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The Franks From the third century on, Western Europe was invaded by Germanic tribes from the east, and some of these groups settled in Gaul . For the history of the French language, the most important of these groups are the Franks in northern France, the Alemanni in the German/French border, the Burgundians in the Rhone valley and the Visigoth s in the Aquitaine region and Spain. These Germanic-speaking groups had a profound effect on the Latin spoken in their respective regions, altering both the pronunciation and the Syntax . They also introduced a number of new words. Sources disagree on how much vocabulary of modern French comes from Germanic words, ranging from just 400 words to 2% of modern vocabulary . The initial Germanic 'w-' became a 'g(u)-' in Francien, such as in the Germanic ''werra'' which became ''guerre'' (war). Langue d'Oïl The medieval Italian poet and Langue D'oc are the two major groups; the third group, Franco-Provençal , displays features in common with both other groups, without belonging to either. The Oïl–Oc divide may be broadly compared to the divide illustrated by the use of "yes" in English and "aye" in Scots . The Romance language group in the north of France is that of the langue d'oïl, the languages which use ''oïl'' (in modern usage, ''oui'') for "yes". These languages, like Picard , Walloon , Francien , were influenced by the Germanic Languages spoken by the Frankish invaders; Norman was later also heavily influenced by the Norse settlers who founded the Norman state. From the time period Clovis I on, the Franks extended their rule over northern Gaul. Over time, the French language developed from either the Oïl language found around Paris (the Francien theory) or from a standard administrative language based on common characteristics found in all Oïl languages (the Lingua Franca theory). Oïl derives from the Latin ''hoc ille'' ("that is it"). Langue d'oc, the languages which use ''oc'' for "yes", is the language group in the south of France and northern Spain . These languages, such as Gascon and Provençal , have relatively little Frankish influence. Oc/òc derive from the Latin ''hoc''. Modern French has two words for "yes", ''oui'' and ''si''; the latter is used to contradict negative statements or respond to negative questions. ''Si'' derives from Latin ''sic'' ("thus"), and is cognate to the word for "yes" in Spanish, Italian, and Catalan. Foreign language groups The early middle ages also saw the influence of other linguistic groups on the dialects of France: From the 5th to the 8th centuries, Celtic-speaking peoples from southwestern Britain ( Wales , Cornwall , Devon ) travelled across the English Channel , both for reasons of trade and as a result of the Anglo-Saxon invasions of England. They established themselves in Brittany . Their language was a dialect of the Brythonic Languages , which has been named Breton in more recent centuries. It is part of the larger Celtic Language family, though the modern dialects reflect a noticeable influence from French in their vocabulary. From the 6th to the 7th centuries, the Vascons crossed over the Pyrenees , a mountain range in the south of France. Their presence influenced the Occitan Language spoken in southwestern France, resulting in the dialect called Gascon . Scandinavian Vikings invaded France from the 9th Century onwards and established themselves in what would come to be called Normandie (Normandy). They took up the Langue D'oïl spoken there and contributed many words to French related to maritime activities, amongst other things. With their Conquest of England in 1066 , the Normans brought Their Language . The dialect that developed there as a language of administration and literature is referred to as Anglo-Norman . Anglo-Norman served as the language of the ruling classes and commerce in England from the time of the conquest until 1362 , when the use of English became dominant again. Because of the Norman Conquest, the English Language has borrowed a considerable amount of its vocabulary from French. The Arab peoples also supplied many words to French around this time period, including words for luxury goods, Spices , trade stuffs, sciences and Mathematics . Modern French For the period up to around 1300 , some linguists refer to the Oïl Languages collectively as Old French (''ancien français''). The earliest extant text in French is the Oaths Of Strasbourg from 842 ; Old French became a Literary Language with the '' Chansons De Geste '' that told tales of the Paladin s of Charlemagne and the Hero es of the Crusade s. By the Ordinance Of Villers-Cotterêts in 1539 King Francis I made French the Official Language of administration and court proceedings in France, ousting the Latin that had been used before then. With the imposition of a standardised chancery dialect and the loss of the declension system, the dialect is referred to as Middle French (''moyen français''). Following a period of unification, regulation and purification, the French of the 17th to the 18th Centuries is sometimes referred to as Classical French (''français classique''), although many linguists simply refer to French language from the 17th century to today as Modern French (''français moderne''). The foundation of the ). From the 17th to the 19th Centuries , France was the leading power of Europe; thanks to this, together with the influence of the Enlightenment , French was the Lingua Franca of educated Europe, especially with regards to the arts, literature, and Diplomacy ; monarchs like Frederick II Of Prussia and Catherine The Great of Russia could both speak and write in French. During the 17th and 18th Centuries , the French language established itself permanently in the Americas; colonists coming mostly from the northern and western regions of France landed in New France. The first colonists were mostly non-francophone except for the immigrants from the Paris area, who most likely spoke a popular form of French. Among the speakers of Norman , Picard , Aunis , Poitevin-Saintongeais and Breton , many understood French as a second language. Gradually, a linguistic transfer towards French occurred, leading to the linguistic unification of all the ethnic groups coming from France. According to many sources, the Canadians were all speaking French natively by the end of the 17th century, long before France itself. Today, French is the language of about 10 million people (not counting French-based creoles) in the Americas. Through the Académie, public education, centuries of official control and the role of media, a unified official French language has been forged, but there remains a great deal of diversity today in terms of regional accents and words. For some critics, the "best" pronunciation of the French language is considered to be the one used in Touraine (around Tours and the Loire River valley), but such value judgments are fraught with problems, and with the ever increasing loss of lifelong attachments to a specific region and the growing importance of the national media, the future of specific "regional" accents is often difficult to predict. Modern issues There is some debate in today's France about the preservation of the French language and the influence of English (see Franglais ), especially with regard to international business, the sciences and popular culture. There have been laws (see Toubon Law ) enacted which require that all print ads and billboards with foreign expressions include a French translation and which require quotas of French-language songs (at least 40%) on the radio. There is also pressure, in differing degrees, from some regions as well as minority political or cultural groups for a measure of recognition and support for their Regional Language s. See also References External link
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