Zennestraat and Rue des Fabriques / Fabriekstraat
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5754-609: The Democratic Republic of Congo . There is not a single African French , but multiple forms that diverged through contact with various indigenous African languages . Sub-Saharan Africa is the region where the French language is most likely to expand, because of the expansion of education and rapid population growth. It is also where the language has evolved the most in recent years. Some vernacular forms of French in Africa can be difficult to understand for French speakers from other countries, but written forms of
5891-464: The Democratic Republic of the Congo . In some North African countries, though not having official status, it is also a first language among some upper classes of the population alongside indigenous languages, but only a second one among the general population. In 2015, approximately 40% of the Francophone population (including L2 and partial speakers) lived in Europe, 36% in sub-Saharan Africa and
6028-533: The European Union , French was the dominant language within all institutions until the 1990s. After several enlargements of the EU (1995, 2004), French significantly lost ground in favour of English, which is more widely spoken and taught in most EU countries. French currently remains one of the three working languages, or "procedural languages", of the EU, along with English and German. It is the second-most widely used language within EU institutions after English, but remains
6165-477: The European Union , as it hosts a number of principal EU institutions in its European Quarter . Besides the central historic town located within the Pentagon , the City of Brussels covers some of the city's immediate outskirts within the greater Brussels-Capital Region, namely the former municipalities of Haren , Laeken , and Neder-Over-Heembeek to the north, as well as the Avenue Louise/Louizalaan and
6302-559: The Francien dialect is one that not only continued but also thrived during the Middle French period (14th–17th centuries). Modern French grew out of this Francien dialect. Grammatically, during the period of Middle French, noun declensions were lost and there began to be standardized rules. Robert Estienne published the first Latin-French dictionary, which included information about phonetics, etymology, and grammar. Politically,
6439-877: The International Olympic Committee , the Council of Europe , the Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development , Organization of American States (alongside Spanish, Portuguese and English), the Eurovision Song Contest , one of eighteen official languages of the European Space Agency , World Trade Organization and the least used of the three official languages in the North American Free Trade Agreement countries. It
6576-400: The Japanese Tower district or De Wand district, Mutsaard (also spelled Mutsaert), is an old hamlet and a historic district located between Laeken and Neder-over-Heembeek and centred around the Place du Mutsaert / Mutsaertplaats or Mutsaardplein . The district was part of the former municipality of Laeken (postcode: 1020), but also a piece of Neder-over-Heembeek, annexed by Laeken in 1897. It
6713-416: The Justus Lipsius building and the Europa building (part of the Residence Palace ), serving as the seat of the European Council and the Council of the EU . In Leopold Park , the House of European History (HEH) initiates visitors to the social history of the European continent. There is a visitor centre in the main European Parliament building, known as the Parliamentarium , and another smaller one in
6850-420: The Oaths of Strasbourg and the Sequence of Saint Eulalia , while Old French literature began to be produced in the eleventh century, with major early works often focusing on the lives of saints (such as the Vie de Saint Alexis ), or wars and royal courts, notably including the Chanson de Roland , epic cycles focused on King Arthur and his court , as well as a cycle focused on William of Orange . It
6987-415: The Place Royale/Koningsplein , the Rue de la Régence / Regentschapsstraat crosses the Sablon/Zavel Quarter (French: Quartier des Sablons , Dutch: Zavelwijk ), made of the larger Grand Sablon / Grote Zavel ("Large Sablon") square in the north-west and the smaller Petit Sablon / Kleine Zavel ("Small Sablon") square and garden in the south-east, divided by the Church of Our Blessed Lady of
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#17327809613867124-416: The Place de Brouckère/De Brouckèreplein . The latter, a very busy square, is dominated at its southern end by two block-style towers, but for the rest, it has totally ( Hotel Métropole and its neighbour the Hotel Atlanta) or partially ( UGC cinema ) retained its old facades. The Freedom Quarter (French: Quartier des Libertés , Dutch: Vrijheidswijk ) is situated between the Belgian Parliament and
7261-440: The Quai aux Briques / Baksteenkaai ("Brick Wharf"), the Quai au Bois à Brûler / Brandhoutkaai ("Firewood Wharf"), the Quai aux Pierres de Taille / Arduinkaai ("Quarry Stone Wharf"), the Quai au Foin / Hooikaai ("Hay Wharf"), etc., or references to the neighbourhood's commercial activities: the Rue du Magasin / Pakhuisstraat ("Warehouse Street"), the Rue des Commerçants / Koopliedenstraat ("Traders Street"),
7398-459: The Royal Greenhouses of Laeken , the Church of Our Lady of Laeken (whose crypt contains the tombs of the Belgian royal family ) and Laeken Cemetery , known for its wealth of monuments and sculptures. On the territory of Laeken also lies the Heysel/Heizel Plateau , the site of the World's Fairs of 1935 and 1958 , and which includes the King Baudouin Stadium , Bruparck (with the Atomium , Mini-Europe miniature park and Kinepolis cinema),
7535-426: The Royal Saint-Hubert Galleries ; the Saint-Jacques / Sint-Jacobs district, which welcomed pilgrims on their way to Santiago de Compostela ; as well as the former Brussels Stock Exchange building, erected on the site of a former Franciscan convent whose remains have been unearthed. The Royal Quarter (French: Quartier Royal or Quartier de la Cour , Dutch: Koninklijke Wijk or Koningswijk )
7672-436: The Rue Haute / Hogestraat and the Rue Blaes / Blaestraat , second-hand and popular shops have for some years given way to antique dealers , marking a profound transformation of the district. The Cité Hellemans, a remarkable example of an early 20th-century collective housing complex, was built to replace the neighbourhood's many squalid cul-de-sacs . The Rue Haute, one of the city's longest and oldest streets, follows
7809-438: The Rue Royale/Koningsstraat , not far from the crossroads with the Small Ring. Its focal point is the Congress Column (erected in memory of the National Congress of 1830–31, the founder of democratic liberties in Belgium), under which also lies the tomb of the Unknown Soldier with an eternal flame . Not far from there is the Hotel Astoria , dating from 1911, which is currently being renovated and enlarged, to be reopened in
7946-432: The Rue du Marché aux Porcs / Varkensmarktstraat ("Pig Market Street") and the Quai du Commerce / Handelskaai ("Trade Wharf"). Along the quaysides, numerous bourgeois houses, once belonging to wealthy merchants, have preserved the entrances to the warehouses. On the Boulevard d'Ypres / Ieperlaan , one can still cross food wholesalers, now supplied by trucks that have replaced the boats. The district also includes
8083-418: The Square Marie-Louise / Maria-Louizasquare and the Avenue Palmerston / Palmerstonlaan . The area between the Small Ring and the Square Marie-Louise is sometimes considered to be part of the Leopold Quarter. Laeken is a former municipality in the north of the Brussels-Capital Region, annexed by the City of Brussels in 1921. It is home to, among others, the Royal Domain of Laeken, the Palace of Laeken ,
8220-428: The Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire . 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
8357-436: The World Trade Organization , the International Olympic Committee , the General Conference on Weights and Measures , and the International Committee of the Red Cross . French is a Romance language (meaning that it is descended primarily from Vulgar Latin ) that evolved out of the Gallo-Romance dialects spoken in northern France. The language's early forms include Old French and Middle French . Due to Roman rule, Latin
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#17327809613868494-497: The provinces of Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick); Belgium ( Wallonia and the Brussels-Capital Region ); western Switzerland (specifically the cantons forming the Romandy region); parts of Luxembourg; parts of the United States (the states of Louisiana, Maine, New Hampshire, and Vermont); Monaco; the Aosta Valley region of Italy; and various communities elsewhere. French is estimated to have about 310 million speakers, of which about 80 million are native speakers. According to
8631-427: 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. French is an official language in 27 countries , as well as one of the most geographically widespread languages in
8768-492: The 13th-century first walls of Brussels , which encompassed the area between the first port on the Senne, the old Romanesque church (later replaced by the Brabantine Gothic Cathedral of St. Michael and St. Gudula ), and the former ducal palace of Coudenberg in today's Royal Quarter. At the centre of this triangle are the Grand-Place/Grote Markt (Brussels' main square); the Îlot Sacré district, which takes its name from its resistance to demolition projects, itself crossed by
8905-557: The 1750s and 1780s, the opening of the canal greatly increased the traffic of coal and thus the mechanisation of industry, which led to the development of foundries , engineering and metalworking companies. Because of this, life around the canal expanded at very high rates. The canal was state of the art; the connection of waterways and roads allowed this area to become a centre of activity. The growth of international and domestic trade coupled with an increase in capital investment from wealthy landowners and merchants produced tons of jobs in
9042-455: The 1990s) but these varieties are severely endangered or presumed extinct. French is one of two official languages in Haiti alongside Haitian Creole . It is the principal language of education, administration, business, and public signage and is spoken by all educated Haitians. It is also used for ceremonial events such as weddings, graduations, and church masses. The vast majority of the population speaks Haitian Creole as their first language;
9179-474: The 20th century, when it was replaced by English as the United States became the dominant global power following the Second World War . Stanley Meisler of the Los Angeles Times said that the fact that the Treaty of Versailles was written in English as well as French was the "first diplomatic blow" against the language. During the Grand Siècle (17th century), France, under the rule of powerful leaders such as Cardinal Richelieu and Louis XIV , enjoyed
9316-417: The Brussels-Capital Region, as it was mentioned in an ordinance as early as the 7th century. This is where the Queen Astrid Military Hospital, which is the National Burns and Poisons Centre, as well as recruitment services of the Belgian Armed Forces are located. Like Laeken and Neder-Over-Heembeek, the former municipality of Haren was annexed by the municipality (City) of Brussels in 1921, which allowed
9453-510: The Canadian capital, is also effectively bilingual, as it has a large population of federal government workers, who are required to offer services in both French and English, and is just across the river from the Quebecois city of Gatineau . According to the United States Census Bureau (2011), French is the fourth most spoken language in the United States after English, Spanish, and Chinese, when all forms of French are considered together and all dialects of Chinese are similarly combined. French
9590-614: The Caribbean that are collectively referred to as the French West Indies , namely Guadeloupe , Saint Barthélemy , Saint Martin , and Martinique . French is the official language of both French Guiana on the South American continent, and of Saint Pierre and Miquelon , an archipelago off the coast of Newfoundland in North America. French was the official language of the colony of French Indochina , comprising modern-day Vietnam , Laos , and Cambodia . It continues to be an administrative language in Laos and Cambodia, although its influence has waned in recent decades. In colonial Vietnam,
9727-419: The Centenary Palace, home to the Brussels Exhibition Centre ( Brussels Expo ), and the Port of Brussels , next to which the Monument to Work by Constantin Meunier was erected. On its southern part, it holds the former Tour & Taxis former industrial site, which was annexed by the City of Brussels in 1897, twenty-four years before the rest of the municipality. Sometimes also known as the Pagoda district,
9864-665: The City of Brussels with over 1,000 people as of 1 January 2020: As in every other Belgian municipality, the City of Brussels is headed by a mayor, who should not be confused with the Minister-President of the Brussels-Capital Region or the Governor of Brussels-Capital . The current city council was elected in the October 2018 elections . The current mayor of the City of Brussels is Philippe Close ,
10001-415: The City of Brussels's population is of non-European origin (predominantly Moroccan, Indian and Congolese), 27.21% is of European origin other than Belgian (mainly French, Romanian, Italian, Spanish, and Polish), while 16.94% is solely of native Belgian ancestry. Among all major migrant groups from outside the EU, a majority of the permanent residents have acquired Belgian nationality. Migrant communities in
10138-818: The Congress Column: Freedom of the Press , Worship , Association and Education . This eclectic urban complex is one of the best preserved in the Pentagon. The European Quarter (French: Quartier Européen , Dutch: Europese Wijk ) is located to the east of the Pentagon, around the Place du Luxembourg/Luxemburgplein and the Robert Schuman Roundabout , and includes the smaller Leopold Quarter (French: Quartier Léopold , Dutch: Leopoldswijk ). The European Parliament
10275-538: The Empire, this local elite had been slowly abandoning Gaulish entirely, but the rural and lower class populations remained Gaulish speakers who could sometimes also speak Latin or Greek. The final language shift from Gaulish to Vulgar Latin among rural and lower class populations occurred later, when both they and the incoming Frankish ruler/military class adopted the Gallo-Roman Vulgar Latin speech of
10412-484: The Germanic Frankish language , which non-exhaustively included the use in upper-class speech and higher registers of V2 word order , a large percentage of the vocabulary (now at around 15% of modern French vocabulary ) including the impersonal singular pronoun on (a calque of Germanic man ), and the name of the language itself. Up until its later stages, Old French , alongside Old Occitan , maintained
10549-957: The Great Beguinage of Brussels, with the Church of St. John the Baptist and the remarkable Grand Hospice Pachéco . Few of the buildings in the Marais–Jacqmain Quarter (French: Quartier Marais–Jacqmain , Dutch: Jacqmain–Broekwijk ) have escaped 20th-century demolition, from the Boulevard Pachéco / Pachecolaan to the Rue Neuve/Nieuwstraat . They have given way to the State Administrative Centre, press printers, banking facilities, and commercial galleries. The current trend
10686-643: The Indian Ocean, 15% in North Africa and the Middle East, 8% in the Americas, and 1% in Asia and Oceania. French is the second most widely spoken mother tongue in the European Union . Of Europeans who speak other languages natively, approximately one-fifth are able to speak French as a second language. French is the second most taught foreign language in the EU. All institutions of the EU use French as
10823-758: The Justus Lipsius building for the European Council. It is accessible on certain days, by appointment. Many of the attractions in the European Quarter are free to visit. The Squares Quarter (French: Quartier des Squares , Dutch: Squareswijk ) is the northern spur of the European Quarter, located between Saint-Josse-ten-Noode and the Leopold Quarter. The district is bounded by the Chaussée de Louvain / Leuvense Steenweg to
10960-451: The OIF, approximately 321 million people worldwide are "able to speak the language" as of 2022, without specifying the criteria for this estimation or whom it encompasses. In Francophone Africa, it is spoken mainly as a second language. However it has also become a native language in a number of urban areas, especially in regions like Ivory Coast , Cameroon , Gabon, Madagascar , and
11097-653: The Sablon . It is a swanky district, where an antiques market is held, and in which antique and art dealers, as well as other luxury shops, have their businesses. Not far from there stood the Art Nouveau Maison du Peuple/Volkshuis by the famous architect Victor Horta , until its demolition in 1965. The Sablon is also home to the Egmont Palace and the Royal Conservatory of Brussels . In
11234-571: The Sainctelette area of Brussels. The Ronquières inclined plane is the canal's most remarkable feature and a tourist site. The idea of a waterway to serve the cities of Hainaut , linking them ultimately with Antwerp , was first put forward during the reign of Philip the Good , Duke of Burgundy (1396–1467). In 1436, an edict authorised the modification and deepening of the Senne river, though
11371-533: The bulge in the south-eastern end. The origins of Brussels can be traced back to the heart of Saint-Géry/Sint-Goriks Island , formed by the river Senne , on which a first keep was built around 979. Nowadays, the neighbourhood around the Halles Saint-Géry / Sint-Gorikshallen , a former covered market, is one of the capital's trendiest districts. In this Central Quarter (French: Quartier du Centre , Dutch: Centrumwijk ), there are some vestiges of
11508-426: The canal area. The growth of the community continued unabated throughout the 19th century, leading to cramped living conditions near the canal. After this, Brussels showed no signs of slowing down on its journey to becoming one of the most influential cities in all of Europe. By 1930, Brussels population was up to over 200,000, compared to an estimated 65,000 in 1700. During the early 1980s, the 25 neighbourhoods around
11645-436: The canal were home to one fifth of Brussels' population. The surrounding area holds a sense of youth, as it contributes to Brussels having the youngest population of any city in Belgium. The effects of this mass migration to the lower valley in Brussels can be seen in the diversity of cultures. As the trade economy along the waterways continued to grow and attracted by the industrial opportunities, many workers moved in, first from
11782-420: The city "proactive". The city should become a " 10-minute city " meaning "making the facilities essential to urban life accessible to every inhabitant in less than 10 minutes". Green spaces should be expanded. The plan includes participation of the population in decision-making and high life level for all. There are many museums in and around Brussels' city centre. On the first Sunday of every month, free entry
11919-421: The coming years. In the 19th century, the district was known as Notre-Dame-aux-Neiges / Onze-Lieve-Vrouw-ter-Sneeuw and was predominantly inhabited by working-class people. The authorities' desire to clean up the squalid parts of the city led to the expulsion of the population and the neighbourhood's complete destruction. A new bourgeois district was developed during the last quarter of the century. The choice
12056-616: The country near French-speaking Quebec, however, it is the foreign language more commonly taught. Vowel phonemes in French City of Brussels The City of Brussels is the largest municipality and historical centre of the Brussels-Capital Region , as well as the capital of the Flemish Region (from which it is separate ) and Belgium . The City of Brussels is also the administrative centre of
12193-607: The course of an old Gallo-Roman road, and runs along Saint Peter's Hospital, built in 1935 on the site of a leprosium , to end at the Halle Gate , the only remaining gate in a series that allowed passage inside the second walls of Brussels . It was in the heart of the Midi–Lemonnier Quarter (French: Quartier Midi–Lemonnier , Dutch: Lemmonier–Zuidwijk ), where the Place Rouppe/Rouppeplein
12330-519: The demographic prospects of the French-speaking nations of Africa, researcher Pascal-Emmanuel Gobry wrote in 2014 that French "could be the language of the future". However, some African countries such as Algeria intermittently attempted to eradicate the use of French, and as of 2024 it was removed as an official language in Mali and Burkina Faso . Significant as a judicial language, French
12467-448: The economic power of the countries using the language, the number of major areas in which the language is used, and the linguistic prestige associated with the mastery of the language (Weber highlighted that French in particular enjoys considerable linguistic prestige). In a 2008 reassessment of his article, Weber concluded that his findings were still correct since "the situation among the top ten remains unchanged." Knowledge of French
12604-594: The elites primarily spoke French, while many servants who worked in French households spoke a French pidgin known as " Tây Bồi " (now extinct). After French rule ended, South Vietnam continued to use French in administration, education, and trade. However, since the Fall of Saigon and the opening of a unified Vietnam's economy, French has gradually been effectively displaced as the first foreign language of choice by English in Vietnam. Nevertheless, it continues to be taught as
12741-571: The extension of Schaerbeek railway station north of its territory. But it was above all the presence, south-west of the town, of an airfield, created by the Germans during the First World War , and where the former Belgian national airline Sabena was born, that precipitated the annexation of Haren. For almost fifty years, Haren has been home to NATO's headquarters . It is also the location of many other administrations and companies, such as
12878-516: The first government authority to adopt Modern French as official was the Aosta Valley in 1536, while the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts (1539) named French the language of law in the Kingdom of France . During the 17th century, French replaced Latin as the most important language of diplomacy and international relations ( lingua franca ). It retained this role until approximately the middle of
13015-438: The former Hutu regime. The Ronquières inclined plane has a length of 1,432 m (1,566 yd) and lifts boats through 68 m (223 ft) vertically. It consists of two large caissons mounted on rails. Each caisson measures 91 m (299 ft) long by 12 m (39 ft) wide and has a water depth between 3 and 3.7 m (9.8 and 12.1 ft). It can carry one boat of 1,350 tonnes or many smaller boats within
13152-444: The former Rwandan cabinet minister Juvénal Uwilingiyimana was found in the canal. He had gone missing on 21 November 2005, and when his body was found, it was naked and badly decomposed. Uwilingiyimana had been indicted by the International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda for his participation in the 1994 Rwandan genocide . He had been meeting with ICTR officials, and many thought he was to testify against high-ranking officials from
13289-915: The former Yugoslavia , International Criminal Tribunal for Rwanda , the International Tribunal for the Law of the Sea the International Criminal Court and the World Trade Organization Appellate Body . It is the sole internal working language of the Court of Justice of the European Union , and makes with English the European Court of Human Rights 's two working languages. In 1997, George Weber published, in Language Today ,
13426-829: The gender of the corresponding word in Gaulish. The estimated number of French words that can be attributed to Gaulish is placed at 154 by the Petit Robert , which is often viewed as representing standardized French, while if non-standard dialects are included, the number increases to 240. Known Gaulish loans are skewed toward certain semantic fields, such as plant life ( chêne , bille , etc.), animals ( mouton , cheval , etc.), nature ( boue , etc.), domestic activities (ex. berceau ), farming and rural units of measure ( arpent , lieue , borne , boisseau ), weapons, and products traded regionally rather than further afield. This semantic distribution has been attributed to peasants being
13563-420: The headquarters of Eurocontrol . The City of Brussels has a large immigrant population, with both the EU and non-European migrant communities outnumbering the native Belgians. Akin to neighbouring Ixelles , Etterbeek and Schaerbeek , the City of Brussels also has a large Muslim population, mainly of North African origin. As of 2023 , taking into account the nationality of birth of the parents, 55.84% of
13700-454: The language are very closely related to those of the rest of the French-speaking world. French is the second most commonly spoken language in Canada and one of two federal official languages alongside English. As of the 2021 Canadian census , it was the native language of 7.7 million people (21% of the population) and the second language of 2.9 million (8% of the population). French
13837-479: The language, although it has now given way to Tamil and English. A former French mandate , Lebanon designates Arabic as the sole official language, while a special law regulates cases when French can be publicly used. Article 11 of Lebanon's Constitution states that "Arabic is the official national language. A law determines the cases in which the French language is to be used". The French language in Lebanon
13974-612: The language. The Act applies to areas of the province where there are significant Francophone communities, namely Eastern Ontario and Northern Ontario . Elsewhere, sizable French-speaking minorities are found in southern Manitoba, Nova Scotia , Prince Edward Island and the Port au Port Peninsula in Newfoundland and Labrador, where the unique Newfoundland French dialect was historically spoken. Smaller pockets of French speakers exist in all other provinces. The Ontarian city of Ottawa ,
14111-479: The last to hold onto Gaulish. The beginning of French in Gaul was greatly influenced by Germanic invasions into the country. These invasions had the greatest impact on the northern part of the country and on the language there. A language divide began to grow across the country. The population in the north spoke langue d'oïl while the population in the south spoke langue d'oc . Langue d'oïl grew into what
14248-458: The major trade routes was from the Rhineland to Flanders, while the other one was from Antwerp to the industrial zone of Hainaut. This area along the water was a booming marketplace crucial to the up-rise of urbanisation, and in turn to the modernisation of Brussels and the other cities connected by the canal. After a first period of rapid industrialisation that had taken place sometime between
14385-472: The names of the Rue du Houblon / Hopstraat ("Hops Street") and the Rue du Vieux Marché aux Grains / Oude Graanmarktstraat ("Old Grain Market Street"). The Shot Tower ( Tour à Plomb ), which was used to manufacture lead shot for hunting, and the Rue de la Poudrière / Kruitmolenstraat ("Gunpowder Street"), also testify to the neighbourhood's former activities. Long neglected following
14522-420: The necessity and means to annihilate the patois and to universalize the use of the French language". When public education was made compulsory , only French was taught and the use of any other ( patois ) language was punished. The goals of the public school system were made especially clear to the French-speaking teachers sent to teach students in regions such as Occitania and Brittany . Instructions given by
14659-760: The north, the Rue du Noyer / Notelaarsstraat and the Avenue de Cortenbergh / Kortenberglaan to the east, the Rue Joseph II / Jozef II-straat and the Rue Stevin / Stevinstraat to the south, as well as the Small Ring to the west. The toponym refers to the many squares in the area, in particular the Square Ambiorix / Ambiorixsquare , the Square Marguerite / Margaretasquare ,
14796-661: The north. The canal is part of a north–south axis of water transport in Belgium, whereby the north of France (via the Canal du Centre ) including Lille and Dunkirk and important waterways in the south of Belgium including the Sambre valley and the sillon industriel are linked to the port of Antwerp in the north, via the Brussels–Scheldt Maritime Canal , which meets the Brussels–Charleroi Canal at
14933-403: The other Belgian provinces (mainly rural residents from Flanders) and France, then from Southern European , and more recently from Eastern European and African countries. It has been estimated that the population of immigrants grew from 7% of the total population in the early 1960s to 56% of the total population in the early 2000s. By 1933, all locks downstream of Clabecq were modified to
15070-534: The other main foreign language in the Vietnamese educational system and is regarded as a cultural language. All three countries are full members of La Francophonie (OIF). French was the official language of French India , consisting of the geographically separate enclaves referred to as Puducherry . It continued to be an official language of the territory even after its cession to India in 1956 until 1965. A small number of older locals still retain knowledge of
15207-471: The preferred language of certain institutions or administrations such as the Court of Justice of the European Union , where it is the sole internal working language, or the Directorate-General for Agriculture . Since 2016, Brexit has rekindled discussions on whether or not French should again hold greater role within the institutions of the European Union. A leading world language , French
15344-532: The project turned out to be more expensive than previously thought. The authorities of Mechelen , the sole city allowed to tax water transport on the Senne, protested extensively at the prospect of the construction of a parallel canal, and the project was abandoned. During the 16th century, the prospect of a canal was renewed. In 1531, Emperor Charles V authorised the construction of a canal linking Charleroi and Willebroek , though work did not begin immediately. It
15481-544: The relocation of businesses outside the city centre, the Senne/Zenne Quarter (French: Quartier de la Senne , Dutch: Zennewijk ) has in recent years been the object of renewed interest and is undergoing gentrification due to the many disused industrial premises being converted into lofts . The area around the Rue Antoine Dansaert / Antoine Dansaertstraat has become a trendy district and
15618-471: The rest largely speak French as a first language. As a French Creole language , Haitian Creole draws the large majority of its vocabulary from French, with influences from West African languages, as well as several European languages. It is closely related to Louisiana Creole and the creole from the Lesser Antilles . French is the sole official language of all the overseas territories of France in
15755-442: The river Scheldt penetrated through the former Shore Gate (French: Porte du Rivage , Dutch: Oeverpoort ), on the site of the present-day Place de l'Yser / Ijzerplein , to join one of the canals, whose docks were each reserved for one type of goods. Filled in the late 19th century with the opening of Brussels' new port, these basins were replaced by wide boulevards, whose names on both sides still recall their former function:
15892-458: The same limits. The weight of each caisson is held by a counterweight of 5,200 tonnes (11,500,000 lb) that runs beneath the rails. Eight cables per caisson running around winches at the top allow each caisson to be moved independently of the other. They can be moved between the two canal levels at a speed of 1.3 m/s (4 ft/s), boats taking 50 minutes in total to pass through the entire structure. The inclined plane, while still in use,
16029-541: The shadow of the gigantic Palace of Justice lies the Marolles/Marollen Quarter (French: Quartier des Marolles , Dutch: Marollenwijk , not to be confused with the Marolle that purists delimit to only seven streets). From the Place de la Chapelle / Kapellemarkt to the Place du Jeu de Balle/Vossenplein , where a daily flea market known as the Old Market has been held since 1873, along
16166-510: The square to the Small Ring , cleared of its train tracks since the inauguration of Brussels-South Station , built outside the Pentagon in 1869. Because of this, the neighbourhood is sometimes called the Stalingrad Quarter (French: Quartier Stalingrad , Dutch: Stalingradwijk ). At the same time, following the covering of the Senne , the district saw the construction of Haussmann -esque grand central boulevards , including
16303-466: The total number of French speakers will reach approximately 500 million in 2025 and 650 million by 2050, largely due to rapid population growth in sub-Saharan Africa . OIF estimates 700 million French speakers by 2050, 80% of whom will be in Africa. In a study published in March 2014 by Forbes , the investment bank Natixis said that French could become the world's most spoken language by 2050. In
16440-679: The two official languages—along with Dutch —of the Brussels-Capital Region , where it is spoken by the majority of the population (approx. 80%), often as their primary language. French is one of the four official languages of Switzerland, along with German, Italian, and Romansh , and is spoken in the western part of Switzerland, called Romandy , of which Geneva is the largest city. The language divisions in Switzerland do not coincide with political subdivisions, and some cantons have bilingual status: for example, cities such as Biel/Bienne and cantons such as Valais , Fribourg and Bern . French
16577-568: The urban intellectual elite. The Gaulish language likely survived into the sixth century in France despite considerable Romanization . Coexisting with Latin, Gaulish helped shape the Vulgar Latin dialects that developed into French contributing loanwords and calques (including oui , the word for "yes"), sound changes shaped by Gaulish influence, and influences in conjugation and word order. Recent computational studies suggest that early gender shifts may have been motivated by
16714-485: The use of French in official government publications, public education except in specific cases, and legal contracts; advertisements must bear a translation of foreign words. In Belgium, French is an official language at the federal level along with Dutch and German. At the regional level, French is the sole official language of Wallonia (excluding a part of the East Cantons , which are German-speaking ) and one of
16851-599: The workplace. In 2011, Bloomberg Businessweek ranked French the third most useful language for business, after English and Standard Mandarin Chinese . In English-speaking Canada, the United Kingdom, and Ireland, French is the first foreign language taught and in number of pupils is far ahead of other languages. In the United States, French is the second-most commonly taught foreign language in schools and universities, although well behind Spanish. In some areas of
16988-402: The world's French-speaking population lives in Africa. According to a 2023 estimate from the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie , an estimated 167 million African people spread across 35 countries and territories can speak French as either a first or a second language . This number does not include the people living in non-Francophone African countries who have learned French as
17125-503: The world, with about 50 countries and territories having it as a de jure or de facto official, administrative, or cultural language. Most of these countries are members of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF), the community of 54 member states which share the official use or teaching of French. It is spoken as a first language (in descending order of the number of speakers) in France; Canada (especially in
17262-502: Was ahead of its time. An inclined plane is quicker, and wastes less water, than a flight of canal locks, but is more costly to install and run. Jean-François Gendebien , a very prominent Belgian politician (although Belgium was then called the Southern Netherlands and was not independent) supported the idea, though finances had the last say in the matter, resulting in locks being chosen over inclined planes. Today's canal
17399-664: Was built near the Place du Luxembourg, on the site of the former Leopold Quarter railway station, and of which only the central building overlooking the square remains, having been replaced by the underground Brussels-Luxembourg railway station . The European Commission , housed in the Berlaymont building , is located on the Schuman Roundabout, not far from the Cinquantenaire Park . Across the street stands
17536-819: Was during the period of the Crusades in which French became so dominant in the Mediterranean Sea that became a lingua franca ("Frankish language"), and because of increased contact with the Arabs during the Crusades who referred to them as Franj , numerous Arabic loanwords entered French, such as amiral (admiral), alcool (alcohol), coton (cotton) and sirop (syrop), as well as scientific terms such as algébre (algebra), alchimie (alchemy) and zéro (zero). Within Old French many dialects emerged but
17673-407: Was expanded to a gauge of 600–800 tonnes (1,300,000–1,800,000 lb). As Belgian industry began to flourish in the City of Brussels and its neighbouring municipalities, the land surrounding the canal became increasingly important and diverse. Two very prominent trade routes crossed paths in the valley of Brussels along the waterways, bringing in large numbers of merchants to lower Brussels. One of
17810-400: Was gradually adopted by the inhabitants of Gaul. As the language was learned by the common people, it developed a distinct local character, with grammatical differences from Latin as spoken elsewhere, some of which is attested in graffiti. This local variety evolved into the Gallo-Romance tongues, which include French and its closest relatives, such as Arpitan . The evolution of Latin in Gaul
17947-469: Was known in the Occitan-speaking region as Vergonha . Spoken by 19.71% of the European Union's population, French is the third most widely spoken language in the EU, after English and German and the second-most-widely taught language after English. Under the Constitution of France , French has been the official language of the Republic since 1992, although the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts made it mandatory for legal documents in 1539. France mandates
18084-500: Was made to commemorate Belgian independence : the Place de la Liberté / Vrijheidsplein ("Liberty Square"), the Place des Barricades / Barricadenplein ("Barricades' Square"), the Rue de la Révolution / Revolutiestraat ("Revolution Street"), the Rue du Congrès / Congresstraat ("Congress Street"), etc. The four streets leading off the Place de la Liberté bear the names of the four constitutional liberties, symbolised by four allegorical bronze female sculptures surrounding
18221-427: Was not until 1550 that Mary of Habsburg , Governor of the Netherlands, finally ordered work to begin. When work was finished in 1561, the canal linked Brussels to the Rupel river at Willebroek, though it did not continue south past Brussels. As part of France from 1795 to 1815, proposals to build the canal were hampered by Napoleon 's focus on waging expansionist wars. During the Industrial Revolution , coal saw
18358-409: Was occupied by craftsmen since the Middle Ages . An arm of the river crossed the defences of the second walls at the level of the Ninove Gate via the Petite Écluse / Kleine Sluis ("Small Lock"), which served as a maritime gate, an end of which remaining there until the 1960s. Later, small industries and many artisan breweries (now disappeared) established themselves in the area, as evidenced by
18495-411: Was shaped by its coexistence for over half a millennium beside the native Celtic Gaulish language , which did not go extinct until the late sixth century, long after the fall of the Western Roman Empire . The population remained 90% indigenous in origin; the Romanizing class were the local native elite (not Roman settlers), whose children learned Latin in Roman schools. At the time of the collapse of
18632-437: Was the language they use the most at home rose from 67% at the 2007 census to 74% at the 2017 census. In Wallis and Futuna, the percentage of the population who reported that French was the language they use the most at home rose from 10% at the 2008 census to 13% at the 2018 census. According to a demographic projection led by the Université Laval and the Réseau Démographie de l'Agence universitaire de la Francophonie ,
18769-498: Was to run. After years of fruitless negotiations, Brussels finally annexed the narrow band of land needed for the avenue, in addition to the Bois de la Cambre itself, in 1864. That decision accounts for the unusual shape of today's City of Brussels and for the separation of Ixelles into two separate areas. Unlike most of the municipalities in Belgium, the ones now located in the Brussels-Capital Region were not merged with others during mergers occurring in 1964, 1970, and 1975. However,
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