The French language was brought to the African continent through colonialism. During the 1950s and 60s, France and Belgium lost control of their African colonies, however, French is still spoken in at least 29 African countries.
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When did Africa start speaking French?
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. Most second-language speakers reside in Francophone Africa, in particular Gabon, Algeria, Morocco, Tunisia, Mauritius, Senegal and Ivory Coast.
Why is French spoken in West Africa?
Africa is thus the continent with the most French speakers in the world. French arrived in Africa as a colonial language; these African French speakers are now a large part of the Francophonie.In each of the francophone African countries, French is spoken with local variations in pronunciation and vocabulary.
What African countries speak French and why?
French is an official language, or shares official status with other languages in Equatorial Guinea, Togo, Central African Republic, Madagascar, Cameroon, Ivory Coast, Burkina Faso, Niger, Benin, Burundi, Guinea, Chad, Rwanda, Congo, Mali, the Seychelles, Djibouti, and Senegal.
What African country speaks French?
Only official language
Congo. DR Congo, the most populated French-speaking country in the world.
Why are there more French speakers in Africa?
Where the world’s 300 million French speakers live. Much of this is due to Africa’s age demographic, specifically the continent’s youth bulge. The daily use of French has increased by 17% on the African continent from the survey period 2010 to 2014, compared to an 11% growth in the rest of the world.
Do Nigerians speak French?
SOMETIMES I wonder if Nigerians are aware that the English language is not the only official language of our country Nigeria. Officially, French has been the second official language in this country for the past 19 years.
Why is French spoken in Senegal?
The French influence on Senegalese culture is undeniable, particularly when looking at language and language politics. The French arrived in Senegal during the 17th century as a result of French commercial trade along the river Senegal, and shortly after began colonizing the country.
Why did France colonize Africa?
The French goal of increasing their stake in West Africa was influenced by similar policies undertaken by their fellow Europeans in Africa culminating in the late nineteenth century with a European “scramble for Africa.” Industrialization and economic conditions in Europe influenced the expansion of European interests
Is French spoken in Morocco?
The country’s official languages are Arabic and Amazigh, or Berber. Most people speak Moroccan Arabic – a mixture of Arabic and Amazigh infused with French and Spanish influences.Two out of three people fail to complete their studies at public universities in Morocco, mainly because they don’t speak French.
Why do they speak French in Congo?
French is the official language of the country since its colonial period under Belgian rule. Therefore, the variety of French used in the DRC has many similarities with Belgian French.The Democratic Republic of the Congo currently has the largest French-speaking population of any country outside France.
Who is francophone?
The term francophone often refers to someone whose mother tongue is French but can also be applied for someone who speaks the language fluently and has another mother tongue.Francophone can refer to more than language. It is often tied to concepts of identity, community and heritage.
Is Kenya a French speaking country?
Kenya is a multilingual country. The Bantu Swahili language and English, the latter being inherited from colonial rule (see British Kenya), are widely spoken as lingua franca. They serve as the two official working languages. Including second-language speakers, there are more speakers of Swahili than English in Kenya.
Why is French spoken in Algeria?
During the colonial period, about one million French native speakers lived in Algeria.The Algerian government taught French as the first mandatory foreign language for students beginning in the fourth grade in the primary cycle, from the end of the 1970s to the early 1990s.
Does Canada speak French?
Canada has a population of nearly 35 million people. French is the first official language spoken for 22.8% of the population. The majority of Francophones (85.4%) live in Quebec and over 1 million live in other regions of the country. Almost 10.4 million Canadians can carry on a conversation in French.
Which country in Africa speaks English?
Sierra Leone and Liberia are the only countries in Africa where English is spoken as the primary language. English is the primary language of Nigeria and Ghana, but the language is spoken as a lingua franca in both states.
What country speaks the most French?
France
Unsurprisingly, France boasts the highest number of native French speakers, although it’s not the most populous country to have French as an official language. The Democratic Republic of Congo has a population of 77 million, compared to 62 million in France.
Is French spoken in Ghana?
Ghana is a multilingual country in which about eighty languages are spoken.In April 2019, French is in the process of becoming one of Ghana’s official languages due to the country being surrounded by Francophone countries (Burkina Faso, the Ivory Coast and Togo).
Does Australia speak French?
There’s a little bit more French-speaking women (52.5 per cent) than men (47.5 per cent) in Australia. The country in general is distributed more evenly (50.7 per cent and 49.3 per cent).
Does Senegal speak French?
Some 39 languages are spoken in Senegal, including French (the official language) and Arabic.
Is Belgium a French-speaking country?
Like any other country, Belgium also has official languages. These are Dutch, French and German. These three languages are spoken in areas that are more or less delineated. Mid-last century, language areas were delineated on the basis of language use.
