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About French
French is a *Romance language spoken by 45 million people in France, and
extensively in Canada, Belgium, Switzerland, and elsewhere. It is the
official language of 21 countries. Standard French, based on a Parisian
dialect known as Francien, has been France's official administrative
language since 1539. It has replaced most northern dialects, known
collectively as langue d'oil, and has superseded the Occitan dialects of
Southern France, known as langue d'oc. During the 17th century the
Académie Francaise and the publication of a standard dictionary (168)
quickly stabilised the language. French grammar has been simplified from
Latin and the phonology has greatly altered. There are no noun case
declensions and the verb is conjugated in three persons. Pronunciation
does not, however, distinguish as many grammatical differences as the
written form.
Is French difficult to learn?
About France
France is a country is Western Europe, bordering the English Channel in
the north, the Atlantic Ocean in the west, and the Mediterranean Sea in
the south. It includes the island of Corsica and several overseas regions
(Martinique, Guadeloupe and French Guiana). Overseas territories include
French Polynesia, New Caledonia, and St Pierre and Miquelon. Fertile
lowlands cover most of the North and West of France, rising to the
Pyrenees in the South, the Massif Central in the South East, and the
Vosges, Jura and the Alps in the East. The principal rivers are the
Seine, the Loire and the Rhone.
Paris Paris, a city in north central France, the capital and largest city of the country, on the Seine River, about 370 km (about 230 mi) from its Atlantic Ocean outlet at Le Havre. Paris is situated in a low-lying basin; the city is mostly flat, although the elevation gradually increases from the river to the low hills that ring the city's edge. The highest natural feature within the city proper is the Butte de Montmartre, at 129 m (423 ft) above sea level. With an estimated population approaching 10 million, the Paris metropolitan area contains nearly 20 percent of the nation's inhabitants and dominates the economic, cultural, and political life of France to an extraordinary degree; the population of Paris proper was 2,152,467 in 1994. The centralizing philosophy of successive governments has historically favored the city as the site for all decision making, thus exercising a powerful attraction on virtually all of the nation's activities. Only since the 1960s have attempts been made to reduce the inordinate influence of Paris in French affairs and to strengthen the role of various regions and secondary cities.
"My son's French classes are going very well. He feels much more
confident now."
Useful Links for learning French
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