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What is considered Old French?
Old French (franceis, françois, romanz; Modern French: ancien français) was the language spoken in Northern France from the 8th century to the 14th century. Rather than a unified language, Old French was really a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligible yet diverse, spoken in the northern half of France.
Are there different types of French?
The Francophones of France generally use Metropolitan French (spoken in Paris and considered standard) although some also use regional dialects or varieties such as Meridional French. In Europe outside France there are Belgian French, Swiss French, and in Italy Aostan French.
Does Paris still use old dialects?
Francien has largely replaced other regional dialects of French spoken in northern and central France; those dialects made up the so-called langue d’oïl (the term is based on the French use of the word oïl, modern oui, for “yes”).
What is the Old French of power?
1300, pouer, “ability; ability to act or do; strength, vigor, might,” especially in battle; “efficacy; control, mastery, lordship, dominion, ability or right to command or control; legal power or authority; authorization; military force, an army,” from Anglo-French pouair, Old French povoir, noun use of the infinitive.
What is the difference between Old French and modern French?
In later Old French, the distinctions had become moribund. As in most other Romance languages, it was the oblique case form that usually survived to become the Modern French form: l’enfant “the child” represents the old oblique (Latin accusative īnfāntem ); the Old French nominative was li enfes (Latin īnfāns ).
Why can’t I translate ‘new’ into French?
English speakers sometimes find it difficult to translate “new” into French, due to confusion over the French words nouveau and neuf. In fact, the French adjectives have distinctly different meanings; the problem is actually caused by the fact that the English “new” has more than one meaning.
What is the difference between Canadian French and European French?
In Canadian French, you’d ask for les babiches, an Aboriginal loanword. Canadian French and European French also have some variations in grammar, both spoken and written. Here are just a few examples: When speaking, Canadians are much more likely to address others informally, using the informal pronoun tu and its associated informal verb forms.
What happened to the French language in the New World?
Some linguists believe that, during this time several French varieties became merged in the new colony of New France. The year 1760 saw the beginning of British rule of the New World, which isolated the French colonies in Canada, particularly those living in the modern day Québec region.