French of France

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French of France
France French Metropolitan French Hexagonal French Standard French
français de France français de métropole français métropolitain français hexagonal français standard
Native to	France
Language family	Indo-European Italic Latino-Faliscan Latin Romance Italo-Western Western Romance Gallo-Iberian?[1] Gallo-Romance Gallo-Rhaetian?[1] Arpitan–Oïl Oïl French French of France
Early forms	Old Latin Vulgar Latin Proto-Romance Old Gallo-Romance Old French Middle French
Writing system	Latin (French alphabet) French Braille
Official status
Official language in	France
Regulated by	Académie française (French Academy)
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–
Linguasphere	51-AAA-i
IETF	fr-FR

French of France (French: français de France [fʁɑ̃sɛ də fʁɑ̃s]) is the predominant variety of the French language in France, Andorra and Monaco, in its formal and informal registers. It has, for a long time, been associated with Standard French. It is now seen as a variety of French alongside Acadian French, Belgian French, Quebec French, Swiss French, etc.^[2]

In Paris, nasal vowels are no longer pronounced as in traditional Parisian French: /ɑ̃/ → [ɒ̃], /ɛ̃/ → [æ̃], /ɔ̃/ → [õ] and /œ̃/ → [æ̃]. Many distinctions are lost: /a/ and /ɑ/, /ɛ/ and /ɛː/, /ø/ and /ə/, /ɛ̃/ and /œ̃/ and /nj/ and /ɲ/. Otherwise, some speakers still distinguish /a/ and /ɑ/ in stressed syllables, but they pronounce the letter "â" as [aː]: pâte [paːt].

In the south of France, nasal vowels have not changed and are still pronounced as in traditional Parisian French: enfant [ɑ̃ˈfɑ̃], pain [pɛ̃], bon [bɔ̃] and brun [bʁœ̃]. Many distinctions are lost. At the end of words, most speakers do not distinguish /e/ and /ɛ/: both livré and livret are pronounced [liˈvʁe]. In closed syllables, they no longer distinguish /ɔ/ and /o/ or /œ/ and /ø/: both notre and nôtre are pronounced [nɔtʁ̥], and both jeune and jeûne are pronounced [ʒœn]. The distinctions of /a/ and /ɑ/ and of /ɛ/ and /ɛː/ are lost. Older speakers pronounce all es: chaque [ˈʃakə] and vêtement [ˈvɛtəmɑ̃].

In the north, both /a/ and /ɑ/ are pronounced as [ɔ] at the end, with là is pronounced [lɔ] and mât [mɔ]. Long vowels are still maintained: tête [teːt], côte [koːt].

Phonemic long vowels are still maintained: pâte [pɑːt] and fête [fɛːt].^[3] Before /ʁ/, /a/ changes to [ɑː]: guitare is pronounced [ɡiˈtɑːʁ] and voir [vwɑːʁ].

• Languages of France