French Linguistics - Linguistique française

If you've ever wondered where French came from and how it fits in with other languages, or what exactly a Romance language is, here is some basic information.

Over the years, the English language has borrowed a great number of words and expressions from French. Some of this vocabulary has been so completely absorbed by English that speakers might not realize its origins. Other words and expressions have retained their "Frenchness" - a certain "je ne sais quoi" which speakers tend to be much more aware of.

The English language has been shaped by a number of other languages over the centuries, and most English speakers know that Latin and German were two of the most important. What a lot of people don't realize is how much the French language has influenced English. This article is an attempt to introduce this reciprocal relationship to anyone...

The International Phonetic Alphabet, or IPA, is a standardized alphabet for phonetic notation: a comprehensive set of symbols and diacritical marks used to transcribe the speech sounds of all languages in a uniform fashion.

Register refers to the level of formality of a given word, expression, grammatical structure, gesture, or means of pronunciation. In French, there are six registers.

There are a lot of cities in the US with French names and French-Indian names, like Des Moines. It turns out that Des Moines might be a huge practical joke played by the Indians.

Organization devoted to studying the linguistics of French québécois. French only

Linguistic theories, both general and specific to French, and a glossary of linguistic terms. French only

A complete course on French linguistics.

An examination of war-related slang.

The linguistics site of an adjunct professor at University of Toronto, French only.

The linguistics department at Université de Genève, with information and virtual classes. French only

An interesting examination of the evolving French language.