View source for Francization

{{Short description|Expansion of the French language}}
{{Use dmy dates|date=April 2025}}

'''Francization''' (in [[American English]], [[Canadian English]], and [[Oxford English]]) or '''Francisation''' (in other [[British English]]), also known as '''Frenchification''', is the expansion of [[French language]] use—either through willful adoption or coercion—by more and more social groups who had not before used the language as a common means of expression in daily life.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.cnrtl.fr/definition/francis%C3%A9|title=FRANCISÉ : Définition de FRANCISÉ|website=Ortolang|publisher=Centre National de Ressources Textuelles et Lexicales|language=fr|access-date=2017-12-30}}</ref><ref>''Dictionnaire Général Et Grammatical, Des Dictionnaires Français'', Tome 2°, 1851.</ref><ref>''Nouveau Vocabulaire Français, Où L'on A Suivi L'orthographe Adoptée''.</ref><ref>''Le Québécois - Dictionnaires et Langues''.</ref> As a linguistic concept, known usually  as '''gallicization''', it is the practice of modifying foreign words, names, and phrases to make them easier to spell, pronounce, or understand in French.

According to the [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie]] (OIF), the figure of 220 million [[Francophones]] (French-language speakers) is underestimated<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.tv5.org/cms/chaine-francophone/info/Les-dossiers-de-la-redaction/sommet-francophonie-montreux-octobre-2010/p-13329-Francophonie-un-avenir-africain.htm|title=TV5MONDE : TV internationale francophone : Info, Jeux, Programmes TV, Météo, Dictionnaire|publisher=Tv5.org|access-date=2015-05-29|archive-date=5 August 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140805154426/http://www.tv5.org/cms/chaine-francophone/info/Les-dossiers-de-la-redaction/sommet-francophonie-montreux-octobre-2010/p-13329-Francophonie-un-avenir-africain.htm|url-status=dead}}</ref> because it only counts people who can write, understand and speak French fluently, thus excluding a majority of African French-speaking people, who do not know how to write.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.afriqueavenir.org/2010/10/15/l%E2%80%99afrique-un-continent-refuge-pour-la-francophonie/|title=L'Afrique, un continent refuge pour la francophonie|date=2010-10-15|website=Afrique Avenir|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20120409234328/http://www.afriqueavenir.org/2010/10/15/l%E2%80%99afrique-un-continent-refuge-pour-la-francophonie/|archive-date=2012-04-09|access-date=2015-05-29}}</ref>

In 2014, a study from the French bank [[Natixis]] claimed French will become the world's most-spoken language by 2050.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.france24.com/fr/20140326-francais-langue-etude-2050-forbes/|title=FRANCE - Le français, langue la plus parlée en 2050 ?|date=2014-03-26|publisher=France24.com|access-date=2015-05-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://rue89.nouvelobs.com/2014/03/25/francais-sera-langue-plus-parlee-2050-250956|title=Le français sera la langue la plus parlée dans le monde en 2050 - Rue89 - L'Obs|first=Pierre|last=Haski|date=2014-03-25|publisher=Rue89.nouvelobs.com|language=fr|access-date=2015-05-29}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lesinrocks.com/2014/04/07/actualite/le-francais-sera-t-il-la-langue-la-plus-parlee-en-2050-11496161/|title=Le français sera-t-il la langue la plus parlée en 2050 ?|publisher=Lesinrocks.com|access-date=2015-05-29}}</ref> However, critics of the study state that French coexists with other languages in many countries and the study's estimates are prone to exaggeration.

The number of Francophones in the world has been rising substantially since the 1980s. In 1985, there were 106 million Francophones around the world. That number quickly rose to 173.2 million in 1997, 200 million in 2005, 220 million in 2010 (+10% from 2007).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.rfi.fr/general/20101021-francophonie-progresse-pas-afrique |title=La Francophonie ne progresse pas qu'en Afrique - Général - RFI |date=21 October 2010 |publisher=Rfi.fr |access-date=2015-05-29}}</ref> and reached 274 million in 2014.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.francophonie.org/274-millions-de-francophones-dans.html|title=274 millions de francophones dans le monde - Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|website=www.francophonie.org|access-date=2017-12-30|archive-date=7 November 2014|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20141107100906/http://www.francophonie.org/274-millions-de-francophones-dans.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> Forecasts expect that the number of French speakers in Africa alone will reach 400 million in 2025, 715 million (readjusted in 2010)<ref>{{in lang|fr}} ''Cahiers québécois de démographie'', vol. 31, n° 2, 2003, p. 273-294.</ref> by 2050 and reach 1 billion and 222 million in 2060 (readjusted in 2013).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lefigaro.fr/culture/2013/03/20/03004-20130320ARTFIG00318-un-milliard-de-francophones-en-2060.php |title=Un milliard de francophones en 2060 |work=Le Figaro|date=2013-03-20 |access-date=2015-05-29}}</ref> The worldwide French-speaking population is expected to quadruple, whereas the world population is predicted to grow by half.<ref>{{in lang|fr}} ''Cahiers québécois de démographie'', vol. 32, no 2, 2003, p. 273-294</ref>

== Africa ==
[[File:Francophone Africa.svg|thumb|410px|{{legend|#006BA8|Countries normally considered as francophone (usually used as a working language, but not as mother tongue)}}{{legend|#00AAE2|Countries sometimes considered as francophone (cultural influence)}}{{legend|#008080|Countries not considered francophone but that joined the [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|OIF]] in prospect of a francization.}}]]

Africa has 32 French-speaking countries, more than half its total (53);{{citation needed|date=February 2021}} French was also the most widely spoken language in Africa in 2015.<ref name="lebreviairedespatriotes.fr">{{Cite news|url=http://www.lebreviairedespatriotes.fr/27/02/2012/culture/la-resistance-de-la-langue-francaise-face-a-lhegemonie-anglo-saxonne/|title=La résistance de la langue française face à l'hégémonie anglo-saxonne|date=2012-02-27|work=Le Bréviaire des Patriotes|access-date=2017-12-30|language=fr-FR}}</ref>

However, Nigeria, the most populous country on the continent, is predominantly English speaking.<ref>{{Cite journal|url=https://www.cambridge.org/core/journals/english-today/article/coming-of-age-english-in-nigeria/549AF64A86851E4EE81E44F24EF62F3D|title=Coming of age: English in Nigeria|year=1990|doi=10.1017/S0266078400004715|language=en-US|last1=Awonusi|first1=Victor O.|journal=English Today|volume=6|issue=2|pages=31–35|s2cid=145623958|url-access=subscription}}</ref>

The Francophone zone of Africa is two times the size of the [[United States of America]] (including Alaska).<ref>[[List of countries and dependencies by area]]</ref>{{Circular reference|date=December 2017}}

[[French language|French]] was introduced in [[Africa]] by [[France]] and [[Belgium]] during the colonial period. The process of francization continued after the colonial period.

French became the most spoken language in Africa after Arabic and Swahili in 2010.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.babla.fr/actualites/langues-du-monde.html|title=Langues du monde|website=www.babla.fr|access-date=2017-12-30}}</ref> The number of speakers changed very rapidly between 1992 and 2002, with the number of French learners in sub-Saharan Africa increasing by 60.37%, from 22.33 million to 34.56 million people.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.francophonie.org/Rapport-du-Secretaire-general-de.html|title=Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|website=www.francophonie.org|access-date=2017-12-30|archive-date=10 January 2011|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110110224854/http://www.francophonie.org/Rapport-du-Secretaire-general-de.html|url-status=dead}}</ref> A similar trend in the [[Maghreb]] region is occurring. However, as figures provided by the [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|OIF]] for the Maghreb region were combined with those of the Middle East, the exact count for the Maghreb countries alone is not possible. In this larger region (Maghreb and Middle East), an increase from 10.47 million to 18 million people learning French was observed between 1992 and 2002.

Consideration should be given to the number of French speakers in each country to get an idea of the importance the French language holds in African as a second language.

Many African countries without French as an official language have recently joined the [[Organisation internationale de la Francophonie|OIF]]:
*[[Cape Verde]] (official language: Portuguese)
*[[Egypt]] (official language: Arabic)
*[[Ghana]] (official language: English)
*[[Guinea-Bissau]] (official language: Portuguese)
*[[Mozambique]] (official language: Portuguese)
*[[São Tomé and Príncipe]] (official language: Portuguese)

The French language currently plays an important role in Africa, serving more and more as a common language or mother tongue (in Gabon, Ivory Coast, Congo, Cameroon and Benin in particular). The [[African Academy of Languages]] was established in 2001 to manage the linguistic heritage.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.acalan.org/index.php/en/about-acalan/background|title=Background|website=African Academy of Languages|language=en-gb|access-date=2017-12-30}}</ref>

Francophone African countries counted 370 million inhabitants in 2014. This number is expected to reach between 700 and 750 million by 2050.<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.forbes.com/sites/pascalemmanuelgobry/2014/03/21/want-to-know-the-language-of-the-future-the-data-suggests-it-could-be-french/#15e11e626d58|title=Want To Know The Language of the Future? The Data Suggests It Could Be...French|last=Gobry|first=Pascal-Emmanuel|date=2014-03-21|work=Forbes|access-date=2017-12-30|language=en}}</ref> There are already more francophones in [[Africa]] than in [[Europe]].<ref>{{Cite news|url=https://www.babbel.com/en/magazine/how-many-people-speak-french-and-where-is-french-spoken|title=How Many People Speak French, And Where Is It Spoken?|last=Wood|first=Ed&nbsp;M.|work=The Babbel Magazine|access-date=2017-12-30|language=en}}</ref>

==Asia==
[[Vietnam]], [[Cambodia]] and [[Laos]] were once part of [[French Indochina]], part of the French Empire. French culture, in aspects of architecture, culinary and linguistics, has been integrated into the local ones, although the latter remained highly distinct. French used to be the official language and was considerably popular and influential in these colonies, but after they were decolonised and gained independence, the new governments generally removed its influence, by implementing the native language as the only official language in the newly independent states. Currently, the presence of the French language in these countries is more minor than before.

== Europe ==
=== England<span class="anchor" id="Great Britain"></span> ===
{{see also|Anglo-Norman language|Influence of French on English}}
England, and therefore the [[English language]], was deeply francized during the [[Middle Ages]]. This was a result of the conquest of England by [[William the Conqueror]] from Normandy in 1066, a king who spoke exclusively French and imposed the French language in England. [[Old English]] became the language of the poor population and French the language of the court and wealthy population. It is said that during this period, people in England spoke more French than those in France.<ref>{{cite web|first=Jacques |last=Leclerc |url=http://www.axl.cefan.ulaval.ca/francophonie/HIST_FR_s3_Ancien-francais.htm |title=Histoire du français: Ancien français |publisher=Axl.cefan.ulaval.ca |access-date=2015-05-29| language=French}}</ref> Today, it is estimated that 50% to 60% of the English language comes from French or Latin.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.axl.cefan.ulaval.ca/francophonie/histlngfrn.htm |title=Histoire du français |publisher=Axl.cefan.ulaval.ca |access-date=2015-05-29| language=French}}</ref>{{full citation needed|date=October 2023}}

Cookery gives a good example of this tendency: the names of many farm animals have [[Anglo-Saxon]] roots. However, the names of their meat (once exclusive to the wealthy) have [[Old French]] origins:<ref>{{cite web|first=Jacques |last=Leclerc |url=http://www.axl.cefan.ulaval.ca/francophonie/HIST_FR_s4_Moyen-francais.htm |title=Histoire du français: le moyen français |publisher=Axl.cefan.ulaval.ca |date=2014-10-14 |access-date=2015-05-29| language=French}}</ref>

*[[Pig]] (Anglo-Saxon) – [[Pork]] from the Old French {{Lang|fro|porc}}
*[[Cow]] (Anglo-Saxon {{Lang|ang|cou}}) – [[Beef]] from the Old French {{Lang|fro|bœuf}}
*[[Chicken]] (Anglo-Saxon) – [[Poultry]] from the Old French {{Lang|fro|pouletrie}} or {{Lang|fro|poule}}
*[[Sheep]] (Anglo-Saxon {{Lang|ang|scæp}})  – [[Mutton]] from the Old French {{Lang|pro|moton}}

=== France <span class="anchor" id="Within France"></span> ===
{{see also|French colonial empire|Vergonha|Language policy in France}}

"Francization" is also used to mean any of many cultural assimilation policies implemented by French authorities since the [[French Revolution]]. These aimed to impose or maintain the dominance of the French language and French culture. Before the Revolution, French was still a minority language in France by number of speakers, but was the prestige language.  The [[Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts]] under King [[Francis I of France]] prescribed the official use of the French language, the [[langue d'oïl]] dialect spoken at the time in the [[Île-de-France]], in all documents. Other languages, such as Occitan, began to disappear as written languages.

With the decline of Latin, French became increasingly important for writing. Often, people were encouraged or compelled to adopt French, thereby developing a French identity at the expense of their existing one. Use of other languages was often suppressed. This occurred, for example, among the [[Alemannic German|Alemannic]]-speaking inhabitants of [[Alsace]] and the [[Lorraine Franconian]]-speaking inhabitants of Lorraine after these regions were conquered by [[Louis XIV]] during the seventeenth century, to the [[Flemings]] in [[French Flanders]], to the [[Occitans]] in [[Occitania]], and to [[Basque people|Basque]]s, [[Breton people|Breton]]s, [[Catalan people|Catalan]]s, [[Corsican people|Corsican]]s and [[Niçard dialect|Niçard]]s. [[Corsica]] passed from the [[Republic of Genoa]] to France in 1769 after the [[Treaty of Versailles (1768)|Treaty of Versailles]]. [[Italian language|Italian]] was the official language of Corsica until 1859.<ref>Abalain, Hervé, (2007) ''Le français et les langues historiques de la France'', Éditions Jean-Paul Gisserot, p.113</ref> Francization occurred in Corsica, and caused a near-disappearance of the Italian language as many of the Italian speakers in these areas migrated to Italy.<ref>{{cite web|url=https://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/mediterraneo-e-lingua-italiana_%28Enciclopedia-dell%27Italiano%29/|title=Mediterraneo e lingua italiana|access-date=2 November 2021|language=it}}</ref>

Shortly after the fall of the [[Ancien Régime]], the new revolutionary government adopted a policy of promotion of French as a unifying and modernizing language, simultaneously denigrating the status of minority languages as bulwarks of feudalism, Church control of the state, and backwardness in general. In less than a year after coming to power (1792), the Committee for Public Instruction mandated that the newly expanded public education be fortified by sending French-speaking teachers to areas that spoke other languages.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.axl.cefan.ulaval.ca/francophonie/HIST_FR_s8_Revolution1789.htm#4_Linstruction_publique_|title=Histoire du français: La Révolution française et la langue nationale|website=www.axl.cefan.ulaval.ca|access-date=2016-05-06}}</ref> This programme achieved many of its aims during the 19th century: by the 1860s, nearly 80% of the national population could speak French.<ref>{{Cite web|url=http://www.axl.cefan.ulaval.ca/francophonie/HIST_FR_s9_Fr-contemporain.htm#1_Le_r%C3%B4le_de_lInstruction_publique_dans_lapprentissage_du_fran%C3%A7ais_|title=Histoire du français: Le français contemporain|website=www.axl.cefan.ulaval.ca|access-date=2016-05-06}}</ref>
[[File:County of nice.svg|thumbnail|A map of the [[County of Nice]] showing the area of the [[Kingdom of Sardinia (1720–1861)|Italian kingdom of Sardinia]] annexed in 1860 to France (light brown). The area in red had already become part of France before 1860.]]

After the [[Treaty of Turin (1860)|Treaty of Turin]] was signed in 1860 between the [[Victor Emmanuel II of Italy|Victor Emmanuel II]] and [[Napoleon III]] as a consequence of the [[Plombières Agreement]], the [[County of Nice]] was ceded to France as a territorial reward for French assistance in the [[Second Italian War of Independence]] against [[Austrian Empire|Austria]], which saw [[Lombardy]] united with [[Piedmont-Sardinia]]. The Italian language was the official language of the County of Nice, used by the Church, at the town hall, taught in schools, used in theaters and at the Opera, was immediately abolished and replaced by French.<ref>{{Cite journal |last=Large |first=Didier |date=1996 |title=La situation linguistique dans le comté de Nice avant le rattachement à la France |journal=Recherches régionales Côte d'Azur et contrées limitrophes}}</ref><ref>{{Cite book |last=Paul Gubbins and Mike Holt |title=Beyond Boundaries: Language and Identity in Contemporary Europe |year=2002 |pages=91–100 |language=En}}</ref> The French government implemented a policy of Francization of society, language and culture of the County of Nice.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Paul Gubbins and Mine Holt |title=Beyond Boundaries: Language and Identity in Contemporary Europe |year=2002 |pages=91–100}}</ref> The toponyms of the communes of the ancient County have been francized, with the obligation to use French in Nice,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.aiig.altervista.org/Nizzardo/IL%20NIZZARDO%20NEI%20SUOI%20ASPETTI%20GEOGRAFICI.pdf|title=Il Nizzardo|access-date=17 May 2021|language=it}}</ref> as well as certain surnames (for example the Italian surname "Bianchi" was francized into "Leblanc", and the Italian surname "Del Ponte" was francized into "Dupont").<ref name="limesonline">{{cite web|url=https://www.limesonline.com/unitalia-sconfinata/2845|title=Un'Italia sconfinata|date=20 February 2009 |access-date=17 May 2021|language=it}}</ref>

By 1900, French had become the mother tongue of the majority of adults in France. [[Jules Ferry]] introduced free, compulsory education during the [[French Third Republic]], and openly tried to strengthen the centralised state by instilling a French national identity in the population.<ref>{{cite book |last1=Watson|first1=Cameron|title=Modern Basque History: Eighteenth Century to the Present|publisher=University of Nevada, Center for Basque Studies|year=2003|page=210|isbn=1-877802-16-6}}</ref> French was presented as the language of modernity, as opposed to regional languages such as [[Breton language|Breton]] or [[Basque language|Basque]], labelled as barbaric or tribal. Pupils caught speaking these languages were punished by making them display tokens of shame.{{Sfnp|Watson|2003|p=211}} In Occitan-speaking areas that school policy was called the ''[[vergonha]]''. <!-- Bad translation/idiom "display tokens of shame"? "Wear shameful/shaming badges"? -->

Historically, no official language was recognized by the French Constitution. In 1994, French was declared constitutionally to be the language of the French Republic. In 1998, France became a signatory of the [[European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages|European Charter on Minority Languages]]; however, it has yet{{when|date=September 2021}} to ratify it, with general agreement among the political class that supportive measures are neither popular enough to attract wide support nor banal enough to be uncontroversial, with concerns specifically about courts forcing the state to act if the rights enshrined in the charter are recognised.

Initiatives to encourage the use of minority languages are limited by the refusal of the French Government to recognize them, on the basis of the French Constitution, which states that "The language of the Republic of France is French". This view was upheld in 2021, when Deputy [[Paul Molac]] unexpectedly won a majority vote in the French [[National Assembly (France)|National Assembly]] to allow for immersive education in minority languages in state-run schools. The Assembly's decision was immediately contested by the French [[Constitutional Council (France)|Constitutional Council]], which struck out the parliament's vote.<ref>{{Cite web|date=2021-05-21|title=Le Conseil constitutionnel censure l'essentiel de la loi Molac sur les langues régionales|url=https://www.lexpress.fr/culture/le-conseil-constitutionnel-censure-l-essentiel-de-la-loi-molac-sur-les-langues-regionales_2151263.html|access-date=2021-06-17|website=LExpress.fr|language=fr}}</ref> The council also deemed unconstitutional the use of [[diacritical mark]]s not used in French, such as the tilde in "ñ".<ref>{{Cite web|title=Langues régionales : le Conseil constitutionnel rabote la loi Molac|url=https://france3-regions.francetvinfo.fr/bretagne/langues-regionales-le-conseil-constitutionnel-rabote-la-loi-molac-2100172.html|access-date=2021-06-20|website=France 3 Bretagne|date=21 May 2021 |language=fr-FR}}</ref>

===Belgium===
====Brussels and the Flemish periphery====
{{Main|Frenchification of Brussels}}

In the last two centuries, [[Brussels]] transformed from an exclusively [[Dutch language|Dutch]]-speaking city to a bilingual city with French as the majority language and [[lingua franca]]. The language shift began in the eighteenth century and accelerated as [[Belgium]] became [[Belgian revolution|independent]] and Brussels expanded beyond its original city boundaries.<ref name="service">[http://www2.cfwb.be/franca/services/pg027.htm] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070105023238/http://www2.cfwb.be/franca/services/pg027.htm|date=5 January 2007}}</ref><ref name="laval">{{cite web|url=https://www.ulaval.ca/afi/colloques/colloque2001/actes/textes/tourret.htm |title=Université Laval: Accueil |publisher=Ulaval.ca |access-date=2015-05-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20090619145722/http://www.ulaval.ca/afi/colloques/colloque2001/actes/textes/tourret.htm |archive-date=19 June 2009}}</ref> From 1880 onwards, more and more Dutch-speaking people became bilingual, resulting in a rise of monolingual French speakers after 1910. Halfway through the twentieth century, the number of monolingual French-speakers carried the day over the (mostly) bilingual Flemish inhabitants.<ref name="brio4">{{in lang|nl}} [http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/andere%20publicaties/btng-rbhc,%2021,%201990,%203-4,%20pp%20383-412.pdf "Thuis in gescheiden werelden" — De migratoire en sociale aspecten van verfransing te Brussel in het midden van de 19e eeuw"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20181015023229/http://www.briobrussel.be/assets/andere%20publicaties/btng-rbhc,%2021,%201990,%203-4,%20pp%20383-412.pdf |date=15 October 2018 }}, [[BTNG-RBHC]], XXI, 1990, 3-4, pp. 383-412, Machteld de Metsenaere, Eerst aanwezend assistent en docent Vrije Universiteit Brussel</ref> Only since the 1960s, after the fixation of the Belgian [[Communities, regions and language areas of Belgium|language border]] and the socio-economic development of Flanders was in full effect, could Dutch stem the tide of increasing French use.<ref name="dbnl">{{cite web|language=nl |url=http://www.dbnl.org/tekst/_han001197301_01/_han001197301_01_0009.htm |title=De historische kracht van de Vlaamse beweging in België: de doelstellingen van gister, de verwezenlijkingen vandaag en de culturele aspiraties voor morgen |author=J. Fleerackers, Chief of staff of the Belgian Minister for Dutch culture and Flemish affairs |year=1973 |work=Digitale bibliotheek voor Nederlandse Letteren}}</ref> The francization of the [[Brussels Periphery|Flemish periphery around Brussels]] still continues because of the continued immigration of French speakers coming from Wallonia and Brussels.

== North America ==
=== Canada ===
====Quebec====
[[File:Office québécois de la langue française.jpg|thumb|The {{Lang|fr|[[Office québécois de la langue française]]|italic=no}}'s main office, located in the old building of the [[École des beaux-arts de Montréal]]]]
The [[Government of Quebec]] has francization policies intended to establish French as the primary language of business and commerce. All businesses are required to provide written communications and schedules in French, and may not make knowledge of a language other than French a condition of hiring unless this is justified by the nature of the duties. Businesses with more than fifty employees are required to register with the [[Office québécois de la langue française|Quebec Office of the French language]] in order to become eligible for a francization certificate, which is granted if the linguistic requirements are met. If not, employers are required to adopt a francization programme, which includes having employees, especially ones in managerial positions, who do not speak French or whose grasp of French is weak attend French-language training.<ref>[http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/english/infoguides/summary_languagework_20050825.pdf] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20061008033551/http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/english/infoguides/summary_languagework_20050825.pdf|date=8 October 2006}}</ref>

As part of the francization programme, the Quebec government provides free language courses for recent immigrants (from other countries or other provinces) who do not speak French or whose command of French is weak. The government also provides financial assistance for those who are unable to find employment because they are unable to speak French.<ref>{{Cite web |url=http://www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/french-language/learning-quebec/index.html |title=Information from the Quebec government |access-date=11 April 2007 |archive-date=3 April 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070403005254/http://www.immigration-quebec.gouv.qc.ca/en/french-language/learning-quebec/index.html |url-status=dead }}</ref>

Another aspect of francization in Quebec regards the quality of the French used in Quebec. The Quebec Office of the French language has, since its formation, undertaken to discourage [[anglicisms]] and to promote high standards of French-language education in schools.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/english/charter/index.html |title=English section- The Charter of the French language |publisher=Oqlf.gouv.qc.ca |access-date=2015-05-29}}</ref>
<!--<ref>[http://www.jstor.org/stable/328688 ''Quebec French: Attitudes and Pedagogical Perspectives''] by Jean-Marie Salien</ref> -->

The francization programs have been considered a great success. Although French as a mother tongue has gone from 80.6% to 77.4% in the province between 1971 and 2016,<ref>{{cite web |last1=Government of Canada |first1=Statistics Canada |title=The evolution of language populations in Canada, by mother tongue, from 1901 to 2016 |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-630-x/11-630-x2018001-eng.htm |website=www150.statcan.gc.ca |date=21 February 2018}}</ref> knowledge of French among the province's population went from 88.5% to 94.5% over the same period.<ref>{{cite web |last1=Government of Canada |first1=Statistics Canada |title=Census in Brief: English, French and official language minorities in Canada |url=https://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2016/as-sa/98-200-x/2016011/98-200-x2016011-eng.cfm |website=www12.statcan.gc.ca |date=2 August 2017}}</ref> English as a mother tongue fell from 13.1% to 8.8%<ref>{{cite web |last1=Government of Canada |first1=Statistics Canada |title=The evolution of language populations in Canada, by mother tongue, from 1901 to 2016 |url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/11-630-x/11-630-x2018001-eng.htm |website=www150.statcan.gc.ca |date=21 February 2018}}</ref> of the province's population between 1971 and 2016 while knowledge of French among people with English as a mother tongue rose from 37% <ref>{{cite web | url=https://ised-isde.canada.ca/site/communaction/en/communities/statistical-profiles/portrait-english-speaking-communities-quebec#bilingualism | title=A Portrait of the English-speaking Communities in Québec | date=June 2011 }}</ref> to 69% <ref>{{cite web | url=https://www150.statcan.gc.ca/n1/pub/75-006-x/2019001/article/00014-eng.htm#a4 | title=Results from the 2016 Census: English-French bilingualism among Canadian children and youth | date=3 October 2019 }}</ref> over the same period.
In 1971, only 14.6% of allophone students were studying in a French school. In 2012, that number had reached 87.5% <ref>{{cite web |url=https://numerique.banq.qc.ca/patrimoine/details/52327/2424541 |title=Indicateurs linguistiques : secteur de l'éducation / coordination et rédaction, Direction des statistiques et de l'information décisionnelle, Direction générale de la recherche, de l'évaluation et des statistiques, Secteur des politiques et du soutien à la gestion}}</ref>

[[Montreal]] is a particular interesting case because, unlike the rest of Quebec, the French-speaking proportion of the population diminished. However, this does not mean that the francization programmes failed, as the share of English speakers diminished as well; it seems more likely that the decrease was caused by the fact that 93% of new immigrants to Quebec choose to settle in Montreal,<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.cslf.gouv.qc.ca/publications/pubk103/k103ann6.html |title=Annexe &#124; Le français langue commune :enjeu de la société québécoise :bilan de la situation de la langue française au Québec en 1995 :rapport &#124; Conseil supérieur de la langue française |publisher=Cslf.gouv.qc.ca |access-date=2015-05-29 |archive-date=6 September 2007 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070906054217/http://www.cslf.gouv.qc.ca/Publications/PubK103/K103Ann6.html |url-status=dead }}</ref> with a corresponding rise in languages other than English and French. The government of Quebec estimates that, over the next 20 years, the Francophone proportion of Montreal will increase again.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/ressources/sociolinguistique/2005/f1_indic_115_graph_b.pdf |archive-url=https://waext.banq.qc.ca/wayback/20061228082101/http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/ressources/sociolinguistique/2005/f1_indic_115_graph_b.pdf |archive-date=2006-12-28 |url-status=dead |title=OQLF_FasLin-01-e.indd |access-date=24 April 2019}}{{cbignore}}</ref>

But those estimations seem to underestimate the francization of Montreal for some experts, because statistics show that the proportion has already risen from 55.6% (1996) to 56.4% (2001).<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/ressources/sociolinguistique/2005/f1_indic_12_graph_a.pdf |title=OQLF_FasLin-01-d.indd |archive-url=https://waext.banq.qc.ca/wayback/20061228081557/http://www.oqlf.gouv.qc.ca/ressources/sociolinguistique/2005/f1_indic_12_graph_a.pdf |archive-date=2006-12-28 |url-status=dead |access-date=10 September 2010 }}{{cbignore}}</ref>

The success of francization of Quebec can also be seen over the borders of its territory: in Ontario, the proportion of English speakers dropped from 70.5% in 2001 to 68% in 2006,<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/Profil01/CP01/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=F&Geo1=PR&Code1=35&Geo2=PR&Code2=01&Data=Count&SearchText=ontario&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= |title=Profils des communautés de 2001 |language= fr |publisher=2.statcan.gc.ca |date=12 March 2002 |access-date=10 September 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=F&Geo1=PR&Code1=35&Geo2=PR&Code2=13&Data=Count&SearchText=ontario&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= |title=Profils des communautés de 2006&nbsp;– Province/Territoire |language= fr |publisher=2.statcan.gc.ca |date=5 February 2010 |access-date=10 September 2010}}</ref> while the proportion of French speakers went up from 4.06% (488 815) in 2006 to 4.80% (580 000) in 2009. However, this statistic must be examined in conjunction with the effects of Quebec francophone out-migration. [[Interprovincial migration in Canada|Interprovincial migration]], especially to Ontario, results in a net loss of population in Quebec. The number of French-speaking Quebecers leaving the province tends to be similar to the number entering, while immigrants to Quebec tend to leave.<ref>Statistics Canada. "Factors Affecting the Evolution of Language Groups". Statistics Canada. Retrieved 2006-10-27</ref>

None of the Quebec statistics are adjusted to compensate for the percentage—approximately 20%—of Anglophones who departed the province by the mid-1980s as a consequence of linguistic nationalism.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://jsis.washington.edu/canada/file/Migration_nationalism_pettinicchio_DOI.pdf |title=Migration and ethnic nationalism: Anglophone exit and the 'decolonisation' of Québec |first=David |last=Pettinicchio |publisher=Jsis.washington.edu |access-date=2015-05-29 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150529195837/http://jsis.washington.edu/canada/file/Migration_nationalism_pettinicchio_DOI.pdf |archive-date=29 May 2015}}</ref> By 2001, over 60% of the 1971 population of Quebec Anglophones had left the province.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www.qln.ca/Documents/Knowledge%20Base/QCGN%20Presenters%20PPTs/200803~2.PPT |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20221016232310/http://www.qln.ca/Documents/Knowledge%20Base/QCGN%20Presenters%20PPTs/200803~2.PPT |url-status=dead |archive-date=16 October 2022 |title=Find more at North.ca &#124; All Canadian : All The Time |publisher=Qln.ca |access-date=2015-05-29 }}</ref>

The Charter of the French Language has been a complete success, according to Hervé Lavenir de Buffon (general secretary of the "Comité international pour le français, langue européenne"), who said in 2006: "Before Bill 101, Montreal looked like an American city. Now Montreal looks like a French-speaking city; that proves how well Bill 101 has worked!"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.canalacademie.com/ida904-L-avenir-du-francais-en-Europe.html|title=L'avenir du français en Europe|date=3 August 2006 |publisher=Canalacademie.com|access-date=10 September 2010}}</ref>

==== New Brunswick ====
The policy has been even more successful in [[New Brunswick]], for example: the city of Edmundston went from around 89% French-speaking in 1996 to 93.4% in 2006, the city of Moncton from 30.4% in 1996 to 33% in 2006, Dalhousie (from 42.5% to 49.5%) and Dieppe (from 71.1% in 1996 to 74.2% in 2006). Some cities even passed 50% of French speakers between 1991 and 2006 like Bathurst, which passed from 44.6% of French speakers in 1996 to 50.5% in 2006, or Campbellton, from 47% in 1996 to 55% in 2006.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=F&Geo1=CMA&Code1=505__&Geo2=PR&Code2=10&Data=Count&SearchText=ottawa&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= |title=Profils des communautés de 2006 - Région métropolitaine de recensement/Agglomération de recensement |language= fr |publisher=2.statcan.gc.ca |date=5 February 2010 |access-date=10 September 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/english/Profil01/CP01/Details/Page.cfm?Lang=F&Geo1=CSD&Code1=1313027&Geo2=PR&Code2=13&Data=Count&SearchText=Edmundston&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= |title=Profils des communautés de 2001 |language= fr |publisher=2.statcan.gc.ca |date=12 March 2002 |access-date=10 September 2010}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.gc.ca/census-recensement/2006/dp-pd/prof/92-591/details/page.cfm?Lang=F&Geo1=CSD&Code1=1313027&Geo2=PR&Code2=13&Data=Count&SearchText=Edmundston&SearchType=Begins&SearchPR=01&B1=All&Custom= |title=Profils des communautés de 2006 - Subdivision de recensement |language= fr |publisher=2.statcan.gc.ca |date=5 February 2010 |access-date=10 September 2010}}</ref>

Rates of francization may be established for any group by comparing the number of people who usually speak French to the total number of people in the minority language group. See [[Calvin Veltman]]'s ''Language Shift in the United States'' (1983) for a discussion.

==Of the language==
There are many examples of francization in history and popular culture:
*{{Lang|fr|[[Crème anglaise]]}} replacing the word "[[custard]]" on restaurant menus.{{where|date=February 2018}}
*[[Anne Boleyn]] choosing the French spelling ''[[Boleyn]]'' over the traditional English ''Bolin'' or ''Bullen''.
*[[Mary, Queen of Scots]], choosing the spelling [[House of Stuart|Stuart]] over ''Stewart'' for the name of her dynasty. (The Scots had dual nationality and Mary, Queen of Scots was brought up in France.)
*The common "-esc''u''" final particle in [[Romanian language|Romanian]] being traditionally changed to "-esc''o''" in French spellings and being occasionally adopted by the people themselves as a French equivalent of their names (''see [[Eugène Ionesco]], [[Irina Ionesco]], [[Marthe Bibesco]]'').
*{{Lang|fr|Courriel}}, short for {{Lang|fr|courrier électronique}}, replacing e-mail (originally from [[Quebec]]).

The same exists for other languages, for example, English, in which case names of objects or people can be [[anglicisation|anglicized]].

==See also==
{{Wiktionary|francisation}}
* [[Afrancesado]], Spanish followers of French culture and politics in the 18th and 19th centuries
* [[Anglicism]]
* [[Englishisation]]
* [[French colonial empire]]
* [[Gallicism]]
* [[List of French expressions in English]]

==References==
{{Reflist|30em}}

{{Cultural assimilation|sp=ize}}
{{Authority control}}

[[Category:French nationalism]]
[[Category:Francophonie]]
[[Category:Neologisms]]
[[Category:Word coinage]]
[[Category:Transliteration]]
[[Category:Cultural assimilation]]