Did you know that they speak French in Africa? 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.
Why is French spoken in so many countries?
Many colonies gained independence after World War One and France still had a strong influence in some countries in Africa and South East Asia up until the 1960s. A result of the colonial era is that many countries still use French as a national language, even though they are no longer ruled by France.
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.
Which African country speaks French?
Only official language
Burkina Faso. Congo. DR Congo, the most populated French-speaking country in the world. Ivory Coast.
How common is French in Africa?
There are 300 million French speakers worldwide today, up almost 10% since 2014, and a recent survey showed that 44% of them live in sub-Saharan Africa. By 2050, a full 85% of French speakers could live on the continent, according to an estimate by an organisation that monitors statistics on who speaks the language.
Is French dying?
It’s not that French is dead or even dying on the global stage. French is still one of the official languages of the UN, Nato, the International Olympic Committee and Eurovision. But the days of its global pomp, when it was the language of international diplomacy and spoken by much of the global elite, are long gone.
Which African country speaks the most French?
Of these countries, Gabon comes in first as the African country with the greatest percentage of French speakers (80 percent) with Mauritius taking second at 72.7 percent and Côte d’Ivoire and Senegal tying for third with 70 percent.
Is French still relevant?
Because it’s the most useful language to have nowadays by far. Nonetheless, French is still a favourite as a second language with roughly 153 million L2 speakers , despite the fact that it’s not even one of the most spoken languages in the world. … The rich, the nobles in Europe would speak French, not the commoners.
Is French useful in Africa?
French is official language in most West African countries and it is spoken at national and functions as well as in the media. Each country may have its own way of pronouncing of some french words but on the whole French serve as a unifying factor among all these Francophone countries.
Is French hard to learn?
French is relatively easy to learn but it does take some time and effort. As French is closely related to English, I have to agree with the Foreign Language Institute that says that French belongs to the easiest group of languages to learn for English speakers. Having so much common vocabulary helps a lot!
Which is the best English speaking country in Africa?
According to the report by World Linguistic Society, Uganda has the best English speakers in Africa . According to the study carried out, the majority of Ugandans can articulate English words fluently, than any other English speaking country in Africa.
Is French an African language?
African French (French: français africain) is the generic name of the varieties of the French language spoken by an estimated 141 million people in Africa in 2018 spread across 34 countries and territories.
Is French growing in Africa?
French is now the fifth most spoken world language and growing—thanks to Africans. … 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.
Which country has the most French speakers?
Unsurprisingly, France boasts the highest number of native French speakers, although its 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.
What percentage of Africa speaks English?
So, let’s review the top five: Of the 1 billion people in Africa (as of 2009), about 17% spoke Arabic, linguists say, while 13% spoke English, 11.5% spoke French, 10% spoke Swahili, and 5% spoke Hausa. And those languages only account for about half the population!
What is the fastest growing language in Africa?
French is spoken in many countries in Africa, which currently have some of the largest rates of population growth, and it’s this that makes French one of the fastest-growing languages in the world.