117-690: The Irish Legion ( French : Légion irlandaise ) was a light infantry regiment in service of the French Imperial Army established in 1803 for an anticipated invasion of Ireland . It was later expanded to a four battalions and a depot, the legion won distinction in the Walcheren Expedition , the Peninsular War , and the German Campaign of 1813 . Following the disbandment of the foreign regiments in 1815,
234-744: 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
351-431: 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,
468-456: A fit of distress he defenestrated himself, breaking both legs. He became convinced that his legs needed to be amputated, and when briefly left alone he mutilated himself with a pair of scissors. Junot died of an infection days later on 29 July 1813, in Montbard. It is said that he frequently cried out for Napoleon in the delirium before his death. He is buried in Montbard cemetery, where
585-555: 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
702-523: A man with good handwriting to write a letter for him, which Junot volunteered to do, and made a lasting impression with his witty jokes after being narrowly missed by a cannonball. After the siege, Bonaparte was made a general and Junot joined him as his aide-de-camp . However, due to his connections to Augustin Robespierre, Bonaparte lost his position and was briefly placed under house arrest. Junot and Auguste de Marmont offered to break him out, which
819-662: A marshal's baton. As a punishment, Junot was made to oversee the clearing of bodies from the Borodino battlefield, where unprecedented numbers of men had been killed. However, Junot himself declared that, due to various complications, it had been impossible for him to attack at Smolensk, and claimed that his rival Joachim Murat had put the blame on him. In early 1813, Laure Junot managed to obtain sick leave for her husband and he briefly returned to his family. However he had become obsessed with trying to save his ruined military career, and begged Napoleon to send him to war. Instead, Junot
936-409: A monument was erected in his honour in 1898. He had two daughters and three sons: During the peninsular war, he allegedly had a relationship with Juliana de Almeida e Oyenhausen . As Governor of Paris in 1806–07, he had an affair with Caroline Murat, wife of Joachim Murat and sister of Napoleon Bonaparte. According to Laure Junot, her husband broke off the affair with Caroline after she supported
1053-705: 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
1170-494: 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
1287-683: 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 ,
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#17327728050441404-547: 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
1521-457: 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
1638-437: 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
1755-472: 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
1872-489: 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
1989-652: 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
2106-563: 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
2223-404: 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
2340-469: 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
2457-828: 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
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#17327728050442574-639: 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 ,
2691-553: 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
2808-483: 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
2925-492: 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
3042-424: 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
3159-764: 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
3276-651: The Battle of Millesimo , for which he received the rank of colonel and the honor of delivering to the Directory the first standards captured in the Italian campaigns . He again distinguished himself at Battle of Lonato , where he killed six enemy soldiers in hand-to-hand fighting and suffered three severe sabre cuts to the head. Junot was one of the first to be informed of Bonaparte's planned expedition to Egypt . In May 1798, he left for Egypt along with Bonaparte aboard
3393-609: 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
3510-517: 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
3627-533: 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
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3744-559: 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,
3861-638: The French invasion of Portugal in 1807. Junot was born into a bourgeois family in Bussy-le-Grand , Burgundy , on 25 September 1771. He was the fifth son of Michel Junot (1739–1814) and Marie Antoinette Bienaymé (1735–1806). He attended school in Châtillon , then studied law in Dijon before dropping out at the start of the French Revolution . Junot embraced the revolutionary cause, and
3978-735: The Grande Armée during the War of the Fifth Coalition , but held no major command. He was defeated at Gefrees in this war. Junot returned to the Iberian Peninsula in 1810 in command of the VIII Corps , under Marshal André Masséna , and in 1811 was shot in the face, causing serious damage and requiring surgery. At the beginning of 1812 Junot was on leave to recover from his various injuries, but eagerly volunteered for
4095-877: 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
4212-626: 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
4329-674: The Russian Campaign for a chance to regain Napoleon's favour. On the campaign his record was erratic. He was blamed for allowing the Russian army to retreat following the Battle of Smolensk (17 August), but at the Battle of Borodino (7 September 1812) he commanded the VIII Corps competently. Junot's performance at Smolensk led to his removal from command, and infuriated Napoleon to the point that he vowed never to grant Junot
4446-713: 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
4563-775: 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
4680-689: 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
4797-469: The " Hundred Days ", and was officially disbanded by King Louis XVIII on 28 September 1815. Its flags were burned and its eagle, like many, disappeared. 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
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4914-427: 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
5031-506: 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;
5148-408: The 1st Battalion went to Chef de Bataillon John Tennent and that of the 2nd Battalion to Chef de Bataillon Hugh Ware. On 1 February they broke camp and made a long winter march to Magdeberg . The Irish Regiment made forced marches to arrive on the battlefield of Bautzen during the morning of 21 May, the second day of the battle. At the head of Puthod ’s Division they attacked Barclay ’s Corps on
5265-773: 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
5382-418: The Army of Portugal through the sieges of Ciudad Rodrigo and Almeida , the Battle of Bussaco and the full course of the advance to the Lines of Torres Vedras . In September 1810, at the Battle of Bussaco , elite companies of the Irish Legion engaged an Irish regiment in the British army, the 88th Foot (Connaught Rangers). William Grattan's Adventure of the Connaught Rangers details an engagement between
5499-510: 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
5616-614: 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,
5733-454: The Convention caused widespread outrage in Britain. In a later inquiry into the convention, Sir Arthur Wellesley, the future Duke of Wellington, said this of Junot's actions: "I considered that the French army, from the relative situation of the two armies in Portugal, and from its having the military possession of the country, had a fair military right to withdraw by sea with their arms and baggage; I do not think it necessary for me to account for
5850-408: 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
5967-416: 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
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#17327728050446084-410: 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
6201-401: The Irish Regiment were all foreigners). Napoleon had decreed on 28 October 1810 that the Irish Regiment should be reduced to two battalions, whereby the 2nd and 3rd Battalions would become the 2nd Battalion. The reformed 2nd Battalion saw hard service as part of the rearguard on the retreat from Lisbon. By the time it arrived back in Spain, the unit had nineteen officers and 254 men present with
6318-418: The Irish remained idle all day. On the 5th they were the general reserve to the flanking attack made on the British right wing and again were not engaged. In early December 1811, the orders arrived in Spain for the return to France of the officers and non-commissioned officers of the Irish Battalion. The non-Irish privates were to be incorporated into the Prussian Regiment serving with the Army of Portugal. It
6435-433: The Massena's main army, Junot was detailed to secure the flank of the Army of Portugal's intended advance by capturing the city of Astorga in the Province of León. They led the assault that took the city. During the battle, Captain John Allen's company's drummer boy continued to beat the charge after having lost both legs, for which he was given the French Legion of Honor . The Irish Battalions remained on active service with
6552-402: 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
6669-409: The bridges had been washed away and there was no possibility of constructing a bridge with the river flooding its banks on both sides. A combined Russian and Prussian Army of overwhelming superiority faced the Division but could only attack at the one narrow south-eastern end of the ridge. The battle began at 8:00 am and lasted until after 4:00pm. When the Division had expended the last of its ammunition,
6786-437: The colours, and another 128 men absent from sickness or other reasons. Solignac's Division took the field once more in the spring of 1811 for the relief of Almeida; at this time the battalion strength was 390 officers and men. Between 3 and 5 May, heavy fighting took place at Fuentes de Oñoro and on the slopes in the vicinity. On the first day, Solignac's Division was held in reserve behind the centre-right of Massena's line and
6903-409: The consulate, Junot was known for his excesses, throwing money out of his windows and supposedly eating three hundred oysters a day. Junot was made a general of division on 20 November 1801. From 1803 to 1804 he served as Military Governor of Paris , then briefly as ambassador to Portugal before rapidly hurrying back to serve under Napoleon at the Battle of Austerlitz (2 December 1805). Junot
7020-420: The country near French-speaking Quebec, however, it is the foreign language more commonly taught. Vowel phonemes in French Jean-Andoche Junot Jean-Andoche Junot, Duke of Abrantes ( French pronunciation: [ʒɑ̃.n‿ɑ̃dɔʃ ʒyno] ; 25 September 1771 – 29 July 1813) was a French military officer who served in the French Revolutionary Wars and the Napoleonic Wars . He is best known for leading
7137-404: 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
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#17327728050447254-448: 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
7371-457: The eighteenth Blucher ’s cavalry made contact with Puthod. The regiment formed squares to repel a cavalry attack: the squares held fast, and after a number of attempts to break them, the enemy backed off and brought forward artillery. They were then easy targets for cannon fire, losing 400 men before retiring in good order. Following Macdonald ’s retreat after the Battle of the Katzbach with Blucher, General Pothod's Division became isolated from
7488-489: 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
7605-491: The enemy attacked and overran its position. Most of the officers waded into the river and swam to the opposite shore. The riverbed itself was not terribly wide although the current was strong. They were able to wade about half the distance, swim a short way, and walk through the water to dry land. James Perry swam over and back again to come to the aid of General Puthod, whose ADC he was, and both were taken prisoner. The total French casualties of killed, wounded, drowned and captured
7722-421: The expedition's flagship, l'Orient , and took part in the capture of Malta . Junot fought at the Battle of the Pyramids on 21 July 1798, as a chef de brigade , and was promoted to brigade general on 9 January 1799. On 8 April 1799, during the ultimately unsuccessful Siege of Acre , Junot distinguished himself leading the vanguard of Kléber 's division against a much larger Ottoman relief force, near
7839-491: The extreme allied right. On 26 May they fought with distinction at the Battle of Hanau under the direct command of the emperor. The Irish were rewarded by being given the honour of posting guard at the town of Lignitz ( Legnica ) for Napoleon until the Imperial Guard arrived and relieved them. On 16 August, at the end of the brief armistice, Puthod's Division, including Vacherau's Brigade (The Irish Regiment, 134th & 143rd Regiments), were assembled at Goldberg in Silesia. On
7956-406: 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
8073-405: The first of many battle wounds at La Glisuelle [ fr ] on 11 June 1792. He was soon promoted to sergeant , and was again injured on 16 May 1793 while serving in the Army of the Rhine . During this time, Junot's comrades gave him the nickname "the Tempest" ( la Tempête ). Junot first met then-captain Napoleon Bonaparte at the Siege of Toulon , in late 1793: Bonaparte required
8190-439: 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 ,
8307-715: 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
8424-622: The general declined, but went to them for assistance after his release. Junot, Marmont and Bonaparte, all temporarily unemployed, lived together in a rented room in Paris. In 1795 Junot participated in the suppression of the Royalist revolt of 13 Vendémiaire under Bonaparte, then followed him to the Army of Italy . Junot served in the Montenotte campaign of April 1796, distinguishing himself at
8541-519: 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
8658-479: 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
8775-612: 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 ,
8892-479: 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
9009-531: The motives of General Junot in preferring to evacuation by sea to another line of operation; which, without wishing to say anything personally disrespectful of him, might have bad or unworthy motives, as well as views for the interests of his country." Upon his return, Junot was appointed commander of the III Corps and sent to Spain, where he fought at the Second Siege of Zaragoza . In 1809, he served in
9126-701: The mouth of the Mondego river. After a French defeat at Roliça , Junot himself was beaten at the Battle of Vimeiro on 21 August 1808, and he was cut off from France. Only the signing of the advantageous Convention of Sintra with the British allowed him to avoid capture, taking with him "the weapons and baggages" and the loot the army had managed to gather—an expression that later became famous in Portuguese usage. He went back to France in October. The terms of
9243-420: 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
9360-482: The next two months, and was later reinforced with a Spanish contingent under the terms of the Treaty of Fontainebleau (27 October 1807). Departing on 17 October at the head of about 26,500 soldiers, Junot led his troops on an arduous march through Spain, finally crossing into Portugal at Segura on 19 November. Facing little to no resistance, Junot's army advanced towards Lisbon , seizing Castelo Branco on 20 November and Abrantes two days later. On 24 November, he
9477-534: 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
9594-625: The peace that followed the Treaty of Amiens (1802–03), some had been impressed into the Royal Navy and deserted, and some were German or Polish. While the Legion was stationed at the Fortress of Mainz in 1806, they were joined by 1,500 Poles and many Irishmen who were sent in 1799 to serve the King of Prussia, Its headquarters was at 's-Hertogenbosch , known to the French as Bois-le-Duc, in what
9711-471: 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
9828-571: The proclamation of the dethronement of the House of Braganza , and the confiscation of royal assets. In January 1808, initial incidents of Portuguese resistance to the occupation occurred. Additionally, after the Dos de Mayo Uprising in Madrid , all Spanish troops withdrew from Portugal, and by June, popular revolts had spread throughout the country. On 1 August 1808, a British expeditionary force landed at
9945-565: The regiment took part in the Siege of Antwerp 1814 and retired to Lille , where it remained until Napoleon's abdication in April 1814. In 1805-15 eleven of the regiment's officers were awarded the Legion d'honneur , including Chef de Bataillon Myles Byrne , the colonel, William Lawless , Chef de Bataillon John Tennent, and James Bartholomew Blackwell . The regiment divided in loyalty during
10062-554: The regiment's personnel were distributed. The first officers included members of the Society of United Irishmen who had fled to France in 1797. It also included Irishmen who had been taken during the 1798 rebellion who were freed during the short peace effected by the Treaty of Amiens on condition of exile, and who had sailed for France in June 1802. The treaty broke down in May 1803 with
10179-471: 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
10296-403: The rest of the army. The River Bober ( Bóbr ) had risen out of its banks from the heavy rains and the bridges were under water. The division had been reduced to six thousand men and twelve pieces of artillery. On the morning of 29 August they reached the town of Lowenberg/ Lwówek Śląski . It took up the best position it could find, on the narrow ridge above Plakowice, with its back to the river. All
10413-633: The start of the War of the Third Coalition . As a part of Napoleon's planned invasion of the United Kingdom in 1803–05, the Irish Legion was to provide the indigenous core for a much larger invasion force of 20,000 earmarked to take Ireland, known as the Corps d'Irlande . The Legion was established on 31 August 1803 in Morlaix , France. Bernard MacSheehy was assigned to form the regiment. He
10530-466: 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
10647-481: The town of Nazareth , defeating a force six times his size and retreating only after capturing five enemy standards and killing the emir's son himself. His actions prevented the Ottomans from reaching the city and earned Junot recognition within the army. However, he was badly injured shortly afterwards in a duel with General François Lanusse , initiated by Junot after Lanusse insulted Bonaparte. In October 1799 he
10764-679: 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
10881-532: The two units among the rocks above Bussaco. The Connaughts led an epic bayonet charge against the French troops there and after the action, Grattan explains, he came across the French 4th regiment and the Irish Brigade (meaning, of course, the Irish Regiment) on the rocks there, mentioning that several of the latter were wounded but there were no Irishmen among them (denoting that the wounded men from
10998-508: 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
11115-485: 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
11232-536: 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
11349-402: 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
11466-503: 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
11583-575: Was always referred to as the Irish Regiment. In 1808 the Second Battalion fought in the Peninsular War , helping to subdue Madrid during the Dos de Mayo Uprising . In the middle of January 1810 the 3rd Battalion was posted to Spain. In June 1810 an Army of Portugal was formed under Masséna which was composed of three Army Corps. The two battalions of the Irish Legion became part of General Junot ’s 8th Corps. Before joining with
11700-454: Was an Adjutant-General in Napoleon's army. The purpose of the Legion was to align the Irish hearts to the French cause in the imminent invasion of Ireland. General Pierre Augereau had been ordained to lead the invasion, and wanted Irishmen to serve in his army. However, the Battle of Cape Finisterre and the Battle of Trafalgar in 1805 made a safe sea crossing uncertain at best, and Napoleon
11817-516: Was born in France to Irish parents and whose family had close links to the ancien regime Irish brigade that had served the kings of France. He and his father had served in Dillon's Regiment , and his mother's father and several uncles served in Clare's Regiment. In August 1811 the Legion was renamed the 3e Regiment Etranger (Irlandais) (3rd Foreign Regiment (Irish)), but throughout the unit's history it
11934-466: Was captured by a British ship while returning to France, and met Horatio Nelson. Junot only arrived in France on 14 June 1800, the day of Bonaparte's victory at the Battle of Marengo . That year, Junot married Laure Martin de Permond , a long-time friend of the Bonapartes. Napoleon paid for most of the wedding expenses, provided a dowry for Laure, and gave lavish gifts to the young couple. Under
12051-819: 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
12168-526: Was forced to abandon his plans for Ireland. He shifted his focus towards Austria and Eastern Europe and launched the Austerlitz campaign in late 1805. The legion remained on the French coast on garrison duty and coastal defence. The Legion was eventually expanded from a battalion to a regiment and there was greater demand for more soldiers. These made a varied group; some were former United Irishmen who were taken prisoner in 1798-99 and then freed during
12285-400: 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
12402-454: Was informed that the country's regent, Prince João (the future King João VI ) was preparing to flee to Brazil along with his mother, Queen Maria I , and the court. Junot entered Lisbon without a fight on 30 November, three days after the royal family's departure. French and Spanish troops soon occupied the rest of Portugal. For his success, Junot was granted the victory title of Duke of Abrantes ( Duc d'Abrantès ) by Napoleon, though he
12519-708: 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
12636-537: Was made Governor of the Illyrian Provinces . His mental state rapidly deteriorated there, and on one infamous occasion he attended a ball, held by Auguste de Marmont in Ragusa, fully nude except for his dancing shoes and decorations. Some time later, Junot suffered a sudden attack of inflammation to the brain, most likely a long term consequence of his numerous head injuries, leaving him incapacitated. He
12753-469: Was more the 3,000. The Irish Regiment no longer existed as a fighting unit. Twenty-three officers out of 47 and 94 non-commissioned officers and soldiers returned from the campaign of 1813. Out of approximately 2,000 men who had marched to join the Grand Army eight months earlier, only 117 were left. The survivors managed to save their eagle and retired to Bois-le-Duc. In the ensuing Napoleonic retreat
12870-750: Was not made a Marshal of the Empire as he expected. He set up his headquarters at the Quintela Palace in Lisbon, as the head of the military administration in Portugal. From late December 1807 to March 1808, Junot enacted far-reaching measures, such as the disbandment of the Portuguese Army (with around 9,000 soldiers joining the Grande Armée ' s Portuguese Legion ) and local militias ,
12987-592: Was not until 11 April 1812 that they arrived at the regimental depot at Bois-le-Duc (s’Hertogenbosch) in The Netherlands. The First Battalion saw its first action at the Battle of Flushing in the Walcheren Campaign of 1809, suffering many casualties from malaria . Early in 1813 the Irish Regiment was ordered to merge the three existing battalions into two full-strength war battalions. Command of
13104-623: Was present at the Fête de la Fédération in Paris on 14 July 1790. On 9 July 1791, Junot was one of the founding members of his hometown's National Guard , serving as captain of its 1st company. Later that year he enlisted as a grenadier in the 2nd Battalion of Volunteers of Côte-d'Or . At the start of the War of the First Coalition , Junot was sent to the Army of the North , receiving
13221-594: 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
13338-570: 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 ,
13455-459: Was then relieved of his position and sent to his father's house in Montbard , Burgundy, where he was cared for by his father and sisters. Due to miscommunications, his pregnant wife was unable to visit him there, but his brother-in-law Albert de Permon arrived one day to inform Junot that the baby had died and Laure was in a grave condition. Junot's condition continued to deteriorate, and one day in
13572-483: Was then sent to Parma to put down an insurrection. On his return to Paris he was again appointed Military Governor, serving from 1806 to 1807. Junot's major command came on 29 July 1807, when Napoleon appointed him commander-in-chief of the " Gironde Observation Corps [ fr ] " ( Corps d'observation de la Gironde ), which was destined for an invasion of Portugal. The army assembled in Bayonne over
13689-509: Was then the Kingdom of Holland . The Irish Legion had its own flag, and in December 1805 received an eagle . The Legion was the only group of foreign soldiers in the French military to whom Napoleon ever gave an eagle. Wearing a green uniform, its maximum size was about 2,000 men. The regiment was greatly assisted from 1807 by Napoleon's war minister Marshal of France Henri Clarke , who
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