Languages of The Democratic Republic of The Congo - French

French

See also: African French

French is the official language of the country since its colonial period under Belgian rule. Therefore, the variety of French used in the DRC has many similarities with Belgian French. French has been maintained as the official language since the time of independence because it is widely spoken around the educated groups in the country, it belongs to none of the indigenous ethnic groups and eases communication between them as well as with the rest of the Francophonie, which includes many African countries. According to the OIF, 6,080,000 or 10% of the population were proficient French speakers in 2005 whereas another 18,240,000 or 30.0% were partially French speaking. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is currently the most populous French-speaking country.

Read more about this topic:  Languages Of The Democratic Republic Of The Congo

Famous quotes containing the word french:

    “One thing that makes art different from life is that in art things have a shape ... it allows us to fix our emotions on events at the moment they occur, it permits a union of heart and mind and tongue and tear.”
    —Marilyn French (b. 1929)

    “Such is the nature and make-up of the French that they are only good at the start. Then they are worse than devils, but, given time, they’re less than women.”
    —François Rabelais (1494–1553)

    “In comparison to the French Revolution, the American Revolution has come to seem a parochial and rather dull event. This, despite the fact that the American Revolution was successful—realizing the purposes of the revolutionaries and establishing a durable political regime—while the French Revolution was a resounding failure, devouring its own children and leading to an imperial despotism, followed by an eventual restoration of the monarchy.”
    —Irving Kristol (b. 1920)