French in the United States
Encyclopedia
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
is spoken as a minority language
Minority language
A minority language is a language spoken by a minority of the population of a territory. Such people are termed linguistic minorities or language minorities.-International politics:...
in the United States
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
. According to year 2000 census figures, 1.6 million Americans over the age of five speak the language at home; making French the fourth most-spoken language in the country behind English
English language
English is a West Germanic language that arose in the Anglo-Saxon kingdoms of England and spread into what was to become south-east Scotland under the influence of the Anglian medieval kingdom of Northumbria...
, Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, and Chinese
Chinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
(when both the Cantonese and Mandarin dialects are combined). French-speaking communities have historically been located in southern Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
and in northern New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
. French is the second most-spoken language in four states: Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
, New Hampshire
New Hampshire
New Hampshire is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state was named after the southern English county of Hampshire. It is bordered by Massachusetts to the south, Vermont to the west, Maine and the Atlantic Ocean to the east, and the Canadian...
and Vermont
Vermont
Vermont is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States of America. The state ranks 43rd in land area, , and 45th in total area. Its population according to the 2010 census, 630,337, is the second smallest in the country, larger only than Wyoming. It is the only New England...
.
French ancestry
More than 13 million Americans claim some French ancestry. The US Census Bureau's 2000 census lists French is currently the fourth most-spoken language in the country after English, Spanish and ChineseChinese language
The Chinese language is a language or language family consisting of varieties which are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. Originally the indigenous languages spoken by the Han Chinese in China, it forms one of the branches of Sino-Tibetan family of languages...
, although this is somewhat misleading because the census groups together the various languages of China
Languages of China
China's many different ethnic groups speak many different languages, collectively called Zhōngguó Yǔwén , literally, "speech and writing of China", which span eight primary language families. Most of them are dissimilar morphologically and phonetically. Even within each family, most are mutually...
.
Dialects and varieties
United States
The United States of America is a federal constitutional republic comprising fifty states and a federal district...
: Louisiana French
Louisiana French
Louisiana French is the regional variety of the French language spoken throughout contemporary Louisiana in the south-eastern USA by individuals who today identify ethno-racially as Creole, French Creole, Spanish Creole, Mississippi Creole, Alabama Creole, Texas Creole, California Creole,...
, Missouri French
Missouri French
Missouri French is a nearly extinct variety of the French language formerly spoken in the upper Mississippi River Valley in the Midwestern United States, particularly in eastern Missouri. Once spoken widely across the region known as the Illinois Country or Upper Louisiana, the dialect is now...
, and Acadian
Acadian French
Acadian French , is a regionalized dialect of Canadian French. It is spoken by the francophone population of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, by small minorities in areas in the Gaspé region of eastern Quebec, by small groups of francophones in Prince Edward Island, in several tiny pockets...
(or New England) French.
Louisiana French is itself traditionally divided into three dialects, Colonial French
Colonial French
Colonial French or Colonial Louisiana French is one of the three dialects into which Louisiana French is typically divided . Formerly spoken widely in what is now the U.S...
, Louisiana Creole French
Louisiana Creole French
Louisiana Creole is a French Creole language spoken by the Louisiana Creole people of the state of Louisiana. The language consists of elements of French, Spanish, African, and Native American roots.-Geography:...
, and Cajun French
Cajun French
Cajun French is a variety or dialects of the French language spoken primarily in Louisiana, specifically in the southern and southwestern parishes....
. Colonial French is traditionally said to have been the form of French spoken in the early days of settlement in the lower Mississippi River
Mississippi River
The Mississippi River is the largest river system in North America. Flowing entirely in the United States, this river rises in western Minnesota and meanders slowly southwards for to the Mississippi River Delta at the Gulf of Mexico. With its many tributaries, the Mississippi's watershed drains...
valley, and was once the language of the educated land-owning classes. Cajun French, derived from Acadian French
Acadian French
Acadian French , is a regionalized dialect of Canadian French. It is spoken by the francophone population of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, by small minorities in areas in the Gaspé region of eastern Quebec, by small groups of francophones in Prince Edward Island, in several tiny pockets...
, is said to have been introduced with the arrival of Acadian immigrants in the 17th century. The Acadians, the francophone inhabitants of Acadia
Acadia
Acadia was the name given to lands in a portion of the French colonial empire of New France, in northeastern North America that included parts of eastern Quebec, the Maritime provinces, and modern-day Maine. At the end of the 16th century, France claimed territory stretching as far south as...
(modern Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia
Nova Scotia is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the most populous province in Atlantic Canada. The name of the province is Latin for "New Scotland," but "Nova Scotia" is the recognized, English-language name of the province. The provincial capital is Halifax. Nova Scotia is the...
, New Brunswick
New Brunswick
New Brunswick is one of Canada's three Maritime provinces and is the only province in the federation that is constitutionally bilingual . The provincial capital is Fredericton and Saint John is the most populous city. Greater Moncton is the largest Census Metropolitan Area...
, and northern Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
), were expelled from their homeland between 1755 and 1763 by the British. Many Acadians settled in lower Louisiana, where they became known as Cajuns (a corruption of "Acadians"). Their dialect was regarded as the typical language of white lower classes, while Louisiana Creole French developed as the language of the black community. Today, most linguists regard Colonial French to have largely merged with Cajun, while Louisiana Creole remains a distinct variety.
Missouri French
Missouri French
Missouri French is a nearly extinct variety of the French language formerly spoken in the upper Mississippi River Valley in the Midwestern United States, particularly in eastern Missouri. Once spoken widely across the region known as the Illinois Country or Upper Louisiana, the dialect is now...
was spoken by the descendants of 17th-century French settlers in east central Missouri, then called Haute-Lousiane (Upper Louisiana), especially in the area of Ste. Genevieve
Ste. Genevieve, Missouri
Ste. Genevieve is a city in and the county seat of Ste. Genevieve County, Missouri, United States. The population was 11,654 at the 2000 census...
, St. Louis, and in Washington County
Washington County, Missouri
Washington County is a county located in East Central Missouri in the United States. As of the 2010 U.S. Census, the county's population was 25,195. The largest city and county seat is Potosi...
. In the 1930s there were said to be about 600 French-speaking families in the Old Mines region
Old Mines, Missouri
Old Mines is the name of both an unincorporated community and the surrounding area in southeast Missouri that were settled by French colonists who mined for lead from the early 18th century when the area was a part of the Illinois Country of New France...
between De Soto
De Soto, Missouri
De Soto is a city in Jefferson County, Missouri, United States. The population was 6,477 at the estimated 2008 census. The Van Metre family were first to settle in 1803 .The town was organized in 1857 and is named for the explorer Hernando De Soto, who claimed the Louisiana Territory for Spain. ...
and Potosi
Potosi, Missouri
Potosi is a city in Washington County, Missouri, United States. Potosi is about 10 miles north of Belgrade. The estimated population in July 2008 was 2,698. It was 2,662 at the 2000 census. It is the county seat of Washington County...
. By the late 20th century the dialect was nearly extinct, with only a few elderly speakers able to use it.
Acadian French
Acadian French
Acadian French , is a regionalized dialect of Canadian French. It is spoken by the francophone population of the Canadian province of New Brunswick, by small minorities in areas in the Gaspé region of eastern Quebec, by small groups of francophones in Prince Edward Island, in several tiny pockets...
is spoken in parts of northern New England
New England
New England is a region in the northeastern corner of the United States consisting of the six states of Maine, New Hampshire, Vermont, Massachusetts, Rhode Island, and Connecticut...
, where it is also known as New England French. This area has a legacy of significant immigration from Canada
Canada
Canada is a North American country consisting of ten provinces and three territories. Located in the northern part of the continent, it extends from the Atlantic Ocean in the east to the Pacific Ocean in the west, and northward into the Arctic Ocean...
, especially during the 19th and the early 20th centuries. Some Americans of French heritage who have lost the language are currently attempting to revive it.
Ernest F. Haden identifies the French of Frenchville, Pennsylvania (Covington Township
Covington Township, Clearfield County, Pennsylvania
Covington Township is a civil township in Clearfield County of the U.S. state of Pennsylvania. As of the 2000 census, the township population was 621.-Geography:...
) as a distinct dialect of North American French. "While the French enclave of Frenchville, Pennsylvania first received attention in the late 1960s, the variety of French spoken has not been the subject of systematic linguistic study. Haden reports that the geographical origin of its settlers is central France, as was also the case of New Orleans, but with settlement being more recent (1830-1840). He also reports that in the 1960s French seemed to be on the verge of extinction in the community."
Newer Francophone immigrants
New YorkNew York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, and Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
are frequently visited by Francophone tourists. In Florida, the city of Miami
Miami, Florida
Miami is a city located on the Atlantic coast in southeastern Florida and the county seat of Miami-Dade County, the most populous county in Florida and the eighth-most populous county in the United States with a population of 2,500,625...
is home to a large Francophone community, consisting of French expatriates, Haiti
Haiti
Haiti , officially the Republic of Haiti , is a Caribbean country. It occupies the western, smaller portion of the island of Hispaniola, in the Greater Antillean archipelago, which it shares with the Dominican Republic. Ayiti was the indigenous Taíno or Amerindian name for the island...
ans, and French Canadians (although the Haitians mainly speak French as their second language, their first being Haitian Creole); there is also a growing community of Francophone Africans in and around Orlando
Orlando, Florida
Orlando is a city in the central region of the U.S. state of Florida. It is the county seat of Orange County, and the center of the Greater Orlando metropolitan area. According to the 2010 US Census, the city had a population of 238,300, making Orlando the 79th largest city in the United States...
and Tampa
Tâmpa
Tâmpa may refer to several villages in Romania:* Tâmpa, a village in Băcia Commune, Hunedoara County* Tâmpa, a village in Miercurea Nirajului, Mureş County* Tâmpa, a mountain in Braşov city...
. A small but sustaining French community that originated in San Francisco during the Gold Rush
Gold rush
A gold rush is a period of feverish migration of workers to an area that has had a dramatic discovery of gold. Major gold rushes took place in the 19th century in Australia, Brazil, Canada, South Africa, and the United States, while smaller gold rushes took place elsewhere.In the 19th and early...
and was supplemented by French wine-making immigrants to the Bay Area, is centered culturally around that city's French Quarter. Many retired individuals from Quebec
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
have moved either to Florida
Florida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
or Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, or at least spend the winter there. Also, the many Canadians who travel to the Southeastern states in the winter and spring comprise many Francophones, mostly from Quebec but also from New Brunswick and Ontario. Quebecers also tend to visit Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, as Quebec and Louisiana share a number of cultural ties.
Language study
French has traditionally been the foreign language of choice for English-speakers across the globe. While remaining so in Canada, Great BritainGreat Britain
Great Britain or Britain is an island situated to the northwest of Continental Europe. It is the ninth largest island in the world, and the largest European island, as well as the largest of the British Isles...
and Ireland
Ireland
Ireland is an island to the northwest of continental Europe. It is the third-largest island in Europe and the twentieth-largest island on Earth...
, the distinction has since been claimed by Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
in the United States – probably a consequence of heavy immigration from, and increased general interest in, Latin America
Latin America
Latin America is a region of the Americas where Romance languages – particularly Spanish and Portuguese, and variably French – are primarily spoken. Latin America has an area of approximately 21,069,500 km² , almost 3.9% of the Earth's surface or 14.1% of its land surface area...
. French is currently the second-most studied foreign language in the US, behind Spanish and ahead of German
German language
German is a West Germanic language, related to and classified alongside English and Dutch. With an estimated 90 – 98 million native speakers, German is one of the world's major languages and is the most widely-spoken first language in the European Union....
. Most U.S. high schools and universities offer French-language courses, and degree programs in the language are common. As a rule, the French taught in American classrooms is that of France, as opposed to Canadian French
Canadian French
Canadian French is an umbrella term referring to the varieties of French spoken in Canada. French is the mother tongue of nearly seven million Canadians, a figure constituting roughly 22% of the national population. At the federal level it has co-official status alongside English...
, despite the geographic proximity of Canada to the United States. This can cause confusion when U.S. students attempt to speak French in Canada, as there are significant dialectal differences between the two; although the differences are fortunately minimized if formal French is used, informal conversational Quebec French can be challenging for Americans and other non-Canadians to understand. However, the written form of French in Quebec is the same as in France and other parts of Europe.
In the fall of 2009, 216,419 American university students were enrolled in French courses, the second-highest total of any language (behind Spanish).
Francophone communities
More than 1,000 inhabitants- Madawaska, MaineMadawaska, MaineMadawaska is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,035 at the 2010 census. Madawaska is opposite Edmundston in Madawaska County in New Brunswick, Canada, to which it is connected by the Edmundston-Madawaska Bridge. Today many of its residents speak French; 83.4% of...
(pop. 4,534) - 84% French-speaking - Fort Kent, MaineFort Kent, MaineFort Kent is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 4,097 in the 2010 census. Fort Kent is home to an Olympic biathlete training center, an annual CAN-AM dogsled race, and the Fort Kent Blockhouse, built in reaction to the Aroostook War and in modern times designated...
(pop. 4,233) - 61% French-speaking - Van Buren, Maine (pop. 2,631) - 79% French-speaking
- Frenchville, MaineFrenchville, MaineFrenchville is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 1,225 at the 2000 census: 80 percent are habitual speakers of French, aided by its proximity to French-speaking Quebec and New Brunswick in Canada....
(pop. 1,225) - 80% French-speaking
Fewer than 1,000 inhabitants
- Eagle Lake, MaineEagle Lake, MaineEagle Lake is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The town's population was 815 at the 2000 census. The town was named by a body of troops heading from Bangor to the Aroostook War for the many eagles that they saw around the lake...
(pop. 815) - 50% French-speaking - St. Agatha, MaineSt. Agatha, MaineSt. Agatha is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 802 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
(pop. 802) - 80% French-speaking - St. Francis, MaineSt. Francis, MaineSt. Francis is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States on the Canadian border at the junction of the St. Francis River and the Saint John River. The population was 577 at the 2000 census...
(pop. 577) - 61% French-speaking - Grand Isle, MaineGrand Isle, MaineGrand Isle is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. The population was 518 at the 2000 census.-Geography:According to the United States Census Bureau, the town has a total area of , of which, of it is land and of it is water....
(pop. 518) - 76% French-speaking - Saint John Plantation, Maine (pop. 282) - 60% French-speaking
- Hamlin, MaineHamlin, MaineHamlin is a town in Aroostook County, Maine, United States. It is located on the Canada-US border with a border crossing into Grand Falls, New Brunswick...
(pop. 257) - 57% French-speaking
Counties and parishes with the highest proportion of French-speakers
Note: speakers of French-based creole languagesFrench-based creole languages
A French Creole, or French-based Creole language, is a creole language based on the French language, more specifically on a 17th century koiné French extant in Paris, the French Atlantic harbors, and the nascent French colonies...
are not included in percentages.
- St. Martin Parish, LouisianaSt. Martin Parish, LouisianaSt. Martin Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is St. Martinville. As of the 2000 census, the population was 48,583.St...
(pop. 48,583) - 27.4% French-speaking - Evangeline Parish, LouisianaEvangeline Parish, Louisiana-Demographics:As of the census of 2000, there were 35,434 people, 12,736 households, and 9,157 families residing in the parish. The population density was 53 people per square mile . There were 14,258 housing units at an average density of 22 per square mile...
(pop. 35,434) - 25.7% French-speaking - Vermilion Parish, LouisianaVermilion Parish, LouisianaVermilion Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Abbeville. As of the 2010 census, the population was 57,999....
(pop. 53,807) - 24.9% French-speaking - Aroostook County, MaineAroostook County, MaineAroostook County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. In 2010, its population was 71,870. In land area, it is the largest county in the state and the largest U.S. county east of the Mississippi River. Its seat is Houlton...
(pop. 73,938) - 22.4% French-speaking - Lafourche Parish, LouisianaLafourche Parish, LouisianaLafourche Parish is a parish located in the south of the U.S. state of Louisiana. It was originally the northern part of Lafourche Interior Parish, which consisted of the present parishes of Lafourche and Terrebonne. The parish seat is Thibodaux...
(pop. 89,974) - 19.1% French-speaking - Acadia Parish, LouisianaAcadia Parish, LouisianaAcadia Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Crowley. According to the 2010 census, the population of Acadia Parish is 61,773. The parish was founded from parts of St...
(pop. 58,861) - 19.0% French-speaking - Avoyelles Parish, LouisianaAvoyelles Parish, LouisianaAvoyelles is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Marksville. In 2000, its population was 41,481. The parish is named for the Avoyel Indian tribe.-History:...
(pop. 41,481) - 17.6% French-speaking - Assumption Parish, LouisianaAssumption Parish, LouisianaAssumption Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana, and was formed in 1807 as an original parish of the Louisiana Territory. Its parish seat is Napoleonville. In 2000, its population was 23,388. Assumption is one of the 22 Acadiana parishes. Its major product is sugarcane...
(pop. 23,388) - 17.6% French-speaking - St. Landry Parish, LouisianaSt. Landry Parish, LouisianaSt. Landry Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. It is at the heart of Acadian/Cajun culture and heritage in Louisiana. The parish seat is Opelousas. According to the 2010 census, the population of St. Landry Parish is 83,384.St...
(pop. 87,700) - 16.7% French-speaking - Coos County, New HampshireCoos County, New Hampshire-National protected areas:*Umbagog National Wildlife Refuge *Silvio O. Conte National Fish and Wildlife Refuge *White Mountain National Forest -Demographics:...
(pop. 33,111) - 16.2% French-speaking - Jefferson Davis Parish, LouisianaJefferson Davis Parish, LouisianaJefferson Davis Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Jennings. As of 2000, its population was 31,435. Jefferson Davis Parish is named after the president of the Confederacy during the American Civil War, Jefferson Davis. It is located in southwestern...
(pop. 31,435) - 16.2% French-speaking - Lafayette Parish, LouisianaLafayette Parish, LouisianaLafayette Parish is a parish located in the U.S. state of Louisiana. The parish seat is Lafayette. According to the 2010 Census, its population was recorded as 221,578....
(pop. 190,503) - 14.4% French-speaking - Androscoggin County, MaineAndroscoggin County, MaineAndroscoggin County is a county located in the U.S. state of Maine. As of the 2010 U.S. census, the county's population was 107,702. Its county seat is Auburn...
(pop. 103,793) - 14.3% French-speaking
Seasonal migrations
FloridaFlorida
Florida is a state in the southeastern United States, located on the nation's Atlantic and Gulf coasts. It is bordered to the west by the Gulf of Mexico, to the north by Alabama and Georgia and to the east by the Atlantic Ocean. With a population of 18,801,310 as measured by the 2010 census, it...
, California
California
California is a state located on the West Coast of the United States. It is by far the most populous U.S. state, and the third-largest by land area...
, New York
New York
New York is a state in the Northeastern region of the United States. It is the nation's third most populous state. New York is bordered by New Jersey and Pennsylvania to the south, and by Connecticut, Massachusetts and Vermont to the east...
, Texas
Texas
Texas is the second largest U.S. state by both area and population, and the largest state by area in the contiguous United States.The name, based on the Caddo word "Tejas" meaning "friends" or "allies", was applied by the Spanish to the Caddo themselves and to the region of their settlement in...
, Louisiana
Louisiana
Louisiana is a state located in the southern region of the United States of America. Its capital is Baton Rouge and largest city is New Orleans. Louisiana is the only state in the U.S. with political subdivisions termed parishes, which are local governments equivalent to counties...
, Hawaii
Hawaii
Hawaii is the newest of the 50 U.S. states , and is the only U.S. state made up entirely of islands. It is the northernmost island group in Polynesia, occupying most of an archipelago in the central Pacific Ocean, southwest of the continental United States, southeast of Japan, and northeast of...
, and a few other popular resort
Resort
A resort is a place used for relaxation or recreation, attracting visitors for holidays or vacations. Resorts are places, towns or sometimes commercial establishment operated by a single company....
regions (most notably Old Orchard Beach, Maine
Maine
Maine is a state in the New England region of the northeastern United States, bordered by the Atlantic Ocean to the east and south, New Hampshire to the west, and the Canadian provinces of Quebec to the northwest and New Brunswick to the northeast. Maine is both the northernmost and easternmost...
and Cape May
Cape May, New Jersey
Cape May is a city at the southern tip of Cape May Peninsula in Cape May County, New Jersey, where the Delaware Bay meets the Atlantic Ocean and is one of the country's oldest vacation resort destinations. It is part of the Ocean City Metropolitan Statistical Area. As of the 2010 United States...
, New Jersey
New Jersey
New Jersey is a state in the Northeastern and Middle Atlantic regions of the United States. , its population was 8,791,894. It is bordered on the north and east by the state of New York, on the southeast and south by the Atlantic Ocean, on the west by Pennsylvania and on the southwest by Delaware...
) are visited in large numbers by Quebeckers
Quebec
Quebec or is a province in east-central Canada. It is the only Canadian province with a predominantly French-speaking population and the only one whose sole official language is French at the provincial level....
, during winter and summer vacations.
French schools in the United States
- Audubon Charter School, New Orleans
- Dallas International School
- École Bilingue de la Nouvelle Orléans
- French Academy of Bilingual Culture, New Milford, New JerseyFrench Academy of Bilingual Culture, New Milford, New JerseyThe French Academy of Bilingual Culture, also known as FABC or the French ABC, is a Bilingual school offering full time school programs from pre-K to grade 4...
- Lycée Français de New YorkLycée Français de New YorkThe Lycée Français de New York , literally The French High School of New York, is an exclusive French-medium school for K-12 students based in Manhattan, New York which follows the French curriculum of study and allows students to study for the French general Baccalauréat, the international option...
- Lycée Français de Los AngelesLycée Français de Los AngelesLe Lycée Français de Los Angeles is a bicultural independent, private school based in Los Angeles. Offering preschool – 12th grade, the learning institution was founded by Esther and Raymond Kabbaz in 1964 and is structured as a non-profit organization...
- Lycée Français de ChicagoLycée Français de ChicagoThe Lycée Français de Chicago is a private coeducational day school, offering a dual French and English curriculum from Pre-K through 12th grade...
- Lycée Français de la Nouvelle-Orléans
- Lycée Français La PérouseLycée Français La PérouseThe Lycée Français La Pérouse is a total immersion French language school based in San Francisco, California which allows students to study for the French baccalauréat and the American high school diploma. The program is based on the French national curriculum augmented by courses in English in...
, San Francisco - Lycée International de Los Angeles
- French American International SchoolFrench American International School (San Francisco)The French American International School is a French and English PK-12 school based in San Francisco, California which allows students to study for the French baccalauréat and the International Baccalaureate...
, San Francisco - French-American School of New YorkFrench-American School of New YorkThe French-American School of New York, also known as the École Franco-Américaine de New York or FASNY is a bilingual private school located in Westchester County. It serves the substantial local francophone community, offering classes from Nursery to 12th grade...
- International School of ArizonaInternational School of ArizonaThe International School of Arizona , founded in 1997, is a private non-profit language immersion school for all children, age 2 to 11 years old...
, Scottsdale, AZ - International School of Tucson
- International School of Louisiana (ISL)
- The Language Academy, San Diego
- French International School of Philadelphia
- L'Ecole Française du Maine
- French Immersion School of Washington
- Ecole franco-américaine de la Silicon Valley
- French American International School (Portland, Oregon)French American International School (Portland, Oregon)The French American International School is a French and English language private school in Portland, Oregon, United States....
- Portland French School Portland, Oregon
- Ecole Bilingue de Berkeley Berkeley, California
- John Hanson French Immersion School, Oxon Hill, MD
- Robert Goddard French Immersion School, Lanham, MD
- The Waring SchoolThe Waring SchoolThe Waring School is a liberal arts school for students in grades 6-12 founded in 1972 by Philip and Josée Waring.The institution's 32 acre campus is located in Beverly, Massachusetts.-Sports:...
, French Immersion School, Beverly, MA - Ecole Internationale de Boston / International School of Boston (www.isbos.org), Cambridge & Arlington, MA
- Normandale French Immersion Elementary School, Edina, MN
- Saint Louis Language Immersion Schools, Saint Louis, MO. http://www.sllis.org/
- École Française Bilingue de Greenville, SC
- Lycée RochambeauLycee RochambeauLycée Rochambeau is a French international school in the Washington, D.C. suburb of Bethesda, Maryland.-School and Community:Lycée Rochambeau was founded in 1955, and presently, with a total enrollment of approximately 1100 students, it is the largest of the nine French schools in the United States...
- Académie Lafayette - French Immersion Charter Public School, Kansas City, MO
See also
- Spanish language in the United States
- Languages of the United States
External links
- History of French settlement in Detroit, MI
- Bonjour L.A.! Los Angeles with a French Touch - French Bonjour L.A.! Los Angeles with a French Touch
- Vivre en Orange County - French Community in Orange County, California
- Council for the Development of French in Louisiana - a state agency.
- The Social Network for New York's French-speaking community