History of French

When the Romans conquered Gaul in the 1st century BC, Latin became the dominant language, but it mixed with local Gaulish Celtic speech, leaving traces in vocabulary and phonology. This substrat gaulois helped shape the distinctive sound of early Romance in the region.

Between the 3rd and 8th centuries AD, the spoken Latin of ordinary people—called Vulgar Latin—gradually changed into regional Romance varieties. In northern France, this evolved into what we now call Old French, documented in early texts like the Serments de Strasbourg.

Old French flourished from the 9th to 13th centuries, with rich literary production and dialectal diversity. The Norman Conquest of England in 1066 spread Old French influence and introduced new vocabulary from Norse and Anglo-Norman sources.

From the 14th to 17th centuries, Middle French saw major changes in grammar and spelling, and the rise of printing helped stabilize the language. The royal court and writers like Rabelais and Montaigne promoted a standard Parisian French that became the model for administration and literature.

In the 17th century, Classical French reached maturity with precise rules for style and grammar, championed by the Académie Française founded in 1635. This period produced timeless works by Corneille, Racine, and Molière, and established norms still influential today.

Since the 18th century, French has continued to evolve in pronunciation, vocabulary, and syntax, while spreading worldwide through colonization, diplomacy, and culture. Today it remains a major international language with vibrant regional varieties and ongoing debates about linguistic change.

French emerged from Latin spoken in Gaul, shaped by Celtic substrate, Germanic invasions, and social shifts from Old French through Middle French to the standardized language of the Academy. Its history reflects centuries of cultural prestige and global influence.