Editing French language (section)

=== Africa ===
{{clear}}
{{Main|African French}}
[[File:NativevsOfficial.png|thumb|Official status of French in Africa as of 2025:<br>{{legend|#00AAE2|Countries in which it is an official ''de jure'' language}}
{{legend|#02007F|Regions in which is spoken as a native language}}]]
[[File:Francophone Africa 2023.png|thumb|Countries of Africa by percentage of French speakers in 2023
{{legend|#c6dbef|0–10% Francophone}}
{{legend|#9ecae1|11–20% Francophone}}
{{legend|#6baed6|21–30% Francophone}}
{{legend|#4292c6|31–40% Francophone}}
{{legend|#2171b5|41–50% Francophone}}
{{legend|#084594|>50% Francophone}}]]

The majority of the world's French-speaking population lives in Africa; while it is an official language in 18 countries, it is not spoken as a first language by the majority, acting mainly as a second one or a [[lingua franca]] due to the many indigenous languages spoken in the territories.<ref>{{Cite news|date=2019-04-07|title=Why the future of French is African|language=en-GB|work=BBC News|url=https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47790128|access-date=2021-04-24|archive-date=11 April 2021|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210411215818/https://www.bbc.com/news/world-africa-47790128|url-status=live}}</ref> According to a 2023 estimate from the {{lang|fr|Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|italic=no}}, an estimated 167 million African people spread across 35 countries and territories{{efn|29 full members of the [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie]] (OIF): [[Benin]], [[Burkina Faso]], [[Burundi]], [[Cameroon]], [[Cape Verde]], [[Central African Republic]], [[Chad]], [[Comoros]], [[Democratic Republic of the Congo|DR Congo]], [[Republic of the Congo]], [[Ivory Coast|Côte d'Ivoire]], [[Djibouti]], [[Egypt]], [[Equatorial Guinea]], [[Gabon]], [[Guinea]], [[Guinea-Bissau]], [[Madagascar]], [[Mali]], [[Mauritania]], [[Mauritius]], [[Morocco]], [[Niger]], [[Rwanda]], [[São Tomé and Príncipe]], [[Senegal]], [[Seychelles]], [[Togo]], and [[Tunisia]]. <br />One associate member of the OIF: [[Ghana]].<br />Two observers of the OIF: [[Gambia]] and [[Mozambique]].<br />One country not member or observer of the OIF: [[Algeria]].<br />Two French territories in Africa: [[Réunion]] and [[Mayotte]].}} can speak French as either a [[first language|first]] or a [[second language]];<ref>{{Cite web |last=Observatoire de la langue française de l'[[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie]] |title=Francoscope. « 327 millions de francophones dans le monde en 2023 » |url=https://www.odsef.fss.ulaval.ca/sites/odsef.fss.ulaval.ca/files/uploads/Pr%C3%A9sentation_FRANCOSCOPE_2023-03-15_Finale.pdf |access-date=2024-02-05 |archive-date=15 April 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230415152637/https://www.odsef.fss.ulaval.ca/sites/odsef.fss.ulaval.ca/files/uploads/Pr%C3%A9sentation_FRANCOSCOPE_2023-03-15_Finale.pdf |url-status=live }}</ref><ref name="2023_speakers">{{Cite web |last=Observatoire démographique et statistique de l'espace francophone (ODSEF) |title=Estimation du pourcentage et des effectifs de francophones (2023-03-15) |url=https://www.outils-odsef-fss.ulaval.ca/francoscope/tab/tab.html |access-date=2024-02-05 |archive-date=24 January 2024 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240124215019/https://outils-odsef-fss.ulaval.ca/francoscope/tab/tab.html |url-status=live }}</ref> only 1,2 million of these spoke it as a first language according to [[Ethnologue]].<ref>{{cite web|last=|first=|date=|title=French|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/language/fra|access-date=2021-01-15|website=Ethnologue.com}}</ref> This number does not include the people living in non-Francophone African countries who have learned French as a foreign language. Due to the rise of French in Africa, the total French-speaking population worldwide is expected to reach 700 million people in 2050.<ref name="2023_data_sheet">{{cite web|url=https://www.prb.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2023-World-Population-Data-Sheet-Booklet.pdf|title=2023 World Population Data Sheet|author=[[Population Reference Bureau]]|access-date=2024-02-05|archive-date=20 February 2024|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20240220122534/https://www.prb.org/wp-content/uploads/2023/12/2023-World-Population-Data-Sheet-Booklet.pdf|url-status=live}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |last=United Nations |author-link=United Nations |title=World Population Prospects: The 2022 Revision |url=https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Files/1_Indicators%20(Standard)/EXCEL_FILES/1_General/WPP2022_GEN_F01_DEMOGRAPHIC_INDICATORS_COMPACT_REV1.xlsx |access-date=2024-02-05 |format=XLSX |archive-date=6 March 2023 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230306213755/https://population.un.org/wpp/Download/Files/1_Indicators%20%28Standard%29/EXCEL_FILES/1_General/WPP2022_GEN_F01_DEMOGRAPHIC_INDICATORS_COMPACT_REV1.xlsx |url-status=live }}</ref><ref>{{Citation |last=Cross |first=Tony |title=French language growing, especially in Africa |date=2010-03-19 |url=http://www.english.rfi.fr/africa/20100319-french-language-growing-especially-africa |publisher=Radio France Internationale |access-date=2013-05-25 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100325094856/http://www.english.rfi.fr/africa/20100319-french-language-growing-especially-africa |url-status=live |archive-date=25 March 2010}}</ref> French was the fastest growing language on the continent (in terms of either official or foreign languages).<ref>{{Cite web |date=24 November 2004 |title=Agora: La francophonie de demain |url=https://www.ledevoir.com/non-classe/69236/agora-la-francophonie-de-demain |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20230918104416/https://www.ledevoir.com/non-classe/69236/agora-la-francophonie-de-demain |archive-date=18 September 2023 |access-date=2011-06-13}}</ref><ref>{{Cite web |title=Bulletin de liaison du réseau démographie |url=http://www.demographie.auf.org/IMG/pdf/BULLETIN_No_22.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120426011333/http://www.demographie.auf.org/IMG/pdf/BULLETIN_No_22.pdf |archive-date=26 April 2012 |access-date=2011-06-14}}</ref>

While spoken mainly as a second language, French is increasingly being spoken as a native language in Francophone Africa among some communities in urban areas or the elite class. This is especially true in the cities of [[Abidjan]],<ref name=":0">{{Cite book |title=Language and National Identity in Africa |publisher=y Oxford University Press Language and National Identity in Asia |year=2008 |isbn=9780199286751 |editor-last=Simpson |editor-first=Andrew}}</ref><ref name=":1">{{Cite book |last=Ploog |first=Katja |date=25 September 2002 |title=Le français à Abidjan : Pour une approche syntaxique du non-standard Broché – 25 septembre 2002 |id={{ASIN|2271059682|country=fr}} }}</ref> [[Kinshasa]], and [[Lubumbashi]],<ref name="Carson">{{Cite journal |last=Carson |first=Ben |year=2023 |title='A Metamorphosed Language': Tracing Language Attitudes Towards Lubumbashi Swahili and French in the DRC |url=https://eprints.soas.ac.uk/40382/1/Final_SWPL21_Carson.pdf |journal=SOAS Working Papers in Linguistics |volume=21 |pages=30–45}}</ref><ref name=":7">{{Cite web |last=Lu |first=Marcus |date=August 31, 2024 |title=Mapped: Top 15 Countries by Native French Speakers |url=https://www.visualcapitalist.com/mapped-top-15-countries-by-native-french-speakers/}}</ref><ref name=":8">{{Cite journal |last=Hulstaert |first=Karen |date=2018-11-02 |title="French and the school are one" – the role of French in postcolonial Congolese education: memories of pupils |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/326888188 |journal=Paedagogica Historica |language=en |volume=54 |issue=6 |pages=822–836 |doi=10.1080/00309230.2018.1494203 |issn=0030-9230}}</ref><ref name=":9">{{Cite journal |last1=Katabe |first1=Isidore M. |last2=Tibategeza |first2=Eustard R. |date=2023-01-17 |title=Language-in-Education Policy and Practice in the Democratic Republic of Congo |url=https://www.ej-lang.org/index.php/ejlang/article/view/58 |journal=European Journal of Language and Culture Studies |volume=2 |issue=1 |pages=4–12 |doi=10.24018/ejlang.2023.2.1.58 |issn=2796-0064|doi-access=free }}</ref> [[Douala]],<ref name=":3">{{Cite web |last=Fonyuy |first=Kelen Ernesta |date=October 24, 2024 |title=Revitalizing Cameroon Indigenous Languages Usage in Empowering Realms |url=https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/server/api/core/bitstreams/ab9d0f98-1724-4994-9c01-72582a009845/content}}</ref><ref name=":4">{{Cite web |last=Rosendal |first=Tove |year=2008 |title=Multilingual Cameroon Policy, Practice, Problems and Solutions |url=http://ndl.ethernet.edu.et/bitstream/123456789/34485/1/8.pdf }}</ref> [[Libreville]],<ref name=":5">{{Cite journal |last=Ndinga-Koumba-Binza |first=H.S. |date=2011-06-22 |title=From foreign to national: a review of the status of the French language in Gabon |url=https://literator.org.za/index.php/literator/article/view/15 |journal=Literator |volume=32 |issue=2 |pages=135–150 |doi=10.4102/lit.v32i2.15 |issn=2219-8237|doi-access=free }}</ref><ref name=":6">{{Cite web |last=Ursula |first=Reutner |date=December 2023 |title=Manual of Romance Languages in Africa |url=https://www.researchgate.net/publication/376319724 }}</ref> [[Antananarivo]],<ref name="Øyvind_2024">{{Cite web |last=Øyvind |first=Dahl |date=June 19, 2024 |title=Linguistic policy challenges in Madagascar |url=https://core.ac.uk/download/pdf/225930576.pdf |access-date=June 19, 2024 |website=core.ac.uk}}</ref> Cotonou,<ref>{{Cite web |last=Fahrney |first=Megan |date=28 February 2025 |title=Emphasis on French and English accelerates decline of local language in Benin |url=https://globalvoices.org/2025/02/28/emphasis-on-french-and-english-accelerates-decline-of-local-language-in-benin/ |url-status=live}}</ref> and Brazzaville.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Massoumou |first=Omer |date=April 12, 2025 |title=The Republic of Congo Francophone Country |url=https://www.scribd.com/document/707596878/The-Republic-of-Congo-francophone-country |url-status=live}}</ref> However, some African countries such as [[Algeria]] intermittently attempted to remove the use of French in favor of native languages, and it was removed as an official language in [[Mali]], [[Burkina Faso]], and [[Niger]] in 2023, 2024, and 2025, respectively.<ref name=Africanews>{{Cite web |date= 26 July 2023|title=Mali drops French as official language |url=https://www.africanews.com/2023/07/26/mali-drops-french-as-official-language/ |access-date=2024-03-28 |website=Africanews |language=en}}</ref><ref name=Africanews2>{{Cite web |date=2023-12-07 |title=Burkina abandons French as an official language |url=https://www.africanews.com/2023/12/07/burkina-abandons-french-as-an-official-language/ |access-date=2024-03-28 |website=Africanews |language=en}}</ref><ref name=hasual>{{cite web|url=https://africa.businessinsider.com/local/lifestyle/niger-downgrades-french-as-it-distances-from-its-colonial-past-with-a-new-official/xl6ldbr|title=Niger downgrades French as it distances from its colonial past with a new official language|date=8 April 2025|first=Chinedu|last=Okafor|access-date=8 April 2025|work=Business Insider}}</ref>

There is not a single [[African French]], but multiple forms that diverged through contact with various indigenous [[African languages]].<ref>{{Cite web |title=Annonces import export Francophone |url=http://www.cecif.com/?page=la_francophonie#francaisafrique |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117012244/http://www.cecif.com/?page=la_francophonie#francaisafrique |archive-date=17 January 2013 |access-date=2 March 2007 |website=cecif.com}}</ref>

[[Sub-Saharan Africa]] is the region where the French language is most likely to expand, because of the expansion of education and rapid population growth.<ref>[http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/France-priorities_1/francophony-french-language_1113/french-language_1934/french-language-in-the-world_3441/the-french-language-in-the-world-an-expanding-community_4289.html France-Diplomatie] {{webarchive |url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090727195522/http://www.diplomatie.gouv.fr/en/France-priorities_1/francophony-french-language_1113/french-language_1934/french-language-in-the-world_3441/the-french-language-in-the-world-an-expanding-community_4289.html |date=27 July 2009 }} "Furthermore, the demographic growth of Southern hemisphere countries leads us to anticipate a new increase in the overall number of French speakers."</ref> It is also where the language has evolved the most in recent years.<ref>{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.cecif.com/?page=la_francophonie "Le français, langue en évolution. Dans beaucoup de pays francophones, surtout sur le continent africain, une proportion importante de la population ne parle pas couramment le français (même s'il est souvent la langue officielle du pays). Ce qui signifie qu'au fur et à mesure que les nouvelles générations vont à l'école, le nombre de francophones augmente : on estime qu'en 2015, ceux-ci seront deux fois plus nombreux qu'aujourd'hui.] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117012244/http://www.cecif.com/?page=la_francophonie |date=17 January 2013 }}"</ref><ref>{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.cecif.com/?page=la_francophonie#francaisafrique c) Le sabir franco-africain] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130117012244/http://www.cecif.com/?page=la_francophonie#francaisafrique |date=17 January 2013 }}: {{lang|fr|"C'est la variété du français la plus fluctuante. Le sabir franco-africain est instable et hétérogène sous toutes ses formes. Il existe des énoncés où les mots sont français mais leur ordre reste celui de la langue africaine. En somme, autant les langues africaines sont envahies par les structures et les mots français, autant la langue française se métamorphose en Afrique, donnant naissance à plusieurs variétés."}}</ref> Some vernacular forms of French in Africa can be difficult to understand for French speakers from other countries,<ref>{{in lang|fr}} [http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/afrique/centrafrique.htm République centrafricaine] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070405113112/http://www.tlfq.ulaval.ca/axl/afrique/centrafrique.htm |date=5 April 2007 }}: {{lang|fr|Il existe une autre variété de français, beaucoup plus répandue et plus permissive : le français local. C'est un français très influencé par les langues centrafricaines, surtout par le sango. Cette variété est parlée par les classes non-instruites, qui n'ont pu terminer leur scolarité. Ils usent ce qu'ils connaissent du français avec des emprunts massifs aux langues locales. Cette variété peut causer des problèmes de compréhension avec les francophones des autres pays, car les interférences linguistiques, d'ordre lexical et sémantique, sont très importantes.}} (''One example of a variety of African French that is difficult to understand for European French speakers'').</ref> but written forms of the language are very closely related to those of the rest of the French-speaking world.