Old French (9th -13th centuries)
For the period up to 1300, some linguists refer to the oïl languages
collectively as Old French (ancien français). The earliest written
documents written in a distinctly Francien (from “Frankish”)
language are the so-called “Oaths of Strasbourg”, sworn
by two of Charlemagne’s grandsons in 842 AD.
From the 10th century Old French became a literary language with the
chansons de geste that told tales of the paladins of Charlemagne and
the heroes of the Crusades. French in this period was also taught in
the neighbouring countries (especially Germany).
In 987, Hugues Capet was elected king of the small kingdom of Île-de-France,
centred around Paris. Although France at this time was essentially composed
of small, independent kingdoms, this event marked the beginning of political
unity, and therefore, of linguistic unity. Capet was the first king
in the territory to speak the vernacular, and as his kingdom grew larger
and more powerful through his successors, so too did the prestige of
its language (called Francien today).
During the 10th and 11th centuries, Old French appeared in a number
of documents and religious writings, but French literature became more
prominent from the late 12th / early 13th century. The first great work
of French literature was the 'Chanson de Roland' (Song of Roland), published
in about 1200.
In the 11th to 13th centuries Old French was the dominant language
of the English administration. It was also the language of the crusaders
in the Levantine countries. The Arab people also supplied many words
to French around this time period, including words for luxury goods
(élixir, orange), spices (camphre, safran), trade stuffs (alcool,
bougie, coton), sciences (alchimie, hasard), and mathematics (algèbre,
algorithme).
With their conquest of England in 1066, the Normans brought Francien
to England. 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. As a result of the Norman Conquest, over 20,000 English words
have their origins in French.
Middle French (14th-15th centuries)
This period was marked by changes both in the
pronunciation and in grammar. The poetic fertility of medieval Provençal,
which had far surpassed that of Langue D'Oïl in the “Troubadour” period,
now gave way to a common literary language based on the dialect of Île-de-France
being promoted by writers. This was the language of the central court
and central institutions of justice and learning – the language
of Paris and the surrounding Île-de -France region.
Due to the
capital’s political prestige, the dialect of Paris gradually became
the national language, and today is accepted as the model for the French
language.
Early Modern French (16th century)
The aim of the writers of this period, as was the case of the poets
of La Pléiade, was to elevate the French language to the level
of Latin as a medium for literary expression.
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. This dialect is referred to as Middle French (moyen français).
The first grammatical description of French, the Tretté de la
Grammaire française by Louis Maigret, was published in 1550.
Since that period the government has always been involved in the development
and the standardisation of the language.
Many of the 700 words of modern
French that originate from Italian were introduced in this period,
including several denoting artistic concepts such as scenario and piano,
as well as luxury items and food.
Classical Modern French (17th-18th centuries)
The foundation of the Académie française (French Academy)
in 1634 by Cardinal Richelieu created an official body whose goal has
been the purification and preservation of the French language. This
group of 40 members is known as the Immortals because of the inscription
engraved on the official seal given to them by Richelieu: "À l'immortalité" - "to
the Immortality” (of the French language).
The grammar of the French language spoken and written today is essentially
unchanged from the late 17th century when these official efforts to
standardise, stabilise, and clarify French grammatical usage were institutionalised
in the French Academy. The purpose of this standardisation was political:
to facilitate the extension of the court’s influence and to smooth
the processes of law, administration, and commerce throughout and even
beyond the territory of France to the far-flung colonies.
From the 17th to the 19th centuries, France was the leading power of
Europe. As a result of 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. French was an international
language throughout Europe and even in the administrative correspondence
of countries such as Germany. The French of this period 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).
Contemporary Modern French (since 19th century)
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.
The Académie continues to contribute to the
policing of the language and the adaptation of foreign words and expressions.
Some recent modifications include the change from software to logiciel,
packet-boat to paquebot, and riding-coat to redingote. The word ordinateur
for computer was however not created by the Académie, but by
a linguist appointed by IBM.
Read
about French grammar and vocabulary >>>>
