This article is part of the series on: Image File history File links Flag_of_La_Francophonie. ... French language French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ...

Dialects and History Orthography Reforms Use of the circumflex Phonology Liaison Elision Grammar Verbs Conjugation Verb morphology Articles and determiners Adverbs Pronouns Personal Pronouns Francophonie

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Standard French (in French: le français standard, le français neutre or even le français international) is an unofficial term for a standard variety of the French language. It is the set of spoken and written formal varieties used by the educated francophones of several world nations. As such it is a prestige dialect. With French being a pluricentric language, Standard French comprises various linguistic norms, i.e. what actually makes up a language or a specific variety thereof. Regarding syntax, morphology, and orthography, Standard French is explained in various works on grammar and style such as the Bescherelle, a reference summary of verb conjugations first compiled in the 19th century by the Bescherelle brothers from France, and Le Bon Usage written in the 20th century by Belgian grammarian Maurice Grevisse. Standard French is also the language of dictionaries, higher education, the press, television and radio broadcasting in addition to government and business related communication. Dialects of the French language are spoken in France and around the world. ... French is a Romance language (meaning that it is descended from Latin) that evolved out of the Gallo-Romance dialects spoken in Northern France. ... Note: This page contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... The orthography of French was already more or less fixed, and from a phonological point of view outdated, when its lexicography developed in the late 17th century and the Académie française was mandated to establish an official prescriptive norm. ... The circumflex (^) is one of the five diacritics used in the French language. ... Note: This page contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... In French, elision (from elide, to leave out or omit) refers to the practise of combining two logically separate words into one for the convenience of pronunication in live conversation. ... French has a grammar similar to that of the other Romance languages. ... French verbs are a complex area of French grammar, with a conjugation scheme that allows for three finite moods (with anywhere from one to five synthetic tenses), three non-finite moods, three voices, and two aspects. ... Main article: French verbs French verbs are divided into three conjugations (conjugaisons) by the ending of their infinitives: -er verbs, -ir verbs, and -re verbs. ... In French, a verb is inflected to reflect its mood and tense, as well as to agree with its subject in person and number. ... In French, articles and determiners are required on almost every common noun; much more so than in English. ... French adverbs, like their English counterparts, are used to modify adjectives, other adverbs, and verbs or clauses. ... French pronouns are inflected to indicate their role in the sentence (subject, direct object, and so on), as well as to reflect the person, gender, and number of their referrents. ... Personal pronouns in French: The French possessive pronouns (mon, ma, mes, ton, ta, tes, son, sa, ses, notre, notre, nos, votre, votre, vos, leur, leur, leurs) are technically adjectives because they decline into masculine, feminine and plural forms and further agree with their heads (not their antecedents). ... Motto Égalité, Complémentarité, Solidarité Members and participants of La Francophonie. ... A standard language (also standard dialect or standardized dialect) is a particular variety of a language that has been given either legal or quasi-legal status. ... French (français, langue française) is one of the most important Romance languages, outnumbered in speakers only by Spanish and Portuguese. ... A variety of a language is a form that differs from other forms of the language systematically and coherently. ... This article or section does not adequately cite its references or sources. ... A prestige dialect is the dialect spoken by the most prestigious people in a speech community large enough to sustain multiple dialects. ... A pluricentric language is a language with several standard versions. ... A standard language (also standard dialect or standardized dialect) is a particular variety of a language that has been given either legal or quasi-legal status. ... For other uses, see Syntax (disambiguation). ... For other uses, see Morphology. ... The orthography of a language specifies the correct way of writing in that language. ... For the surname, see Grammer. ... A Bescherelle is a French language reference book providing verb conjugations. ... It has been suggested that Verbal agreement be merged into this article or section. ... In linguistics, conjugation is the creation of derived forms of a verb from its principal parts by inflection (regular alteration according to rules of grammar). ... This article is about grammar from a linguistic perspective. ... Maurice Grevisse (October 7, 1895—July 4, 1980) is a Belgian grammarian. ... The University of Cambridge is an institute of higher learning. ... Print media includes newspapers, magazines, and the like. ... Broadcasting is the distribution of audio and/or video signals which transmit programs to an audience. ...

In France, Standard French is based on the pronunciation and vocabulary used in the formal registers of Metropolitan French, dominated by Paris and called "Parisian French" while not taking into account the multiple other registers used daily in the nation's capital. In Quebec, Standard French is more often called "international French" or "Radio Canada French" owing to decades of a foreign, European pronunciation dominating both news and cultural broadcasts up until the 1970s. In the rest of Francophone Canada, the spoken and written varieties of formal Quebec French as well as language in Government of Canada documents and speeches are viewed as Standard French. Linguists have been debating what actually consistitutes the norm for Standard French in Quebec and Canada on a lexical level since research to date has concentrated much more on the differences from informal varieties of Quebec French and Acadian French. Since French-speaking Canadians use reference works written by the French, by Belgians, and by reputed Canadian linguists^{[disambiguation needed]} and lexicographers alike, the answers concerning an endogenous norm are not always apparent. Look up pronunciation in Wiktionary, the free dictionary. ... In linguistics, the lexis of a language is the entire store of its lexical items. ... French is a Romance language spoken originally in France, Belgium, and Switzerland, and today by about 130 million people around the world as a mother tongue or fluent second language, with significant populations in 54 countries. ... City flag City coat of arms Motto: Fluctuat nec mergitur (Latin: Tossed by the waves, she does not sink) The Eiffel Tower in Paris, as seen from the esplanade du Trocadéro. ... Motto: Je me souviens (French: I remember) Capital Quebec City Largest city Montreal Official languages French Government - Lieutenant-Governor Pierre Duchesne - Premier Jean Charest (PLQ) Federal representation in Canadian Parliament - House seats 75 - Senate seats 24 Confederation July 1, 1867 (1st) Area  Ranked 2nd - Total 1,542,056 km² (595... Télévision de Radio-Canada, often simply Radio-Canada, is the main French language television service of the Canadian Broadcasting Corporation. ... This does not cite any references or sources. ... Bold text The Canada wordmark, used by most agencies of the Canadian federal government. ... Note: This page or section contains IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. ... The following is a list of linguists, those who study linguistics. ... A lexicographer is a person devoted to the study of lexicography, especially an author of a dictionary. ... The word endogenous means arising from within. Compare exogenous. ...

Although Standard French has in fact undergone centuries of human intervention and language planning, popular opinion, however, contends that Standard French should consist solely of the rulings by the Académie Française in France, or in standardization from terminological work by the Office québécois de la langue française in Quebec. There is further perceived or actual linguistic hegemony in favor of France by virtue of tradition, former imperialism, and a demographic majority. Such notions hinge on linguistic prestige rather than on a linguistic norm. Also, despite the existence of many regional varieties of French in the Francophone world, Standard French is normally chosen as a model for learners of French as a foreign or second language. The standard pronunciation of Metropolitan French is, out of concerns for comprehension or social stigma, sometimes favored over other standard national pronunciations when teaching French to non-native speakers in Francophone nations other than France. Language planning refers to deliberate efforts to influence the behaviour of others with respect to the acquisition, structure, or functional allocation of language. ... The Académie française In the French educational system an académie LAcadémie française, or the French Academy, is the pre-eminent French learned body on matters pertaining to the French language. ... Terminology is the study of terms and their use — of words and compound words that are used in specific contexts. ... The Office québécois de la langue française (OQLF) (Quebec Office of the French language) was established on March 24, 1961 along with the Quebec ministry of Cultural affairs. ... Hegemony (pronounced or ) (Greek: ) is the dominance of one group over other groups, with or without the threat of force, to the extent that, for instance, the dominant party can dictate the terms of trade to its advantage; more broadly, cultural perspectives become skewed to favor the dominant group. ... This article or section does not cite any references or sources. ... Demographics refers to selected population characteristics as used in government, marketing or opinion research, or the demographic profiles used in such research. ... A prestige dialect is the dialect spoken by the most prestigious people in a speech community large enough to sustain multiple dialects. ... A second language is any language other than the first, or native, language learned; it is typically used because of geographical or social reasons. ... Social stigma is severe social disapproval of personal characteristics or beliefs that are against cultural norms. ...

See also

• Language policy in France
• French grammar
• French phonology
• French dialects