Interesting Facts About the French Language
If you have never had the chance to see the Arc de Triomphe, take a photo next to the Eiffel Tower, or stroll along the Champs-Élysées, don't worry — these interesting facts about the French language will help you get a little closer to French culture and satisfy your thirst for travel and discovery.
France is renowned for its rich history, which has seen a mix of events of varying importance: from the reign of different royal dynasties to numerous wars, all of which have left a significant mark on its language.
Interesting Facts About the French Language
● French is not only the official language of France. France has always been known for its conquests of vast territories, leading to the creation of numerous colonies around the world: from African countries to islands in Oceania. As a result, French is the official language in 29 countries, including Switzerland, Belgium, some African countries, and even the state of Louisiana (USA).
● For 600 years, French was the official language in England. The parallels between French and English don't end there. From the 11th century, state documents were written in French, and it was used by rulers and nobility. English was mainly spoken by the poor and was constantly being pushed out. As a result, about 30% of modern English words are of French origin.
● The Parliamentary Act that required British citizens to use the English language was written in French.
● The coat of arms of the United Kingdom features the inscription "Dieu et mon droit," which translates to "God and my right."
● Since the beginning of Empress Elizabeth's reign, French became popular in the Russian Empire, largely due to the Great Revolution. It got to the point where nobles spoke French better than their native language. However, Napoleon's invasion drastically changed the situation, and from the beginning of the 19th century, French lost its prominence in the Russian Empire.
● It's worth noting that the general structure of the French language was not formed until the end of the Middle Ages when separate dialects existed. It was only in the 18th-20th centuries that the comprehensive structure of the French language was formed, thanks to the famous fairy tales of the great writer Charles Perrault.
● "Bless you" — this is what we usually say to someone who sneezes. In French, when someone sneezes, they say: "à tes souhaits" (may all your wishes come true).
● French is part of the Romance language group, ranking third in popularity after Spanish and Portuguese. In the world, French ranks 14th in terms of the number of speakers.
● French is one of the leaders in the number of words that have entered common use in other languages. Examples of borrowed words include café, restaurant, champagne, chocolate, and others; typical endings for French are -tion and -sion, which in our case transform into more familiar revolution, sensation, obligation, etc.
● It's not just native speakers who are proficient in French. The famous New Zealand Scrabble player Nigel Richards won several competitions in English, but in 2015 he managed to win the French championship of the game. It took him two months to learn the dictionary. He never actually learned the language.
● The Ethnologue language catalog conducts interesting observations comparing language similarities. French is similar to Italian, and among Romance languages, Spanish and Portuguese are the most similar (89% similarities). The creators note that at an 85% similarity level, one language can be considered a dialect of another.
