Literature and Culture of French-Speaking Africa and the Caribbean

Sample Lesson: Overview & History

WHAT does the term "francophone" really mean?

In short, French-speaking. The French language has extended itself far beyond the borders of France, and is one of only 2 languages in the world spoken on five continents. Some countries use it as a language of international commerce and government, others use it as a result of colonization. In fact, French is spoken by 122 million people in the world, which makes it the 11th most spoken language in the world. Here are some other interesting facts:
  • More than 1/4 of all Europeans speak French.
  • French as a foreign language is the second most frequently taught language in the world after English.
  • France has the fourth largest economy in the world after the U.S., Japan and Germany.
In 1880, the term "francophonie" was coined to designate the ensemble of peoples and countries using French. These countries can be divided into four groups:
  1. Those where the maternal language is French (Europe and Canada).
  2. Creole-speaking countries (where French is usually learned as a second language, but is the origin of the creole being spoken).
  3. Those where French is either an official language or is widely spoken (which were, for the most part, colonies).
  4. Those where French is considered a language "of privilege", spoken only by the educated and upper classes (as in central and eastern Europe)
In this course, we will concern ourselves only with the second and third categories. It is interesting to note that the French no longer constitute the majority of French speakers...the future of the French language will be played out on the African continent.

To see what I mean, go on to identify WHICH African and Caribbean cultures are francophone.