Skanska AB ( Swedish pronunciation: [ˈskânːska] ) is a multinational construction and development company based in Sweden. It was established in 1887 as a concrete product manufacturer.
153-473: The CN Tower ( French : Tour CN ) is a 553.3 m-high (1,815.3 ft) communications and observation tower in Toronto , Ontario , Canada. Completed in 1976, it is located in downtown Toronto , built on the former Railway Lands . Its name "CN" referred to Canadian National , the railway company that built the tower. Following the railway's decision to divest non-core freight railway assets prior to
306-724: A boom in condominium construction in the first quarter of the 21st century , as well as the 2013 opening of the Ripley's Aquarium by the base of the tower. When the CN Tower opened in 1976, there were three public observation points: the SkyPod (then known as the Space Deck) that stands at 447 m (1,467 ft), the Indoor Observation Level (later named Indoor Lookout Level) at 346 m (1,135 ft), and
459-604: A taxicab window was shattered. Subsequently, on March 6, 2007, the Gardiner Expressway reopened after winds abated. On April 16, 2018, falling ice from the CN Tower punctured the roof of the nearby Rogers Centre stadium, causing the Toronto Blue Jays to postpone the game that day to the following day as a doubleheader ; this was the third doubleheader held at the Rogers Centre. On April 20 of
612-648: A $ 115 million (SEK840 million) contract by the Washington State Department of Transportation for construction of a new State Route 99 roadway in downtown Seattle , Washington, part of the project to replace the Alaskan Way Viaduct . Skanska has also developed several commercial and residential buildings in Seattle region, including the upcoming 2&U high-rise office building in downtown Seattle. Other major projects include
765-744: 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
918-834: A building is that it has floors." The CN Tower and other similar structures—such as the Ostankino Tower in Moscow, Russia; the Oriental Pearl Tower in Shanghai , China; The Strat in Las Vegas , Nevada, United States; and the Eiffel Tower in Paris , France—are categorized as "towers", which are free-standing structures that may have observation decks and a few other habitable levels, but do not have floors from
1071-431: 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,
1224-555: 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
1377-705: 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
1530-445: A pressure of 4.1 megapascals (595 psi ). The floor's thermal glass units are 64 mm (2.5 in) thick, consisting of a pane of 25 mm (1.0 in) laminated glass, 25 mm (1.0 in) airspace and a pane of 13 mm (0.5 in) laminated glass. In 2008, one elevator was upgraded to add a glass floor panel, believed to have the highest vertical rise of any elevator equipped with this feature. The Horizons Cafe and
1683-494: 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
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#17327725625421836-544: A revolving restaurant at some 350 metres (1,150 ft), and an entertainment complex. The original concept of the CN Tower was first conceived in 1968 when the Canadian National Railway wanted to build a large television and radio communication platform to serve the Toronto area, and to demonstrate the strength of Canadian industry and CN in particular. These plans evolved over the next few years, and
1989-587: A second language. French is the second most taught foreign language in the EU. All institutions of the EU use French as 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
2142-526: 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 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
2295-941: 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 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
2448-457: A similar attraction entitled "Space Race." It was later dismantled and replaced by two other rides in 1998 and 1999. A glass floor at an elevation of 342 m (1,122 ft) was installed in 1994. Canadian National Railway sold the tower to Canada Lands Company prior to privatizing the company in 1995, when it divested all operations not directly related to its core freight shipping businesses. The tower's name and wordmark were adjusted to remove
2601-461: A sponsored publicity event, used his hands and feet to climb the outside of the tower, a feat he performed twice on the same day. Following both ascents, he used multiple rappels to descend to the ground. From 1985 to 1992, the CN Tower basement level hosted the world's first flight simulator ride , Tour of the Universe , based on the flight of a Space Shuttle . The ride was replaced in 1992 with
2754-522: A total of six) and the consequential relocation of the staircase from the north side leg to inside the core of the building, a conversion that also added nine stairs to the climb. TrizecHahn also owned the Willis Tower (Sears Tower at the time) in Chicago approximately at the same time. In 2007, light-emitting diode (LED) lights replaced the incandescent lights that lit the CN Tower at night. This
2907-425: A toxic chemical that is mutagenic and possibly carcinogenic . Skanska took no special precautions for the sealant, nor did it tell its own workers or the local population of the risks. By October 1997, local cattle and fish started dying and workers were becoming ill. After tests were done showing high levels of acrylamide contamination, the site was declared a high risk zone and the sale of agricultural products from
3060-547: 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
3213-887: A £3,000 annual subscription. Later, Skanska was among eight businesses who launched the Construction Workers Compensation Scheme in 2014, condemned as a "PR stunt" by the GMB union , and described by the Scottish Affairs Select Committee as "an act of bad faith". In December 2017, union Unite announced it had issued high court proceedings against four former chairmen of the Consulting Association, included Skanska's former director of industrial relations, Stephen Quant, alleging breach of privacy, defamation and Data Protection Act offences. Unite also said it
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#17327725625423366-437: 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
3519-779: Is a Romance language of the Indo-European family . Like all other Romance languages, it descended from 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
3672-456: Is a hotel, residential and commercial building in Dubai , United Arab Emirates (formerly known as Burj Dubai before opening), passed the CN Tower's 553.33-m height. The CN Tower held the record of the tallest freestanding structure on land for over 30 years. French language French ( français [fʁɑ̃sɛ] or langue française [lɑ̃ɡ fʁɑ̃sɛːz] )
3825-472: 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
3978-480: Is active in construction, commercial property development (office buildings, shopping centers and logistics properties) and infrastructure development (roads, hospitals and schools) in all of its three market regions. The company plans, develops and builds homes in the Nordic region and in the rest of Europe. In 2013, Skanska was ranked the 9th largest contractor in the world, and in 2014, the 7th largest contractor in
4131-489: 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
4284-430: Is among the top five most studied languages worldwide, with about 120 million learners as of 2017. As 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
4437-462: Is an official language in 27 countries , as well as one of the most geographically widespread languages in 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
4590-652: 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
4743-503: 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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4896-404: 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
5049-469: 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
5202-828: 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
5355-576: 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 ,
5508-553: 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
5661-483: 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
5814-492: 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
5967-424: 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
6120-663: Is the tallest freestanding structure in the Western Hemisphere. As of 2013, there were two other freestanding structures in the Western Hemisphere exceeding 500 m (1,640.4 ft) in height: the Willis Tower in Chicago, which stands at 527 m (1,729.0 ft) when measured to its pinnacle, and One World Trade Center in New York City, which has a pinnacle height of 541.33 m (1,776.0 ft), or approximately 12 m (39.4 ft) shorter than
6273-764: 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
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6426-462: 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 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
6579-831: The Canton Tower . It is currently the tenth-tallest free-standing structure in the world and remains the tallest free-standing structure on land in the Western Hemisphere . In 1995, the CN Tower was declared one of the modern Seven Wonders of the World by the American Society of Civil Engineers . It also belongs to the World Federation of Great Towers. It is a signature icon of Toronto's skyline and attracts more than two million international visitors annually. It houses several observation decks,
6732-480: The Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat both listed the CN Tower as the world's tallest free-standing structure on land , and specifically state that the CN Tower is not a true building, thereby awarding the title of world's tallest building to Taipei 101 , which is 44 m (144 ft) shorter than the CN Tower. The issue of what was tallest became moot when Burj Khalifa, then under construction, exceeded
6885-539: 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
7038-485: 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
7191-559: 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,
7344-823: 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
7497-433: The John Hancock Center ), and First Canadian Place — also have excellent safety records, which suggests that the Ostankino Tower accident was a rare safety failure, and that the likelihood of similar events occurring at other supertall structures is extremely low. The CN Tower was originally lit at night with incandescent lights, which were removed in 1997 because they were inefficient and expensive to repair. In June 2007,
7650-420: 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
7803-440: The Petronius Platform stands 610 m (2,001 ft) above its base on the bottom of the Gulf of Mexico near the Mississippi River Delta , but only the top 75 m (246 ft) of this oil and natural gas platform are above water, and the structure is thus partially supported by its buoyancy . Like the CN Tower, none of these taller structures are commonly considered buildings. On September 12, 2007, Burj Khalifa, which
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#17327725625427956-408: The Royal London Hospital , completed in 2015 and the redevelopment of St Bartholomew's Hospital , completed in 2016. Skanska is also involved in HS2 lots S1 and S2, working as part of a joint venture, due to complete in 2031. Major projects in the United States include the MetLife Stadium (home to the Giants and the Jets NFL franchises), completed in 2010. In 2010, Skanska was awarded
8109-421: The Second Avenue Subway tunneling project completed in 2016 and Moynihan Train Hall completed in 2020. Skanska was also part of a joint venture with Stacy and Witbeck on The Sixth Street Viaduct Replacement Project completed in 2022. Skanska USA CEO and president, Richard Kennedy, was named in the Construction Dive Awards Executive of the Year in 2019. Skanska was also recognized for its membership in
8262-550: The Thailand based construction firm Italian Thai Development Company. In 2011, Skanska acquired Industrial Contractors, Inc of Evansville , Indiana , United States . Skanska divides its operations into four business streams: Construction is the largest business stream by revenue and number of employees. The operations of the other business streams involve investments in projects that are developed and later divested. With regard to infrastructure development, this often involves public–private partnerships (PPP). Geographically,
8415-520: The United Nations , the European Union, the North Atlantic Treaty Organization , 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
8568-536: The United States market, where it today ranks among the largest in its sector. The company was listed on the Stockholm Stock Exchange A-list in 1965. In 1984, the name "Skanska," already in general use internationally, became the group's official name. During the latter part of the 1990s, Skanska expanded substantially both organically and by acquisition. In August 2000, it bought the construction division of Kvaerner . In mid-2004, Skanska decided to divest its Asian investments and sold its Indian subsidiary to
8721-572: The "greenest contractor in the world," while having 57,000 employees, 100,000 suppliers and 250,000 subcontractors, who deliver more than 10,000 projects annually. An official vision stated by Skanska is "the five zeros": zero loss-making projects, work site accidents, environmental incidents, ethical breaches and defects. In the United Kingdom, Skanska has founded the "Supply Chain Sustainability School," an e-learning initiative, in order to educate construction suppliers on sustainability. As suppliers are frequently shared between construction companies,
8874-455: 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;
9027-474: 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
9180-412: The Brazilian government, and to withdraw completely from operations in South America. Skanska-owned UK business Kværner / Trafalgar House Plc was involved with the UK's Consulting Association , exposed in 2009 for operating an illegal construction industry blacklist ; Skanska was reported to be the industry's most prolific user of the Consulting Association's services, spending over £28,000 on top of
9333-435: The CN Tower "the world's tallest self-supporting tower" and "the world's tallest free-standing tower". Although Guinness did list this description of the CN Tower under the heading "tallest building" at least once, it has also listed it under "tallest tower", omitting it from its list of "tallest buildings." In 1996, Guinness changed the tower's classification to "World's Tallest Building and Freestanding Structure". Emporis and
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#17327725625429486-492: The CN Tower elevators, which established a world record (346 m (1,135 ft)) for highest glass floor panelled elevator in the world. On August 1, 2011, the CN Tower opened the EdgeWalk, an amusement in which thrill-seekers can walk on and around the roof of the main pod of the tower at 356 m (1,168.0 ft), which is directly above the 360 Restaurant. It is the world's highest full-circle, hands-free walk. Visitors are tethered to an overhead rail system and walk around
9639-419: The CN Tower has an excellent safety record, although there was an electrical fire in the antennas on August 16, 2017 — the tower's first fire. Moreover, other supertall structures built between 1967 and 1976 — such as the Willis Tower (formerly the Sears Tower), the World Trade Center (until its destruction on September 11, 2001 ), the Fernsehturm Berlin , the Aon Center , 875 North Michigan Avenue (formerly
9792-451: The CN Tower. Due to the symbolism of the number 1776 (the year of the signing of the United States Declaration of Independence ), the height of One World Trade Center is unlikely to be increased. The proposed Chicago Spire was expected to exceed the height of the CN Tower, but its construction was halted early due to financial difficulties amid the Great Recession , and was eventually cancelled in 2010. Guinness World Records has called
9945-405: The CN railways logo, and the tower's official name was renamed Canada's National Tower (from Canadian National Tower), though the tower is commonly called the CN Tower. Further changes were made from 1997 to January 2004: TrizecHahn Corporation managed the tower and instituted several expansion projects including a CA$ 26 million entertainment expansion, the 1997 addition of two new elevators (to
10098-510: 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
10251-614: 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,
10404-424: The Cement Foundation Company of Canada at the time), a subsidiary of Sweden's Skanska , a global project-development and construction group. Construction began on February 6, 1973, with massive excavations at the tower base for the foundation. By the time the foundation was complete, 56,000 t (62,000 short tons ; 55,000 long tons ) of earth and shale were removed to a depth of 15 m (49.2 ft) in
10557-408: 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
10710-416: 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
10863-426: The Glass Floor and Outdoor Observation Terrace, which are both located at an elevation of 342 m (1,122 ft), the Indoor Lookout Level (formerly known as "Indoor Observation Level") located at 346 m (1,135 ft), and the higher SkyPod (formerly known as "Space Deck") at 446.5 m (1,465 ft), just below the metal antenna . The hexagonal shape is visible between the two highest areas; however, below
11016-1101: The Golden Jubilee wing at King's College Hospital , completed in 2002, 30 St Mary Axe in London , completed in 2004, MoD Main Building completing refurbishment in 2004, the University Hospital Coventry , completed in 2006, the Mater Dei Hospital in Malta , completed in 2007, the Royal Derby Hospital , completed in 2010, Walsall Manor Hospital completed in 2010, the Heron Tower , completed in 2011, King's Mill Hospital in Ashfield , completed in 2011, Brent Civic Centre , completed in 2013, new facilities for
11169-593: The Outdoor Observation Terrace (at the same level as the Glass Floor) at 342 m (1,122 ft). One floor above the Indoor Observation Level was the Top of Toronto Restaurant, which completed a revolution once every 72 minutes. The tower would garner worldwide media attention when stuntman Dar Robinson jumped off the CN Tower on two occasions in 1979 and 1980. The first was for a scene from
11322-555: The Predictive Analytics Strategic Council, which Construction Dive named its 2019 Innovator of the Year. In 1996, Skanska was entrusted with the building of a "state-of-the-art" general hospital, Mater Dei Hospital , costing over € 700,000,000 in Malta . Later, however, it was discovered that Skanska had used lower-quality cement of the kind that is generally used to build pavements . As a result,
11475-407: The Toronto area. The original plan for the tower envisioned a tripod consisting of three independent cylindrical "pillars" linked at various heights by structural bridges. Had it been built, this design would have been considerably shorter, with the metal antenna located roughly where the concrete section between the main level and the SkyPod lies today. As the design effort continued, it evolved into
11628-605: The United States. During the rolling 12-month-period ending in September 2014, Skanska was the largest construction company by total revenue in the Nordic countries. The six largest ones were: Major projects have included the Øresund Bridge which forms part of the road and railway connection between Sweden and Denmark, completed in 2000, the Queen Elizabeth Hospital, London , completed in 2001,
11781-422: The base of the radome, but the fastest climb on record is 7 minutes and 52 seconds in 1989 by Brendan Keenoy, an Ontario Provincial Police officer. In 2002, Canadian Olympian and Paralympic champion Jeff Adams climbed the stairs of the tower in a specially designed wheelchair . The stairs were originally on one of the three sides of the tower (facing north), with a glass view, but these were later replaced with
11934-456: The brackets that support the main level, as well as a base for the construction of the main level itself. The Space Deck (currently named SkyPod) was built of concrete poured into a wooden frame attached to rebar at the lower level deck, and then reinforced with a large steel compression band around the outside. While still under construction, the CN Tower officially became the world's tallest free-standing structure on March 31, 1975. The antenna
12087-429: The centre, and a base incorporating 7,000 m (9,200 cu yd) of concrete with 450 t (496 short tons; 443 long tons) of rebar and 36 t (40 short tons; 35 long tons) of steel cable had been built to a thickness of 6.7 m (22 ft). This portion of the construction was fairly rapid, with only four months needed between the start and the foundation being ready for construction on top. To create
12240-469: The company received its first international order. The company played an important role in building Sweden's infrastructure including its roads, power plants, offices and housing. Growth in Sweden was followed by international expansion. In the mid-1950s Skånska Cementgjuteriet made a major move into international markets. During the next decades, it entered South America , Africa and Asia , and in 1971
12393-548: The company was implicated in reports of bribery involving illegal payments to government officials relating to the project award. Six former Skanska managers plus a former consultant were arrested for tax evasion. Skanska performed its own investigation, dismissing seven staff, and worked closely with the authorities concerning the inquiry. Later bribery allegations related to a pipeline for Petrobras in Brazil , prompting Skanska to be barred from bidding for work for two years by
12546-545: The company's privatization in 1995, it transferred the tower to the Canada Lands Company , a federal Crown corporation responsible for the government's real estate portfolio. The CN Tower held the record for the world's tallest free-standing structure for 32 years, from 1975 until 2007, when it was surpassed by the Burj Khalifa , and was the world's tallest tower until 2009 when it was surpassed by
12699-735: The construction, plans for Metro Centre were scrapped, leaving the tower isolated on the Railway Lands in what was then a largely abandoned light-industrial space. This caused serious problems for tourists to access the tower. Ned Baldwin, project architect with John Andrews, wrote at the time that "All of the logic which dictated the design of the lower accommodation has been upset," and that "Under such ludicrous circumstances Canadian National would hardly have chosen this location to build." The CN Tower opened on June 26, 1976. The construction costs of approximately CA$ 63 million ($ 318 million in 2023 dollars) were repaid in fifteen years. From
12852-571: The country near French-speaking Quebec, however, it is the foreign language more commonly taught. Vowel phonemes in French Skanska Aktiebolaget Skånska Cementgjuteriet ( Scanian Cement Casting Ltd) was established in Malmö , Sweden , in 1887 by Rudolf Fredrik Berg and started by manufacturing concrete products. It quickly diversified into a construction company and within ten years
13005-472: The current design with a single continuous hexagonal core to the SkyPod, with three support legs blended into the hexagon below the main level, forming a large Y-shape structure at the ground level. The idea for the main level in its current form evolved around this time, but the Space Deck (later renamed SkyPod) was not part of the plans until later. One engineer in particular felt that visitors would feel
13158-519: 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
13311-460: The dimly lit version and 60% less than the brightly lit version). The estimated cost to use the LEDs is $ 1,000 per month. During the spring and autumn bird migration seasons, the lights are turned off to comply with the voluntary Fatal Light Awareness Program, which "encourages buildings to dim unnecessary exterior lighting to mitigate bird mortality during spring and summer migration." The CN Tower
13464-448: 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
13617-419: The edge of the CN Tower's main pod above the 360 Restaurant on a 1.5-metre (4.9 ft) metal floor. The attraction is closed throughout the winter and during periods of electrical storms and high winds. One of the notable guests who visited EdgeWalk was Canadian comedian Rick Mercer , featured as the first episode of the ninth season of his CBC Television news satire show, Rick Mercer Report . There, he
13770-594: 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
13923-516: 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
14076-546: The former Railway Lands were redeveloped and the tower became the centre of a newly developing entertainment area. Access was greatly improved with the construction of the SkyWalk in 1989, which connected the tower and SkyDome to the nearby Union Station railway and subway station , and, in turn, to the city's Path underground pedestrian system. By the mid-1990s, it was the centre of a thriving tourist district. The entire area continues to be an area of intense building, notably
14229-915: 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 ,
14382-829: 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
14535-519: The ground up. The CN Tower was the tallest tower by this definition until 2010 (see below). Taller than the CN Tower are numerous radio masts and towers , which are held in place by guy-wires , the tallest being the KVLY-TV mast in Blanchard, North Dakota , in the United States at 628 m (2,060 ft) tall, leading to a distinction between these and "free-standing" structures. Additionally,
14688-451: The ground. Over the height of the tower, it varies from true vertical accuracy by only 29 mm (1.1 in). In August 1974, construction of the main level commenced. Using 45 hydraulic jacks attached to cables strung from a temporary steel crown anchored to the top of the tower, twelve giant steel and wooden bracket forms were slowly raised, ultimately taking about a week to crawl up to their final position. These forms were used to create
14841-574: The group operates based on local business units. Skanska established its presence in the United States through acquisitions of established local companies. The legacy company names were initially cobranded (ex. Slattery-Skanska). In 2007, Skanska introduced a plan to integrate and rebrand the majority of the acquired entities under the Skanska USA banners. Entities were united by business sector, geographic region, and district. Three regions were formed: Northeast, Southeast, and Western. Skanska
14994-416: The heaviest of which weighs around 8 tonnes (8.8 short tons; 7.9 long tons). At the time, most data communications took place over point-to-point microwave links, whose dish antennas covered the roofs of large buildings. As each new skyscraper was added to the downtown, former line-of-sight links were no longer possible. CN intended to rent "hub" space for microwave links, visible from almost any building in
15147-510: The height of the CN Tower in 2007 (see below). Although the CN Tower contains a restaurant, a gift shop and multiple observation levels, it does not have floors continuously from the ground, and therefore it is not considered a building by the Council on Tall Buildings and Urban Habitat (CTBUH) or Emporis. CTBUH defines a building as "a structure that is designed for residential, business, or manufacturing purposes. An essential characteristic of
15300-442: The higher observation deck would be worth paying extra for, and the costs in terms of construction were not prohibitive. Also around this time, it was realized that the tower could become the world's tallest free-standing structure to improve signal quality and attract tourists, and plans were changed to incorporate subtle modifications throughout the structure to this end. The CN Tower was built by Canada Cement Company (also known as
15453-420: The hospital could not develop further floors or build a helipad on the roof. The company had limited liability within the contract. A scandal broke out in 1997 when it was learned that a poisonous sealing compound Rhoca-Gil was used during construction of a railway tunnel, Hallandsås Tunnel , in southern Sweden. This substance was linked to the death of nearby livestock. Rhoca-Gil contains acrylamide ,
15606-491: The impending Hurricane Sally . Numerous barges made contact with the newly constructed bridge destroying large segments of it, leaving the bridge impassable and unsafe to drive on. This bridge is a crucial economic artery for the Pensacola-Gulf Breeze area; over 55,000 vehicles use the bridge daily. The inability for many individuals to commute to their jobs, homes, and businesses have had a detrimental impact on
15759-454: 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
15912-479: 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
16065-612: 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 ,
16218-479: 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
16371-417: The late 1960s and early 1970s, multiple skyscrapers were constructed in the downtown core, most notably First Canadian Place , which has Bank of Montreal 's head offices. The reflective nature of the new buildings reduced the quality of broadcast signals, requiring new, higher antennas that were at least 300 m (980 ft) tall. The radio wire is estimated to be 102 metres (335 ft) long in 44 pieces,
16524-491: The lookout level are at 346 m (1,135.2 ft). The 360 Restaurant, a revolving restaurant that completes a full rotation once every 72 minutes, is at 351 m (1,151.6 ft). When the tower first opened, it also featured a disco named Sparkles (at the Indoor Observation Level), billed as the highest disco and dance floor in the world. The SkyPod was once the highest public observation deck in
16677-478: The main deck, three large supporting legs give the tower the appearance of a large tripod . The main deck level has seven storeys, some of which are open to the public. Below the public areas—at 338 m (1,108.9 ft)—is a large white donut-shaped radome containing the structure's UHF transmitters. The glass floor and outdoor observation deck are at 342 m (1,122.0 ft). The glass floor has an area of 24 m (258 sq ft) and can withstand
16830-426: The main support pillar, workers constructed a hydraulically raised slipform at the base. This was a fairly unprecedented engineering feat on its own, consisting of a large metal platform that raised itself on jacks at about 6 m (20 ft) per day as the concrete below set. Concrete was poured Monday to Friday (not continuously) by a small team of people until February 22, 1974, at which time it had already become
16983-545: The mid-1970s to the mid-1980s, the CN Tower was practically the only development along Front Street West; it was still possible to see Lake Ontario from the foot of the CN Tower due to the expansive parking lots and lack of development in the area at the time. As the area around the tower was developed, particularly with the completion of the Metro Toronto Convention Centre (north building) in 1984 and SkyDome in 1989 (renamed Rogers Centre in 2005),
17136-450: The movie Highpoint , in which Robinson received CA$ 250,000 ($ 981,875 in 2023 dollars) for the stunt. The second was for a personal documentary . The first stunt had him use a parachute which he deployed three seconds before impact with the ground, while the second one used a wire decelerator attached to his back. On June 26, 1986, the tenth anniversary of the tower's opening, high-rise firefighting and rescue advocate Dan Goodwin , in
17289-420: 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
17442-589: 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 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;
17595-534: 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
17748-471: 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
17901-704: The project became official in 1972. The tower would have been part of Metro Centre (see CityPlace ), a large development south of Front Street on the Railway Lands , a large railway switching yard that was being made redundant after the opening of the MacMillan Yard north of the city in 1965 (then known as Toronto Yard). Key project team members were NCK Engineering as structural engineer; John Andrews Architects ; Webb, Zerafa, Menkes, Housden Architects; Foundation Building Construction; and Canron (Eastern Structural Division). As Toronto grew rapidly during
18054-459: The region was banned. Skanska, along with Rhone-Poulenc and Swedish Railways all had criminal charges brought against them; some senior executives resigned as a result. Construction was halted in late 1997, but resumed in 2005 after hydrological and environmental remediation by Banverket and Skanska. In 2005, Skanska was awarded a large natural gas pipeline contract in Argentina . In 2007,
18207-580: The renovation of, and addition to, the headquarters of the United Nations , completed in 2014, the restoration of the World Trade Center site including the removal of debris, the reconstruction of the Port Authority Trans-Hudson and New York City Subway tunnels, and the creation of a World Trade Center Transportation Hub , completed in 2015 (including the "Oculus" station entrance designed by Santiago Calatrava ),
18360-471: 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
18513-501: The same year, the CN Tower reopened. In August 2000, a fire broke out at the Ostankino Tower in Moscow, killing three people and causing extensive damage. The fire was blamed on poor maintenance and outdated equipment. The failure of the fire-suppression systems and the lack of proper equipment for firefighters allowed the fire to destroy most of the interior and sparked fears the tower might even collapse. The Ostankino Tower
18666-547: The school is managed in partnership with several competitors. In July 2013, Skanska withdrew from the United States Chamber of Commerce , in protest of the chamber's opposition to reformed LEED standards for sustainable buildings. Skanska was the first company in the industry to implement the ISO 14000 standards globally, with all its business units having been certified according to ISO 14001 since 2000, and it
18819-570: The semifinals of 2021 Stanley Cup playoffs . The CN Tower was lit in the colours of the Ukrainian flag during the beginning of the Russian invasion of Ukraine in late February 2022. Programmed remotely from a desktop computer with a wireless network interface controller in Burlington, Ontario , the LEDs use less energy to light than the previous incandescent lights (10% less energy than
18972-544: The structure. There were fears that cars and windows of nearby buildings would be smashed by large chunks of ice. In response, police closed some streets surrounding the tower. During morning rush hour on March 5 of the same year, police expanded the area of closed streets to include the Gardiner Expressway 310 m (1,017 ft) away from the tower as increased winds blew the ice farther, as far north as King Street West , 490 m (1,608 ft) away, where
19125-531: The tallest structure in Canada, surpassing the recently built 381-metre (1,250 ft) tall Inco Superstack in Sudbury , built using similar methods. The tower contains 40,500 m (53,000 cu yd) of concrete, all of which was mixed on-site in order to ensure batch consistency. Through the pour, the vertical accuracy of the tower was maintained by comparing the slip form's location to massive plumb bobs hanging from it, observed by small telescopes from
19278-438: The third elevator pair and the stairs were moved to the inside of the core. Top climbs on the new, windowless stairwell used since around 2003 have generally been over ten minutes. A freezing rain storm on March 2, 2007, resulted in a layer of ice several centimetres thick forming on the side of the tower and other downtown buildings. The sun thawed the ice, then winds of up to 90 km/h (56 mph) blew some of it away from
19431-466: 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
19584-425: The tower concluded both the opening and closing ceremonies. On July 1, 2017, as part of the nationwide celebrations for Canada 150 , which celebrated the 150th anniversary of Canadian Confederation , fireworks were once again shot from the tower in a five-minute display coordinated with the tower lights and music broadcast on a local radio station. The CN Tower consists of several substructures. The main portion of
19737-464: The tower is a hollow concrete hexagonal pillar containing the stairwells and power and plumbing connections. The tower's six elevators are located in the three inverted angles created by the Tower's hexagonal shape (two elevators per angle). Each of the three elevator shafts is lined with glass, allowing for views of the city as the glass-windowed elevators make their way through the tower. The stairwell
19890-555: The tower was lit in green and white to represent the colours of the Grey Cup champion Saskatchewan Roughriders . From sundown on August 27, 2011, to sunrise the following day, the tower was lit in orange, the official colour of the New Democratic Party (NDP), to commemorate the death of federal NDP leader and leader of the official opposition Jack Layton . When former South African president Nelson Mandela died ,
20043-612: The tower was lit in the colours of the South African flag . When former federal finance minister under Stephen Harper 's Conservatives Jim Flaherty died, the tower was lit in green to reflect his Irish Canadian heritage. On the night of the attacks on Paris on November 13, 2015 , the tower displayed the colours of the French flag . On June 8, 2021, the tower displayed the colours of the Toronto Maple Leafs ' archrivals Montreal Canadiens after they advanced to
20196-478: The tower was outfitted with 1,330 super-bright LED lights inside the elevator shafts, shooting over the main pod and upward to the top of the tower's mast to light the tower from dusk until 2 a.m. The official opening ceremony took place on June 28, 2007, before the Canada Day holiday weekend. The tower changes its lighting scheme on holidays and to commemorate major events. After the 95th Grey Cup in Toronto,
20349-679: 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
20502-508: 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
20655-485: 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
20808-536: 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
20961-521: The world until it was surpassed by the Shanghai World Financial Center in 2008. A metal staircase reaches the main deck level after 1,776 steps, and the SkyPod 100 m (328 ft) above after 2,579 steps; it is the tallest metal staircase on Earth. These stairs are intended for emergency use only except for charity stair-climb events two times during the year. The average climber takes approximately 30 minutes to climb to
21114-402: 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
21267-465: Was accompanied by Canadian pop singer Jann Arden . The episode first aired on April 10, 2013. The tower and surrounding areas were prominent in the 2015 Pan American Games production. In the opening ceremony , a pre-recorded segment featured track-and-field athlete Bruny Surin passing the flame to sprinter Donovan Bailey on the EdgeWalk and parachuting into Rogers Centre. A fireworks display off
21420-417: 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. French
21573-464: Was completed nine years before the CN Tower and is only 13 m (43 ft) shorter. The parallels between the towers led to some concern that the CN Tower could be at risk of a similar tragedy. However, Canadian officials subsequently stated that it is "highly unlikely" that a similar disaster could occur at the CN Tower, as it has important safeguards that were not present in the Ostankino Tower. Specifically, officials cited: Officials also noted that
21726-456: Was done to take advantage of the cost savings of LED lights over incandescent lights. The colour of the LED lights can change, compared to the constant white colour of the incandescent lights. On September 12, 2007, Burj Khalifa , then under construction and known as Burj Dubai, surpassed the CN Tower as the world's tallest free-standing structure on land. In 2008, glass panels were installed in one of
21879-819: 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
22032-463: 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
22185-652: 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
22338-414: Was originally located in one of these angles (the one facing north), but was moved into the central hollow of the tower; the tower's new fifth and sixth elevators were placed in the hexagonal angle that once contained the stairwell. On top of the main concrete portion of the tower is a 102 m (334.6 ft) tall metal broadcast antenna, carrying television and radio signals. There are three visitor areas:
22491-542: Was originally to be raised by crane as well, but, during construction, the Sikorsky S-64 Skycrane helicopter became available when the United States Army sold one to civilian operators. The helicopter, named "Olga", was first used to remove the crane, and then flew the antenna up in 36 sections. The flights of the antenna pieces were a minor tourist attraction of their own, and the schedule
22644-429: Was printed in local newspapers. Use of the helicopter saved months of construction time, with this phase taking only three and a half weeks instead of the planned six months. The tower was topped-off on April 2, 1975, after 26 months of construction, officially capturing the height record from Moscow 's Ostankino Tower , and bringing the total mass to 118,000 t (130,000 short tons; 116,000 long tons). Two years into
22797-594: 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
22950-823: Was taking action against 12 major contractors including Skanska. In December 2013, the Supreme Court of the Slovak Republic confirmed that Skanska DS a.s. participated in a bid rigging cartel of construction companies (together with companies of Strabag group and Mota-Engil group) in 2004. Illegal conduct was associated with the tender for the execution of works for the construction of the D1 highway from Mengusovce to Jánovce in eastern Slovakia. On September 16, 2020, Skanska failed to secure 20 barges at and around their Pensacola Bay Bridge site in Florida ahead of
23103-496: Was the No. 1 "Green Builder" in the United States in 2007 and was ranked No. 3 "Green Contractor" in the United States 2008. In 2011, Skanska was ranked the greenest company in the United Kingdom , despite belonging to an industry with a generally high environmental impact. In 2014, Skanska won the Financial Times and ArcelorMittal "Boldness in Business Award" in the category "corporate responsibility/environment." The Financial Times described Skanska in 2014 as aiming to be
23256-442: Was the first Scandinavian company to have an independent global whistleblowing hotline. As of March 2015, Skanska was focused on the following selected markets: Skanska is in the process of exiting its operations in Argentina , Brazil , Peru , Chile , Colombia , and Venezuela . Skanska will cease to accept new projects in the Latin American market and will divest its operation and maintenance units there. Skanska
23409-437: 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 ,
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