Who Speaks French?
French is widely spoken internationally: 29 countries list French as one of their official languages!
So French is the language spoken in France of course, but French is also one the official languages of Belgium, Switzerland, QuĂ©bec, Ontario, New-Brunswick, Louisiana, Maine, VermontâŠand many African countries : Morocco, Algeria, Tunisia, Senegal, Ivory Coast, ZaĂŻre, Burundi, Rwanda, Cameroon, Gabon, Niger, Burkina Fasso, Tchad, etcâŠ
There are many countries that also used to be under French influence, or welcomed lots of French speaking migrants, and where a lot of people still speak French like Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Russia, Qatar, IsraĂ«lâŠ
More info about the way French is spoken internationally on wikipedia.
Of course, all these people speak French. Real French. No French version is âbetterâ nor âpurerâ than the other. Itâs all French.
But the French they speak may vary a bit, the same way English spoken England will vary from English spoken in Australia, or in the US.
I love this video of different English accents, it perfectly illustrates my point⊠only in English :-)
What is the Standard French Accent?
The French accent varies inside France itself, between the different regions, periods of time, social class and also personal habits!
Each personâs accent and voice is unique: age, formal education, social class will change the way one speaks. Travels and years spend abroad may also influence the accent of a person, or their parentâs origins.
The context may be a changing factor: someone will enunciate more in a formal environment, and use more slang and âslurâ among friendsâŠ
Some people hide their regional accent too. But revert to it among family.
I hope now you understand why there is such a wide variety of accents in France. If you think about it, there must be many different regional accents in the country you are from, no? And a French person speaking your language may still show a French accent, right? So itâs the same in France.
On French Todayâs French blog articles with audio and in my audiobooks to learn French, you will find my own rendition of the French accent: an upper-middle class, middle-age, Parisian female accent.
In-depth audiobook covering the foundations as well as the difficulties of todayâs French pronunciation
My accent is pretty standard, close to what has been chosen to represent âInternational Frenchâ.
What is International French?
International French represents how educated francophone should speakâŠ. I know, itâs not very PC! Youâll find more info about standard French on wikipedia.
Although the language structure is the same, vocabulary and mostly French pronunciation vary tremendously worldwide.
So before choosing a French tutor, or learning from a French learning method, you should inquire to see where the main speaker is from. If you are Caucasian American for example, it may sound strange if you end up learning French from someone with a strong Senegalese accent. If you want to move to Montreal, you may want to learn French from someone in QuĂ©bec rather than someone with a strong Southern French accentâŠ
Regional French Accents
Within France, we speak different languages: Basque and Breton might be the most intricate and are still very much spoken nowadays in these regions.
But in the old days, each region had its own dialect: occitan, gallo, gascon, provençal, corsican, aslacian âŠ
All these dialects, sometimes called âpatoisâ in French, have influenced the regional French accent and sometimes even the vocabulary used to this day in these regions.
In some regions, older folks still speak these French dialects⊠See this picture? It shows the different traditional costumes of France⊠a good way to show you visually there are many difference among French regions.
Listen to Many Regional French Accents â Audio
If you want to know more about this, there is an amazing site: theyâve recorded a classic poem from Aesop in the various French dialects: just click on the cities on the map to hear the poem in each different dialect. Itâs simply amazing. Here is the link
Paris would feature âinternationalâ French. And yes, the difference is such that I wouldnât be able to understand the poem in most of these dialects.
Below is the poemâs text in âinternationalâ French, as read if you click on âParisâ. Itâs the French I use in my French Audiobooks, and itâs likely to be the French you are learning as an international student.
La Bise et Le Soleil (Ăsope) â French Text
La bise et le soleil se disputaient, chacun assurant quâil Ă©tait le plus fort, quand ils ont vu un voyageur qui sâavançait, enveloppĂ© dans son manteau.
Ils sont tombĂ©s dâaccord que celui qui arriverait le premier Ă faire ĂŽter son manteau au voyageur serait regardĂ© comme le plus fort.
Alors, la bise sâest mise Ă souffler de toute sa force mais plus elle soufflait, plus le voyageur serrait son manteau autour de lui et Ă la fin, la bise a renoncĂ© Ă le lui faire ĂŽter.
Alors le soleil a commencĂ© Ă briller et au bout dâun moment, le voyageur, rĂ©chauffĂ© a ĂŽtĂ© son manteau.
Ainsi, la bise a du reconnaĂźtre que le soleil Ă©tait le plus fort des deux.
La Bise et Le Soleil â English translation
The wind and the sun were arguing, each asserting that he was the strongest when they saw a traveler walking towards them, wrapped in his cloak.
They agreed that whoever would be the first to manage to have the traveler remove his coat would be considered as the strongest.
Then, the wind began to blow with all its strength but the more it blew, the more the traveler clutched his coat around him and in the end, the wind gave up.
Then the sun started to shine and after a while, the traveler, now warm, took off his coat.
Thus, the wind must admit that the sun was the stronger of the two.
If you like French poetry, Iâve recorded many classical French poems this site, click here to see a list. You may also like my Easy French Poetry audiobook.
Various French Accents of the World â Videos
I thought it would be interesting for you to hear the various French accents youâll find across the world.
First, Iâd like to tell you about a wonderful resource for French films, drama, documentaries, lifestyle and more:mTV5MONDEplus : this service is FREE on all devices, offers 5,000 hours of programmes, films, drama, documentaries, lifestyle and more giving everyone a real taste of âFrancophonieâ with hit shows from France, Belgium, Canada, Switzerland and Africa : and of course, all these programs feature real-life French, not textbook French!
First âCamilleâ, featuring African French accents, then âLes Simonesâ with Canadian French accents.
Then, here are some videos I found on the web⊠You may have to wait a bit for the ad to go by first⊠Or press a button to skip the ad. Turn the CC for subtitles⊠but they often are auto-generated so there are a lot of mistakes!!
Different African French Accents
This is a comedian who mimics the different French accents youâd find through Africa. I was told she did a good job.
Tips To Improve Your French Accent
Because there are so many different French accents, itâs important students of French listen to different sources, so different French speakers, so you can become familiar with the various French accents.
Then, find a couple of voices you like, and would like to sound like, and train with these to refine your own accent.
Do pay attention to the region: what are your reasons to learn French ? Where are you going to use your French most ? Do you want to sound like a Parisian, or someone from Québec or Provence ?
Donât forget that it is OK if you donât sound exactly like a French person. You are a foreigner after all, and itâs OK if you keep a bit of your own accent. French people are quick to correct foreign speakers, and I think itâs too bad since actually, a foreign accent is often considered sexy in French!
I wrote a whole article with 9 precise steps to improve your French accent, I suggest you check it out for more tips.
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