France
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France (FR)
ECRML
Signed
1999
Ratified
(PENDING)
In Force
(PENDING)
FCNM
Signed
(UNSIGNED)
Ratified
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In Force
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Country Description
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Official Language(s)
To increase their visibility, recognised Sign Languages are always listed as official languages even if they are not yet technically official. The data on legal recognition was aggregated from legal documents and official sources. Wherever possible, the national number was taken from a national census or recent study/official estimate – sources are listed. The endangerment level is adopted from Ethnologue/Glottolog and further estimates of endangerment can be found on the individual language profile (e.g. by clicking on ‘Italian’).
| Language | Endonym | Geographic Area | Source | Legal Recognition | Legal Document | Source | National Number | Bases for Calculation | Estimation Date | Source | Endangerment Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
French Romance |
Français | Whole country | 1539 (furthered in 1992) | Ordinance of August 25, 1539 concerning the administration of justice (known as the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts, Article 111) (Ordonnance du 25 août 1539 sur le fait de la justice (dite ordonnance de Villers-Cotterêts, Ar. 111) / Constitutional Law No. 92-554 of June 25, 1992 adding to the Constitution a title: "Of the European Communities and the European Union" (LOI constitutionnelle n° 92-554 du 25 juin 1992 ajoutant à la Constitution un titre : « Des Communautés européennes et de l'Union européenne » | / | Approx. 63 959 000 (given, not a census) | French speakers | 2022 | 1 (National) | ||
|
French Sign Language (LSF) Sign Language |
Langue des signes française | Whole country | 2005 | Article L312-9-1 | / | Approx. 280 000 (not a census) | Language Users | 2025 | 5 (Developing) |
ECRML-Recognised Languages
This includes languages recognised under the European Charter of Regional and Minority Languages (ECRML). The data on legal recognition was aggregated from legal documents and official sources. Wherever possible, the national number was taken from a national census or recent study/official estimate – sources are listed. The endangerment level is adopted from Ethnologue/Glottolog and further estimates of endangerment can be found on the individual language profile (e.g. by clicking on ‘Czech’).
| Language | Endonym | Geographic Area | Source | Legal Recognition | Legal Document | Source | National Number | Bases for Calculation | Estimation Date | Source | Endangerment Level | ECRML level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| / | ||||||||||||
Non-ECRML Languages
This includes languages listed with an 'established status' in Ethnologue, the Endangered Languages Project or the UNESCO World Atlas (once it is available again). The data on legal recognition, national number, and endangerment level was taken over from the original source, reflecting these sources’ current state and gaps of knowledge.
| Language | Endonym | Geographic Area | Source | Legal Recognition | Legal Document | Source | National Number | Bases for Calculation | Estimation Date | Source | Endangerment Level |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
|
Algerian Jewish Sign Language (AJSL) Sign Language |
Ghardaia Sign Language | Scattered | / | / | / | Unknown number in France | Users | 2012 | 8b (Nearly extinct) | ||
|
Alsatian Germanic |
Elsässerditsch | Grand-Est region: south and west bank of Rhine river | 2013 | 2013, No. 595, Education. | / | 900 000 | Users | 2013 | 6a (Vigorous) | ||
|
Auvergnat Romance |
Auvernhat | / | / | / | / | Not available | Speakers | 2026 (Website accessed) | Threatened | ||
|
Balkan Romani Indo-Aryan |
Balkaniko Romanes | / | / | / | / | 709 570 (total) | Speakers | 2026 (Website accessed) | At risk | ||
|
Baltic Romani Indo-Aryan |
Roma | / | / | / | / | 58 460 (total) | Speakers | 2026 (Website accessed) | Vulnerable | ||
|
Basque Basque |
Euskara | Nouvelle-Aquitaine region: Pyrenees Atlantiques province, Labourd (Lapurdi) and Basse-Navarre departments, Bayonne and Soule areas; border with Spain | 2013 | 2013, Law No. 595), Education. | / | 72 000 | Users | 2013 | 7 (Shifting) | ||
|
Breton Celtic |
Brezhoneg | Brittany region: Finistere, western Cotes-d’Armor, and western Morbihan departments; elsewhere dispersed | 2013 | 2013, Law No. 595), Education. | / | 206 000 | Users | 2013 | 8a (Moribund) | ||
|
Caló (Romani) Indo-Aryan |
Erromintxela | Nouvelle-Aquitaine region | / | / | / | 500 | Users | 2009 | 8a (Moribund) | ||
|
Carpathian Romani Indo-Aryan |
Central Romani | / | / | / | / | 472 470 (total) | Speakers | 2026 (Website accessed) | At risk | ||
|
Corsican Romance |
Corsu | Corsica region; possibly in Marseilles, Paris, other urban centers | 2002 | Act. No. 2002-92 (22 Jan) on Corsica, Article 7 (Statutory language of provincial identity in Corsica) | / | 120 000 | Users | 2020 | 6b (Threatened) | ||
|
East Uvean / Wallisian Polynesian |
Fakaʻuvea | Wallis and Futuna | / | / | / | 20 000 - 25 000 (total) | Speakers | 2026 (Website accessed) | Threatend | ||
|
English Germanic |
English | Widespread | / | / | / | 26 911 000 | Users | 2024 | 4 (Educational) | ||
|
Gallo Romance |
Galo | / | / | / | / | Unknown | Speakers | 2026 (Website accessed) | Threatened | ||
|
Gascon Romance |
Gascon | / | / | / | / | 250 000 (total) | Speakers | 2026 (Website accessed) | At risk | ||
|
German Germanic |
Deutsch | / | / | / | / | 4 213 000 | Users | 2024 | 5* (Dispersed) | ||
|
Guadeloupean French Creole Romance |
Kréyol gwadloupéyen | Paris region | / | / | / | 200 000 | Users | 2022 | 5* (Developing) | ||
|
Guianese French Creole Romance |
Kriyòl gwiyannen | / | / | / | / | 50 000 | Users | 2022 | 5* (Developing) | ||
|
Italian Romance |
Italiano | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes and Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur regions: Nice, Provence, and Savoy | / | / | / | 283 000 | Users | 2024 | 5* (Dispersed) | ||
|
Kabyle Afroasiatic |
Taqbaylit | Major cities | / | / | / | 1 000 000 | Users | 2013 | 5* (Dispersed) | ||
|
Languedocien Romance |
Lengadocian | / | / | / | / | >1 000 000 (total) | Speakers | 2026 (Website accessed) | Vulnerable | ||
|
Lesser Antillean French Creole Romance |
Kreyòl | Paris region | / | / | / | 200 000 | Users | 2022 | 5* (Developing) | ||
|
Ligurian / Genoese Romance |
Lìgure / Zeneize | Corsica region: Bonifacio town; Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region: between Italy and Monaco borders | 2013 | 2013, Law No. 595), Education. | / | 300+ | Users | 2007 | 8a (Moribund) | ||
|
Limousin Romance |
Lemosin | / | / | / | / | 400 000 (total) | Speakers | 2026 (Website accessed) | At risk | ||
|
Lorraine Franconian Germanic |
Lottrìnger Plàtt | Grand-Est region: Lorraine, north and east | 2013 | 2013, Law No. 595), Education. | / | 400 000 | Users | 2013 | 6a* (Vigorous) | ||
|
Luxembourgish Germanic |
Lëtzebuergesch | Grand-Est region: Moselle river area, Germany border to Luxembourg, Thionville | 2013 | 2013, Law No. 595), Education. | / | 40 000 | Users | 2001 | 5* (Dispersed) | ||
|
Norman French Romance |
Normaund | Manche department (Cotentinais dialect); Calvados and Orne departments (Augeron dialect); Seine-Maritime department (Cauchois dialect) | / | / | / | 17 000 | Users | 2015 | 6b* (Threatened) | ||
|
Occitan Romance |
Lenga d'òc | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region: Ardeche, Cantal, Drome, Haute-Loire, Isere, Loire, and Puy-de-Dome departments; Nouvelle-Aquitaine region: Charentes, Correze, and Haute-Vienne departments; Occitania region: all except Pyrenees-Orientales department; Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region | 2013 | 2013, Law No. 595), Education. | / | 1 000 000 | Users | 2019 | 6b (Threatened) | ||
|
Picard Romance |
Picard | Hauts-de-France region: Abbeville, Amiens, Arras, Beauvais, Boulogne sur Mer, Calais (except Dunkerque district), Cambrai, Douai, Lille, Saint Quentin, and Valenciennes; Normandy region: near Dieppe, Picardie border | 2013 | 2013, Law No. 595), Education. | / | 500 000 | Users | 2011 | 8b (Nearly extinct) | ||
|
Poitevin Romance |
Poetevin | / | / | / | / | Unknown | Speakers | 2026 (Website accessed) | Critically endangered | ||
|
Portuguese Romance |
Português | Scattered. Corsica region; Hauts-de-France region: Roubaix, near Belgian border; Île-de-France region: Paris; Nouvelle-Aquitaine region: Bordeaux; Occitania region: Toulouse | / | / | / | 1 469 000 | Users | 2024 | 5* (Dispersed) | ||
|
Provençal Romance |
Prouvençau | / | / | / | / | 200 000 (total) | Speakers | 2026 (Website accessed) | Threatened | ||
|
Réunion French Creole Romance |
Kréol rénioné | Scattered | / | / | / | 200 000 | Users | 2022 | 5* (Developing) | ||
|
Shuadit / Judeo-Provençal Romance |
Judeo-Provençal | Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region: Avignon area | / | / | / | No known L1 speaker | / | / | / | 10 (Extinct) | |
|
Sinte Romani Indo-Aryan |
Romanes | Scattered | / | / | / | 28 400 | Users | 2000 | 5* (Developing) | ||
|
Tarifit Afroasiatic |
Tmaziɣt | Major cities | / | / | / | 300 000 | Users | 2013 | 5* (Developing) | ||
|
Turkish Turkic |
Türkçe | Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region: Lyons; Île-de-France region: Paris; Hauts-de-France region: Calais, Lille, and Roubaix; and Grand-Est region: Strasbourg | / | / | / | 244 000 | Users | 2024 | 5* (Dispersed) | ||
|
Vivaro-Alpine Romance |
Vivaroaupenc | / | / | / | / | Unknown | Speakers | 2026 (Website accessed) | Endangered | ||
|
Vlax Romani Indo-Aryan |
Romani shib | / | / | / | / | 885 970 (total) | Speakers | 2026 (Website accessed) | At risk | ||
|
Walloon Romance |
Walon | / | / | / | / | 1 120 000 (total) | Speakers | 2026 (Website accessed) | Threatened | ||
|
West Flemish Germanic |
West-Vlaams | Hauts-de-France region: Dunkerque area and southeast to Belgium border. | 2013 | 2013, Law No. 595), Education. | / | 30 000 | Users | 2013 | 8a (Moribund) | ||
|
Western Armenian (Armenian) Armenian |
Arevmdahayerên | Major cities | / | / | / | 473 000 | Users | 2024 | 5* (Developing) | ||
|
Western Yiddish Germanic |
Yidish | / | / | / | / | 5 400 (total) | Speakers | 2026 (Website accessed) | Threatened |
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