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.
In this regard, is French spoken in North Africa? The number of people speaking French has shown a steady increase: up nearly 9.6% since 2014. Measuring from 2010 to today, 22.7 million more people speak French: 68% of these are sub-Saharan Africa, while 22% live in North Africa.
Frequent question, why is French so common in Africa? Africa has the most French speakers of any continent. The French language was introduced to the African continent due to colonialism. France and Belgium lost control of their African colonies in the 1950s and 1960s. However, French is still spoken in at least 29 African countries.
Considering this, where is French spoken in North Africa? In some countries it is a first language among some classes of the population, such as in Tunisia, Morocco, Mauritania and Algeria, where French is a first language among the upper classes along with Arabic (many people in the upper classes are simultaneous bilinguals in Arabic/French), but only a second language among …
Also the question is, why is French spoken in Morocco? The use of French is a colonial legacy of the French protectorate (1912–1956), and French no longer has any officially recognized status in Morocco. It is considered a prestige language in Morocco, and is often used for business, diplomacy, and government, serving as a lingua franca with non-Moroccans and non-Arabs.French in Africa: 29 Countries Where French is Spoken. French is the official language of 21 countries in Africa.
Do Senegal speak French?
French is the official language. Other languages spoken are Wolof, Pulaar, Serer, Diola and Mandingo.
Does Nigerian speak French?
Officially, French has been the second official language in this country for the past 19 years. It has also been made “compulsory” in the curriculum of primary and secondary schools across the country. French is also being taught at the tertiary level in the country.
Does Congo speak French?
The Democratic Republic of Congo is one of the most linguistically diverse countries in the world, with over 200 languages spoken in the country. While French is the official language and widely used in education and government, there are four national languages: Kikongo (Kituba), Lingala, Swahili, and Tshiluba.
Why is French spoken in Algeria?
During the French colonisation from 1830 to 1962, according to Benrabah, French “symbolized foreign exploitation and was thus to be resisted” but that “it served as a tool to raise the population’s awareness and support in favour of such resistance” because French conveyed “universal values” of liberty, equality, and …
Is South Africa French?
White South Africans form two main language groups. More than half of them are Afrikaans speakers, the descendants of mostly Dutch, French, and German settlers.
Does all of Canada speak French?
French is one of Canada’s two official languages. Although every province in Canada has people whose mother tongue is French, Québec is the only province where speakers of French are in the majority. In 2011, 7,054,975 people in Canada (21 per cent of the country’s population) had French as their mother tongue.
Does Egypt speak French?
Most educated Egyptians are fluent in English or French or both, in addition to Arabic. There are also other minor linguistic groups. The Beja of the southern section of the Eastern Desert use an Afro-Asiatic language of the Cushitic branch known as To Bedawi (though some speak Tigre and many use Arabic).
Do they speak French in Egypt?
Despite the fact that it lacks official status, Egyptian Arabic (a spoken variant of the macrolanguage) is actually the most commonly spoken language in Egypt and is considered the de facto national language. Its current form is a mixture of Arabic, Coptic, Turkish, Ottoman, French and Italian influences.
Does Tunisia speak French?
According to a survey conducted in 2020, French was the main language spoken in around 53 percent of households in Tunisia. Tunisian Arabic followed, being the main language used at home by roughly 46 percent of Tunisians. Berber language accounted for only 0.1 percent, according to the survey.
Which African country speak good French?
French is the official language in Benin, Burkina Faso, Burundi, Cameroon, the Central African Republic, Chad, Comoros, the Democratic Republic of Congo, Congo, the Ivory Coast, Djibouti, Equatorial Guinea, Gabon, Guinea, Madagascar, Mali, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, the Seychelles, and Togo.