French is Romantic language that can date back to thousands of years, even prior to the establishment of the Roman Empire. Romantic languages are descended from Latin, and examples of these are Spanish, Italian and Portuguese and of course, French. French was heavily influenced by Latin and Gaulish, a language which was spoken in Gaul (modern day France), but there were other dialects which also took part in shaping the French language, such the native Celtic and Germanic languages.
Before the Roman conquest of Gaul in 50 BC, much of present France was inhabited by Celtic people referred to by the Romans as Gauls (and some Belgae) although Gaulish was their primary spoken language. Southern France was also home to a number of other linguistic and ethnic groups including the Iberians, which created a vast array of different dialects spoken in just one region. There is evidence of Gaulish writing dating back to the 3rd century BC! Archaeology sites suggest that the Gauls were quite civilised and very wealthy. Most had contact with Roman merchants and had stable political alliances with Rome as they often traded wine. Latin was first spoken by a tribe called Latini, who had recently settled in Latium (modern-day Rome) in around the 10th century BC. Two hundred years later, the city of Rome was founded, which marked the birth of the Roman Empire. As this new empire expanded and conquered regions, so did Latin, spreading and influencing other dialects, one of which was Gaulish. In the years leading up to the Gallic Wars (a series of conflicts between Gaul and the Roman Empire), Julius Caesar was selected as the governor of the province of Gaul, which meant that he could engage in any military campaign against the Gauls.
The Gallic wars began when Caesar commanded an attack, or rather ambush, on the Helvetii, a Gallic tribe in 58 BC. This led to the Battle of Bibracte, between the Romans and the remaining Helvetii, with the former being victorious. This unjustified defeat sparked revolts within the Gaulish society, which led to a series of ensuing conflicts, named the Gallic wars. They finally came to an end in 52 BC when the king of Gallic tribe assembled an unprecedented grand coalition of Gauls, which subsequently led to the capture and murder of the King. The Roman victory resulted in the expansion of the Roman Republic over the whole of Gaul. Gaul was divided into Roman provinces at the start of the Augustus’ reign in 27 BC. Although several small-scale rebellions followed, nothing could touch the authority of the Roman Empire. The conquest of Gaul marked the beginning of almost five centuries of Roman rule, which had profound cultural impacts, and one of these was the shift in language from Gaulish to Vulgar Latin, which later developed into French. Under the Roman rule, Latin was gradually adopted by the inhabitants of Gaul, even though Gaulish did not go extinct until the late sixth century, long after the fall of the Roman Empire.
In the 3rd century, Gaul started to be invaded by Germanic tribes who settled and changed the language. The most prevalent was the Frankish tribe which had settled in northern France. The Frankish language had a profound influence on the Vulgar Latin spoken in Gaul altering both the pronunciation and the syntax. Over time, this language evolved into French and as a result of the French colonisation, it is the official language of 28 countries.
~Edene
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