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History
Old Fench is the term which was used by linguists to refer to the language of France up to 1300 (oïl languages or ancien français).The most ancient French text is the Oath of Strasbourg from 842. It was with the "chansons de geste", that were tales about the heroes of the Crusades during the reign of Charlemagne, that French began its history as a literary language.In 1539, King Francis I issued a lay, known as the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts, by which French substituted Latin as the language of administration and court proceedings in France. This form of language was known as "moyen français", or Middle French.
What followed was a process of unification, regulation and purification of the language, until it was created what was called "Français classique" (Classical French). Finally, French language from the 17th century to today is called by linguists "Modern French".
The Académie Française was an official institution which was created by Richelieu in 1634 with the aim of defining the purest form of French. The Academy counts with 40 members (called "the immortals") which express their opinion on matters such as the adaptation of foreign words. For instance, thanks to the work of the Academy, some English words have been adapted to French: "software" became "logiciel", "riding-coat" became "redingote" and "packet-boat" was changed into "redingote". Nevertheless, the word "ordinateur" meaning "computer" was not the result of the work of the Academy, but of that of a linguist.
In the centuries 17th, 18th and 19th, French was a language of great prestige: it was recognised as the language of European cultural elite, especially as for literature and arts. French was also spoken by important monarchs, as Frederick II of Prussia and Catherine the Great of Russia, who could also write some French.
The official French language has been the result of the control of the Academy, plus the role of public education and that of the media. Nevertheless, nowadays regional dialects are still present and are quite different one with the other. Some critics believe the "best" pronunciation of French is that of the Touraine region, even if it can't be considered a universal judgement. What is more, it is difficult to define what will happen to regional dialects in the next years, as the cosmopolitan aspect of modern life makes people travel more and more and partly lose their attachment to local realities.
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