Συγνώμη αλλά θα σε απογοητεύσω φίλε μου νιουμπά (ένα μόλις μήνυμα)!
Αγγλική Βικιπαιδεία (τα γαλλικά μιλιούνται σε περισσότερες από 4 χώρες στην Ευρώπη (εκτός από το ότι μιλιούνται και στον Κανάδα και σε πολλές άλλες χώρες στον Ατλαντικό, Ινδικό και Ειρηνικό ωκεανό από 425 εκατομμύρια ομιλιτές ως πρώτη η 2η γλώσσα και είναι γλώσσα που παρουσιάζει δραματική αύξηση και στην Ευρώπη και παγκοσμίως)
Ειδικότερα για την Ευρώπη (μιας και αυτό σε απασχολεί περισσότερο)
Europe
Legal status in France
See also:
Toubon Law and
Languages of France
According to the
Constitution of France, French has been the official language since 1992.
[17] (although previous legal texts have made it official since 1539, see
ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts).
France mandates the use of French in official government publications, public
education except in specific cases (though these dispositions are often ignored) and legal
contracts;
advertisements must bear a translation of foreign words.
In addition to French, there are also a variety of regional languages and dialects. France has signed the European Charter for Regional Languages, but has not ratified it since that would go against the 1958 Constitution.[
citation needed]
Switzerland
Further information:
Demographics of Switzerland and
Swiss French
French is one of the four official languages of
Switzerland (along with
German,
Italian and
Romansh) and is spoken in the part of Switzerland called
Romandie. French is the native language of about 20% of the Swiss population.
Most of Swiss French is mutually compatible with the standard French spoken in France, but it is often used with small differences, such as those involving some numbers.
Belgium
Further information:
Languages of Belgium and
Belgian French
Bilingual signs in
Brussels.
In
Belgium, French is the official language of
Wallonia (excluding the
East Cantons, which are
German-speaking) and one of the two official languages —along with
Dutch— of the
Brussels-Capital Region where it is spoken by the majority of the population, though often not as their primary language.
[18] French and German are not official languages nor recognized minority languages in the
Flemish Region, although along borders with the Walloon and Brussels-Capital regions, there are a dozen
municipalities with language facilities for French speakers. A mirror situation exists for the Walloon Region with respect to the Dutch and German languages. In total,
native French speakers make up about 40% of the country's population, while the remaining 60% speak Dutch as a first language. Of
the latter, 59% claim to speak French as a second language, meaning that about three quarters of the Belgian population can speak French.
[19][20]
Monaco and Andorra
Further information:
Languages of Monaco and
Languages of Andorra
Although
Monégasque is the national language of the
Principality of Monaco, French is the only official language, and French nationals make up some 47% of the population.
Catalan is the only official language of
Andorra; however, French is commonly used because of the proximity to France. French nationals make up 7% of the population.
Knowledge of French in the
European Union and candidate countries
[21]
Italy
Further information:
Languages of Italy
French is also an official language, along with
Italian, in the small region of
Aosta Valley,
Italy[22], although most people speak the
Franco-Provençal language, they use standard French to write. That is because[
citation needed] the international recognition of Franco-Provençal as a separated language was quite recent.
Luxembourg
Further information:
Languages of Luxembourg and
Multilingualism in Luxembourg
French is one of three official languages of
the Grand Duchy of Luxembourg, alongside
German and
Luxembourgish, the natively spoken language of Luxembourg. Luxembourg's education system is trilingual: the first years of primary school are in Luxembourgish, before changing to German; while in secondary school, the language of instruction changes to French.
The United Kingdom and the Channel Islands
Further information:
Languages of Jersey,
Languages of Guernsey, and
Languages of the United Kingdom
French is a large minority language and immigrant
language in the UK, with over 300,000 French-born people in the UK. It is also the most popular foreign language. French is understood by 23% of the UK population.
[23]
A large portion of words of the
English language (originating in Great Britain) are of French root or origin. This is partly due to the Norman Invasion, which led to
Norman French becoming the language of administration for a period in history and the use of French by sections of the aristocracy and upper classes (while the peasants and lower classes spoke an Anglo-Saxon language).
French is an official language in
Jersey and
Guernsey, the two bailiwicks collectively referred to as the
Channel Islands, although they are separate entities. Both use French to some degree, mostly in an administrative or ceremonial capacity.
Jersey Legal French is the standardized variety used in Jersey. However,
Norman (in its local forms,
Guernésiais and
Jèrriais) is the historical
vernacular of the islands.
