French

French is a Romance language of the Indo-European family. It developed from Gallo-Romance in the region that is now France and parts of Belgium, with later influence from Frankish languages. It emerged as a distinct language in the Middle Ages and has become the basis for modern standard French, the official language of France and a major language of international communication. Today, French is spoken as a first or second language by hundreds of millions of people worldwide.

French is an official language in many countries across Europe, Africa, the Americas, the Caribbean, and the Pacific, and it is used in diplomacy, administration, education, and media. National and regional varieties exist, including Metropolitan French, Canadian French, and numerous African forms. Although mutual intelligibility is high among varieties, pronunciation, vocabulary, and some grammatical features differ. Standard French is codified by institutions such as the Académie française and is taught in schools in Francophone regions.

French uses the Latin alphabet with diacritics. Its writing system follows conventions of modern French spelling and punctuation; the Académie française historically regulates language usage, although actual practice varies by country. The language forms a central part of Francophone identity and culture and remains a key language in international organizations such as the United Nations and the European Union.