Global+French

Did you realise that there are about 129,000,000 French speakers in the world? Yes, French is a language spoken on five continents and in over 55 countries and regions of the world...

French is an official language in the following countries: Belgium, Benin, Burkina, Burundi, Cameroon, Canada, Central African Republic, Chad, Comores, Congo, Democratic Republic of Congo, Cote d'Ivoire, Djibouti, France, Gabon, Guinea, Haiti, Luxembourg, Madagascar, Mali, Monaco, Niger, Rwanda, Senegal, Seychelles, Switzerland, Togo, Vanuatu & Vietnam.

Why not listen to this podcast from the Sunderland Primary French website to find out how to pronounce the names of some of the world's French speaking countries... media type="custom" key="9974599" align="center"

 This flag belongs to the 'Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie'- the emblem comprises five segments of a circle in red, blue, yellow, green and violet, symbolising the five continents in which French is spoken.

** Francophone ** is an adjective that means French speaking. It usually refers to a person or people whose first language is French, although it can also refer to countries and places.

** La Francophonie ** is a noun referring to an international organisation of French speaking countries.

The 20th of March is 'La Journée Internationale de la Francophonie' and this Youtube video shows a song that was written especially for the [|'Organisation Internationale de la Francophonie'] by French songwriter Philippe Richard. Its simple on-screen lyrics are easy to follow ... media type="custom" key="6478255"

media type="custom" key="6478331" align="right" This beautiful song entitled 'Ensemble', which means 'Together', is a thought-provoking composition that aims to reinforce links between different Francophone countries, promoting equality, mutual respect and inter-cultural understanding.

It is performed by Célina Ramsauer and features Georges Seba and the gospel choir of Paris.