Editing Francization (section)

{{Short description|Expansion of the French language}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}

'''Francization''' (in [[American English]], [[Canadian English]], and [[Oxford English]]) or '''Francisation''' (in other [[British English]]), also known as '''Frenchification''', is the expansion of [[French language]] use—either through willful adoption or coercion—by more and more social groups who had not before used the language as a common means of expression in daily life.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/francis%C3%A9|title=FRANCISÉ : Définition de FRANCISÉ|website=Ortolang|publisher=Centre National de Ressources Textuelles et Lexicales|language=fr|access-date=2017-12-30}}</ref><ref>''Dictionnaire Général Et Grammatical, Des Dictionnaires Français'', Tome 2°, 1851.</ref><ref>''Nouveau Vocabulaire Français, Où L'on A Suivi L'orthographe Adoptée''.</ref><ref>''Le Québécois - Dictionnaires et Langues''.</ref> As a linguistic concept, known usually  as '''gallicization''', it is the practice of modifying foreign words, names, and phrases to make them easier to spell, pronounce, or understand in French.

According to the [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie]] (OIF), the figure of 220 million [[Francophones]] (French-language speakers) is underestimated<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv5.org/cms/chaine-francophone/info/Les-dossiers-de-la-redaction/sommet-francophonie-montreux-octobre-2010/p-13329-Francophonie-un-avenir-africain.htm|title=TV5MONDE : TV internationale francophone : Info, Jeux, Programmes TV, Météo, Dictionnaire|publisher=Tv5.org|access-date=2015-05-29|archive-date=5 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140805154426/http://www.tv5.org/cms/chaine-francophone/info/Les-dossiers-de-la-redaction/sommet-francophonie-montreux-octobre-2010/p-13329-Francophonie-un-avenir-africain.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> because it only counts people who can write, understand and speak French fluently, thus excluding a majority of African French-speaking people, who do not know how to write.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afriqueavenir.org/2010/10/15/l%E2%80%99afrique-un-continent-refuge-pour-la-francophonie/|title=L'Afrique, un continent refuge pour la francophonie|date=2010-10-15|website=Afrique Avenir|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120409234328/http://www.afriqueavenir.org/2010/10/15/l%E2%80%99afrique-un-continent-refuge-pour-la-francophonie/|archive-date=2012-04-09|access-date=2015-05-29}}</ref>

In 2014, a study from the French bank [[Natixis]] claimed French will become the world's most-spoken language by 2050.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.france24.com/fr/20140326-francais-langue-etude-2050-forbes/|title=FRANCE - Le français, langue la plus parlée en 2050 ?|date=2014-03-26|publisher=France24.com|access-date=2015-05-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://rue89.nouvelobs.com/2014/03/25/francais-sera-langue-plus-parlee-2050-250956|title=Le français sera la langue la plus parlée dans le monde en 2050 - Rue89 - L'Obs|first=Pierre|last=Haski|date=2014-03-25|publisher=Rue89.nouvelobs.com|language=fr|access-date=2015-05-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lesinrocks.com/2014/04/07/actualite/le-francais-sera-t-il-la-langue-la-plus-parlee-en-2050-11496161/|title=Le français sera-t-il la langue la plus parlée en 2050 ?|publisher=Lesinrocks.com|access-date=2015-05-29}}</ref> However, critics of the study state that French coexists with other languages in many countries and the study's estimates are prone to exaggeration.

The number of Francophones in the world has been rising substantially since the 1980s. In 1985, there were 106 million Francophones around the world. That number quickly rose to 173.2 million in 1997, 200 million in 2005, 220 million in 2010 (+10% from 2007).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rfi.fr/general/20101021-francophonie-progresse-pas-afrique |title=La Francophonie ne progresse pas qu'en Afrique - Général - RFI |date=21 October 2010 |publisher=Rfi.fr |access-date=2015-05-29}}</ref> and reached 274 million in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.francophonie.org/274-millions-de-francophones-dans.html|title=274 millions de francophones dans le monde - Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|website=www.francophonie.org|access-date=2017-12-30|archive-date=7 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107100906/http://www.francophonie.org/274-millions-de-francophones-dans.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Forecasts expect that the number of French speakers in Africa alone will reach 400 million in 2025, 715 million (readjusted in 2010)<ref>{{in lang|fr}} ''Cahiers québécois de démographie'', vol. 31, n° 2, 2003, p. 273-294.</ref> by 2050 and reach 1 billion and 222 million in 2060 (readjusted in 2013).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/culture/2013/03/20/03004-20130320ARTFIG00318-un-milliard-de-francophones-en-2060.php |title=Un milliard de francophones en 2060 |work=Le Figaro|date=2013-03-20 |access-date=2015-05-29}}</ref> The worldwide French-speaking population is expected to quadruple, whereas the world population is predicted to grow by half.<ref>{{in lang|fr}} ''Cahiers québécois de démographie'', vol. 32, no 2, 2003, p. 273-294</ref>