Belgium-countries Speaking French

Belgium-countries Speaking French

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The expansion of the French language all over the world extends across the five continents. This is due to the French colonies which include many African countries. With the 54 countries that speak French, a huge portion of its population speaks the language fluently. This is the reason why French is the second most spoken and taught language in the world.

Belgium is a small but highly developed country bordered by the Netherlands, Luxembourg, Germany and France. This is one of the countries that speaks French originally - apart from France and Switzerland. Aside from considering French as Belgium's official language (which is used by mostly Walloons), the country also recognizes the Dutch (which makes up of mostly Flemish) and German language. The French-speaking parts of Belgium are located at the southern region of Wallonia. In addition French is spoken in most areas surrounding the capital of Brussels. Other countries that consider French as their official language include Algeria, Canada, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Ivory Coast, Lebanon, Luxembourg, Martinique, Monaco, Morocco, Niger, Senegal and Tunisia.

Origin of the French Language

Belgium was inhabited by the Gauls and the Celts (Celtic Tribe) whose language was one of the two main influential sources of the French language which originated from Latin. This was mostly used on the borders of the Roman Empire. The other major influential source of the French language would be the German language spoken by the Franks. The combination of these two languages gave the French language its distinction from the Italian and Spanish language.

Because of the regional differences in the French language it is no surprise that French spoken in Belgium is different than the French spoken in France. This is mostly notable in its pronunciation, semantics and vocabulary. Aside from the Belgian French, other variants include Canadian French, Cambodian French, Cajun, African French and Acadian French. There are other languages that can trace it's roots to the French including Tay Boi, Michif, Land-Patua, Chiac, and Antillean Creole, along with several others.

French as an Official Working Language in Belgium

Aside from the English language, French is also used as an official working language with organizations like the European Community - where Belgium is one of the founding members. Its capital is located in Brussels, Belgium which also happens to be the capital of the European Union which is also home to NATO and to over 900 international and non-governmental organizations.

The French language plays a very dominant role in several international organizations like;
The United Nations
UNESCO
Organization for Economic Cooperation and Development (OECD)
The International Labour Bureau
The International Olympic Committee
The 31 member Council of Europe
The Universal Postal Union
The International Red Cross
and The Union of International Associations (UIA).

The French language is the primary working language in the Press Room at the European Commission in Brussels, Belgium along with the European Court of Justice and the European Tribunal of First Instance.

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