User:Ekaraziw/French as a shared language

=1) Introduction=

While studying countries where French is a shared language, we have to distinguish different cases:

a)	Countries where French is one of the official languages of the country, that is to say a “co-official” language.

b)	Countries part of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF).

c)	Countries in which a large part of the population speaks French although it is not the official language.

P.S: We have to add to this list countries where French is the only official language but where are spoken other unofficial languages.

2)	Countries and states where French is a co-official language
2.2) List of countries and states where French if co-official: •	Belgium : Flemish/French/German •	Burundi : French/Kirundi •	Cameroon: French/English •	Canada: French/English •	Central Africa : French/Sango	•	Comoros : French/Arabic •	Djibouti : French/Arabic •	Equatorial Guinea: Spanish/French •	Haiti : French/Creole •	Louisiana (of the United States): French/English •	Luxembourg : French/German/Luxemburgish/ •	Madagascar : French/Madagascan/English •	Maurice : French/English/Creole •	Rwanda : Kinyarwanda/English/French •	Seychelles : French/English/Creole •	Switzerland : French/German/Italian/ •	 Chad : Arabic/French •	Aoste’s Valley: French/Italian •	Vanuatu : French/English/ Bichelamar

2)2.Some examples 2)2.1 Linguistic plurality in Belgium In Belgium the official languages are French, Flemish and German. The country is divided in three linguistic parts: Brussels, Wallonia and Flanders. Learning Flemish is compulsory in Brussels’ schools, as it is for French in the Flemish community’s schools. Conflicts began in the 60’s when Flemish where discontent to see Wallonia’s territories widen (a few kilometre every ten year). The 1st September 1963 came into force a law which fixed the linguistic boarder between Wallonia and Flanders which would both be unilingual, and declare de bilingualism of Brussels.

2)2.2 French language in Cameroon		2)2.2.1Colonisation During the 21th century, European explorers brought French to Africa through colonisation. The goals of these successive colonisations were economic ones. Every important country of the time settled in Africa and brought his culture and language. The French empire included numerous colonies as for example Tunisia, Senegal, Guinea, Ivory Coast, Algeria and Nigeria. The Belgian Kingdom possessed Congo (now called Democratic Republic of Congo since the independence). Those French and Belgian colonies had a strong impact in those countries’s linguistic. In Cameroon, the principal goals of promoting French are to strengthen the relationship between France and the African colony. Colonisers also believed that teaching their language to the natives would give them easier access to the French culture. But teaching French was not always essential for the colonisers. Catholics puritan thought it was better to evangelise natives in their own language.

2)2.2.2 French in Cameroon : some characteristics French in Cameroon is a perfect example of the heterogeneous French-speaking world. It is different from French talked in France, in Canada or Gabon. There are different varieties of Cameroon French. French of Cameroon’s North part is different for French of the country’s South part. This is due to the fact that the country is neither socially nor culturally uniform. As a consequence, French will be different from one province/department to another.

2)2.3	French in Canada

French is introduced in the American continent during the XVIIth century with the French explorer Jacques Cartier in 1534. Québec was founded by the French Samuel de Champlain in 1608. There are high chances that French emigrants going to this “New-France” had to have good knowledge of regional French before their departure. Nowadays, the official languages in Canada are English and French, the latter being minority. French is mostly spoken in the following provinces: Quebec, Ontario, New-Brunswick, Nunavut and North-Western Territories. In Quebec, French is characterized by numerous archaisms and a strong influence of English.

3)	Countries part of the International Organisation of La Francophonie (IOF)
3)1. List of countries part of the IOF Belgium; Benin ; Bulgaria ; Burkina Faso ; Burundi ; Cambodia ; Cameroon ; Canada ; Canada-New-Brunswick ; Canada-Quebec ; Cape Verde ; Central Africa ; Comoros ; Congo ; Ivory Coast ; Djibouti ; Dominique ; Egypt ; France ; Gabon ; Guinea ; Guinea-Bissau ; Equatorial Guinea; Haiti ; Laos ; Lebanon ; Luxembourg ; Madagascar ; Mali ; Morocco ; Maurice ; Mauritania ; Monaco ; Nigeria ; Romania ; Rwanda ; Sainte-Lucie ; Senegal ; Seychelles ; Switzerland ; Chad ; Togo ; Tunisia ; Vanuatu ; Viet Nam ; Zaire.

3)2.History of the IOF

The OIF includes countries where French is either the official language, or a secondary language but also includes Francophile countries where French is learned as a foreign language.

The OIF counts 890 millions of people, amongst which 220 millions of French speaker from 75 different States and Governments.

The movement of the Francophonie started in the sixties with Léopold Sédar Senghor and the Martinican poet Aimé Césaire. In 1969 took place the first conference of French speaking States. In 1986 took place the first French speaking Summit gathering leaders of States and Governments where French is used. Today the main goals of the IOF are: promoting the use and teaching of French; encouraging cultural and linguistic diversity of its members; the maintenance of peace and the establishment and/or development of democracy; the respect of Human Rights, and putting into place strategies of lasting development.

4)	Countries where a large part of the population is French speaking but where French is not the official language.
4)1. List

-Algeria

-Morocco

-Mauritania

-Lebanon

-Tunisia

-Romania

-Moldavia 4)2.Lebanon

It is interesting to talk about Lebanon because it does not only count an important number of French speakers; it is also a Francophile country. In Lebanon the official language is Arabic but we also notice the use of French and English. The linguistic plurality of Lebanon is due to its important place in the business world. This explains why so many Lebanese talk fluently French and/or English. Until the civil war, some Christian communities refused to speak Arabic.

Christians used to go to high schools where the lessons we given in French. Thus theses communities became French speaking. French is generally spoken by wealthy classes of the population.

Although english development these last years in the country, French stays the first foreign language in Lebanon. Indeed, 45% of the population is French speaking (against 30% of English speakers).