The Strasbourg Oaths: the birth certificate of French

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Until the 9th century, there was a coexistence between Latin and Romance. Latin was studied in schools and churches. The educated spoke Latin, while the common people spoke Romance. Thus, Latin remained the written language and Romance the vulgar language.

When Charlemagne died, his three sons fought over the territory. Charles the Bald and Louis the German allied themselves against their elder brother, Lothair. In 842, they sealed their alliance by taking an oath.

Each spoke in the language that his brother's troops could understand: Teutonic (ancestor of German) for Charles and Romance (ancestor of French) for Louis. Transcribed, these oaths represent the first official texts written in French and German.

Want to know more anecdotes about the French language? Discover my article on 11 surprising facts about the French language .

The Villers-Cotterêts ordinance: French as the language of administration
Over time, the novel took hundreds of mexico whatsapp number data different forms. In particular, two main categories were distinguished: the Oïl languages ​​in the north and the Oc languages ​​in the south.

It was therefore difficult for the kings to govern the country, since the inhabitants could not understand each other from one region to another. Generally speaking, it was the language spoken near Paris that would take over: Fricien or French.

In the 15th century, Gutenberg invented the printing press, which allowed for the rapid dissemination of knowledge. In this context, it became urgent to standardize the language. The challenge was twofold: religious (translation of the Bible) and political (unification of the people).

In order for all inhabitants to understand each other, King Francis I signed the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts in 1539. By this act of law, French became the language of law and administration, to the detriment of Latin.

In other words, French becomes the official language of France. The future of the French language is assured.

Foundation of the French Academy
Birth of French

In the 17th century, French was gaining popularity. It was studied in various foreign countries. Faced with this enthusiasm, Cardinal Richelieu decided to found the Académie française. The aim was to improve and enrich the language, but also to codify it and impose standards to be respected. If today, there are all these grammar standards in French, it is largely due to the influence of the academy!

The history of French with Authentic French
From the origin of the French language to today, history has shown us that a living language never stops growing through contact with other peoples! I hope you learned a lot from this article.