🌍🇫🇷 French is no longer just the language of France - it’s becoming an African language!

More than 300 million people speak French globally, and a staggering 60% of them live in Africa. By 2050, Africa is projected to be home to 85% of all French speakers, thanks to its youthful, rapidly growing population. 🗣️💡

From Côte d’Ivoire’s nouchi slang to the vibrant rhythms of French spoken in Kinshasa and Dakar, African communities are redefining the language. These local expressions and cultural infusions are shaping French in ways that Paris could never imagine.

While traditional institutions like the Académie Française cling to outdated rules, the energy and creativity of African speakers are driving the future of the language.

Language doesn’t wait - it grows, adapts, and thrives wherever its speakers breathe life into it.

The future of French isn’t just Paris - it’s Paris and Abidjan, Kinshasa, Dakar, and beyond. 🌍

@junglegeorge
That's interesting.
Do the speakers of the different French slangs still understand each other, e.g. if they develop their own words?

@junglegeorge

Interesting data. So many dialects of the language and nuances will certainly evolve. Or a combo of the two with subcultures.

@fasnix Yes, I think speakers of different French slangs can usually understand each other, especially when it comes to the core structure of the language. However, it does depend on how heavily the slang is infused with local languages or unique cultural expressions.

For instance, someone from Côte d’Ivoire using nouchi might throw in words or phrases unfamiliar to a Parisian or someone from Kinshasa. But overall, the basic French grammar and vocabulary act as a shared foundation, making communication possible.

It’s a bit like how English speakers worldwide can understand each other despite regional slang - context and the shared base language fill in the gaps.

@RachelA @junglegeorge

Y'a-t-il un francophone dans la salle ? 🤔

@junglegeorge
That's great! :)

@junglegeorge Not sure that's good news really. It would be nice to have one common language.

@pavel @junglegeorge one common language kill the diversity and the way people think. One common language is a very bad idea.

@pavel @junglegeorge mathematics and music are universal languages of the Earth ❤️✨