Origins
French is a descendant of Latin, which was spoken in the boundaries of the Roman Empire. It was influenced by the language of the Gauls, a Celtic tribe, and by the Germanic language of the Franks later. This is why French is markedly different from Spanish and Italian both in terms of spelling and pronunciation.

Official Language
Apart from France, forty other countries include French among their official languages. These include Switzerland, Belgium, Canada, Luxembourg, Morocco, Monaco, Algeria, Tunisia, Ivory Coast, Niger, Senegal, Democratic Republic of Congo, Haiti, Lebanon, and Martinique.

French is also an administrative language of the Dominican Republic, the US states of Maine and Louisiana and a large number of multinational organizations, including the EU, the Council of Europe, the African Union, ESA, FIA, IHO and more.

Varieties
Regional varieties of French include amongst the other Acadian French, African French, Belgian French, Cajun, Canadian French and Cambodian French. Languages derived from French include Antillean Creole, Chiac, Lanc-Patua, Michif, Tay Boi and many more.

Brief History
Before the Roman invasion of present-day France (58-52 BC) the country was inhabited by the Gauls and Celts. Around 200 Celtic words remain in modern French. They are mostly related to basic notions – place names, plant names and words related to the earth and rural life. After the 3rd century AD a number of Germanic tribes invaded present-day France, of which the most important linguistically were the Franks. Scholars disagree on the number of Germanic words that survive in modern French – theories range from only 400 words to 2 percent of all words.

The period of Old French continued until the 14th century. It became a language of literature with medieval ballads and romances, which related the exploits of Charlemagne and the Holy Crusaders. French became the official language of the French court in 1539, replacing Latin. During the 1600s and 1700s the language was standardized and regulated. This period is sometimes referred to as Classical French and sometimes as modern French.