France has more linguistic diversity than meets the eye, even considering how many people speak French. Though French is the official language of France and is spoken by the vast majority of its residents, the languages spoken in France’s specific regions and communities bring additional vibrancy to its culture.
Learning these languages for a trip to France may not be as practical as learning French, they can help you build deeper connections with many communities.
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How many languages are spoken in France?
Over 75 Langues de France (languages of France) have been recognized and inventoried in the Ministère de la Culture (Ministry of Culture) census, over 50 of which are spoken in France’s overseas territories.
Regional Languages recognized in France include:
- Alsacien
- Basque
- Breton
- Catalan
- Corse
- Flamand Occidental
- Francique (3 forms/dialects)
- Francoprovençal
- Les Langues d’Oïl (9 languages)
- Occitan (6 forms/dialects)
- parlers du Croissant
- parlers liguriens
French has its own sign language, Langue de Signes Français (LSF), which is estimated to be practiced by over 100,000 people as of 2019.
The French Ministry of Culture also recognizes that the role of French in overseas territories is mainly in administrative capacities, public service, and media, while over 50 other local languages are commonly spoken at home and in social life.
Langues non territoriales (non-territorial languages)
The French Ministry of Culture recognizes six “non-territorial” languages as langues de France (languages of France). These fit three criteria:
- They originated outside of French territory.
- They have been spoken by French citizens for multiple generations.
- They do not have official status in their territories of origin.
These six languages are:
- l’arabe dialectal maghrébin (Maghreb Arabic dialect)
- l’arménien occidental (Western Armenian)
- le berbère (Berber)
- le judéo-espagnol (Ladino)
- le romani (Romany)
- le yiddish (Yiddish)
The language with the second-highest number of speakers in France overall is Maghrebi Arabic, spoken by 3-4 million people. French colonization was particularly strong in Algeria, Morocco, and Tunisia, and several other Arab countries had degrees of French influence. Today, there is a significant community of immigrants from those countries in France.
Creole languages (mix of French and another language) and Berber comprise another 2 million speakers.
Other languages spoken in France
Some significant immigrant languages spoken in France but not considered langues de France include:
- l’arabe (standard Arabic)
- le portugais (Portuguese)
- l’espagnol (Spanish)
- l’italien (Italian)
- l’allemand (German)
- le turc (Turkish)
- l’anglais (English)
France also values foreign language education from an early age. English, Spanish, Italian, and German are commonly taught in French schools. After all, bilingualism and multilingualism are practical in Europe, so French citizens are often able to communicate stress-free in English-speaking countries and beyond.
What is the official language of France?
French is the only official language in the constitution of the French Republic. Article 2 of the Constitution of 1958 states that “The language of the Republic shall be French.”
While France has a history of efforts to wipe out other languages and universalize French through policy and education, more recent movements strive to recognize the linguistic heritage of the many languages spoken in France and its Départments d’Outre-Mer (overseas territories).
In 1999, France signed (without fully ratifying) the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages. The 2008 revisions to the Constitution of 1958 (Article 75-1) inscribed these languages as part of France’s cultural heritage. Both signatures indicate the commitment to protect and promote minority languages without threatening the official status of French.
Most Spoken Languages in France
French, as the official language of France, has the most locuteurs (speakers), but many regional languages are still commonly understood and spoken. Despite recent efforts, many of these minority languages are shrinking as the population ages. Many are considered threatened, appearing in UNESCO’s Atlas of the World’s Languages in Danger.
Le français (French)
French is by far the most spoken language in France, with 97% of its population considered Francophone. French is also the 4th most used language on the internet. French speakers take great pride in their language. That pride is reflected in its governing body, called L’académie Française. Since the 17th century, they’ve tasked themselves with chronicling and upholding the language’s many intricacies, while also highlighting occasional changes to language standards.
Even among the vast immigrant communities that speak other languages, French is très important (very important).
- 89% speak French at their place of employment within 4 years of arrival
- 85% speak French at home and in their private lives
- 90% of immigrants’ children learn French with their parents
If you’re wondering, “Is French hard to learn?” these statistics may reassure you.
L’alsacien (Alsatian)
L’alsacien is a regional language in the northeast France Alsace region, a territory that France and Germany fought over for centuries. The dialect is mostly mutually intelligible with Swiss German, connecting many speakers from German-speaking countries. Alsatian is also spoken by some in the United States, called the Swiss Amish.
According to a Library of Congress Regional and Minority Languages in France guide, there were 650,000 regular speakers of Alsatian, one of the largest numbers of speakers of minority regional languages in France. More recent studies have since shown that the number of people who can speak it well is dropping sharply, particularly among the youth.
Les langues d’oïl (the Oïl languages )
A 1999 INSEE study estimated around 570,000 habitual speakers of les langues d’oïl. This group of nine dialects includes le normand, le gallo, le lorrain, and le franc-comtois. They survive primarily in the northern half of France, especially in rural areas. All of these languages share a common ancestor with the Standard French we know today and contributed loanwords as it developed.
L’occitan (Occitan language)
L’occitan, also known as langue d’oc, is a Romance language primarily spoken in Southern France. Some people also refer to it as provençal, but that’s actually a dialect of Occitan, and fascinating in its own right. In addition to the South of France, you’ll find Occitan speakers in Monaco, Italy’s Occitan Valley, and parts of Spain’s Catalonia region.
Around 7% of the population of La Nouvelle-Aquitaine and L’Occitanie speaks these dialects, which represents around 542,000 people. If you include provençale, gascon, and niçois around the southern half of France, this number could be as high as 2 million, not all of whom reside in France (Library of Congress guide).
Le catalan (Catalan)
Near the border with Spain is an area of France that is home to around 126,000 Catalan speakers (Library of Congress guide). Catalan is most commonly associated with Spain’s Catalonia region, with the majority of Catalan speakers residing there.
Though Catalan has no official status in the rest of France, it’s an official language of the Pyrénées-Orientales department. Some signs in the region are printed in both languages, and Catalan is an elective language in schools. Languages that predate modern borders don’t often fit neatly inside them. Speakers of Catalan share a distinct identity and cultural heritage that does not align with their passports, and are very active in promoting their language and identity.
Le Breton (Breton)
Breton is a Celtic language spoken in the Brittany region. It’s the only Celtic language widely spoken on the European mainland. It’s severely endangered, despite many revival efforts over the years, including placing bilingual signs for regional events and requesting Breton language versions of popular websites.
According to one study, speakers of Breton decreased sharply to only 107,000 in 2024, which is half as many as the previous estimate (Library of Congress guide).
Le basque/Euskara (Basque language)
Basque is the only non-Indo-European language considered one of France’s regional languages. Basque is a language isolate, meaning it has no surviving linguistic relatives. Its relationship to other extinct pre-Indo-European languages is unclear.
Basque is the primary spoken language of the Basque Country, which stretches from Northern Spain to Southwestern France. A 2016 study identified around 50,000 speakers of the Basque language in France, with over 700,000 in Spain. Between 2018 and 2022, the numbers appeared to increase slightly.
Le corse (Corsican)
Corsican, also known as Corsu, is related to Italian and primarily spoken on the French Mediterranean island of Corsica. Some linguists consider Corsican an Italian dialect instead of its own language. It was the official language of the island before France acquired it in 1768.
The island of Corsica had a population of over 350,000 in 2023, with estimates that between 20-60% could speak Le Corse as an additional language.
Le francoprovençal
In 2009, a study by the Rhône-Alpes region in eastern France demonstrated that most of the remaining speakers of this dialect were elderly and did not have the opportunity to hear the language daily, suggesting that le francoprovençal is a threatened language with a rapidly diminishing number of speakers.
Explore the world with Rosetta Stone
France is home to a plethora of languages, all of which contribute to its diverse and fascinating cultural fabric. Whether you’re looking to uncover historical ties in your past or better understand France’s makeup in the present, you can now confidently pinpoint what languages are spoken throughout the country, not to mention in the French-speaking countries around the world.
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