Francophones Definition & Worksheets

Francophones is the term for people who speak French. French is spoken mainly in France, Luxembourg, the Canadian province of Quebec, Romandy in Switzerland, Wallonia in Belgium, and many African countries. These worksheets focus on Francophones in Canada. In Canada, French is the second most common language. Most French native speakers in Canada are from Quebec.

See the fact file below for more information on Francophones or alternatively, you can download our 25-page Francophones worksheet pack to utilise within the classroom or home environment.

Key Facts & Information

GENERAL SUMMARY

• Canada has two official languages: English and French.
• Francophone is the term for someone whose native language, also known as mother tongue, is French. It can also be used for someone who speaks French as fluently as their mother tongue.
• Based on the 2016 consensus report, French is the mother tongue of approximately 7.9 million Canadians.
• Quebec is the only province in Canada where Francophones make up the majority of the population.

FRENCH IN QUEBEC

• Quebec is the only Canadian province to have French as its only official language.
• 77% of the Quebec population, which is approximately 6.2 million people, have French as their mother tongue or first language, meaning French is the language they speak most frequently at home.
• Approximately 94.5% of Quebec’s population can speak French. 
• Francophones living in Quebec are called Québécois.
• Francophones outside Quebec are referred to as Francophone Canadians.
• The next-largest Francophone Canadian populations are found in Ontario, New Brunswick, Yukon, and Manitoba.
• Canadians outside of Quebec mostly speak English.

EARLY HISTORY

• French settlements were established in modern-day eastern Canada at the beginning of the 17th century.
• In 1608, French explorer Samuel de Champlain founded Quebec.
• After the Treaty of Utrecht was signed in 1713, the British began their colonization of eastern North America, including Nova Scotia.
• In 1755, most French-speaking people in Nova Scotia were sent to the Thirteen Colonies, which were British colonies on the Atlantic coast of North America.
• With the Treaty of Paris in 1763, British domination was in full force, removing French authority from most of the Canadian territory.
• The Royal Proclamation of 1763 enforced the Anglicization of the French-Canadian population under British rule. Consequently, the French language became inferior to the English language.
• French came only second to English in importance and usage in education, commerce, and state matters.
• The educated members of society had to prioritize learning English; most of them became bilingual.
• However, a majority of French-speaking inhabitants remained who spoke only French.
• Because this huge portion of the French-speaking population would not assimilate, both languages coexisted.

THE QUEBEC ACT

• In 1774, the Quebec Act was passed by Parliament.
• The Quebec Act revoked the Royal Proclamation of 1763.
• The Quebec Act also revoked the Test Act which enforced the suppression of Catholicism and the freedom of worship.
• The Quebec Act also restored French civil and property rights.
• Offering apparent resistance to British rule, the Quebec Act became one of the causes of the American Revolutionary War.

FEDERAL CANADA

• In 1791, Parliament abrogated the Quebec Act.
• The king was given authority to divide Canada into two provinces, which was known as Upper Canada and Lower Canada.
• Upper Canada became Ontario while Lower Canada became Quebec.
• In 1867, three colonies of British North America formed the federal state of Canada which was composed of four provinces, namely Ontario, Quebec, Nova Scotia, and New Brunswick.
• During this time, French became the official language in Quebec.
• 71.2% of people living in Quebec speak French as their first language.

DIALECTS

• There are three main French dialects in Canada, resulting from geographical isolation due to British rule as well as immigration.
• These dialects have linguistic elements, such as pronunciation and vocabulary, that differ from the French language spoken in Europe.
• The three dialects may be related to the three former colonies of New France, namely Canada, Acadia, and Terre-Neuve (Newfoundland).
• Quebec French, for instance, is influenced by folk dialects of the early modern period.
• Métis communities in Manitoba and Saskatchewan speak a mixed language called Michif, which is a mix of French and Cree.

DISTRIBUTION OF FRANCOPHONES

• According to a 2016 consensus, 85.4% of people in Quebec are Francophones.
• The next biggest French-speaking population is in New Brunswick. 31.8% of people in New Brunswick are Francophones.
• Constitutionally, New Brunswick is officially bilingual.
• Yukon has 4.6% Francophones while Ontario has 4.1%.
• In total, 22.8% of Canadians are Francophones.

STATUS OF FRENCH IN CANADA

• With the exception of in British Columbia, French used in public institutions benefits from government policies.
• Quebec, Ontario, and New Brunswick are members of the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (International Organisation of La Francophonie).
• Canada has over 3,000 primary and secondary schools, 75 colleges, and 30 universities which utilize the French language as a medium of instruction.

Francophones Worksheets

This is a fantastic bundle which includes everything you need to know about the Francophones across 25 in-depth pages. These are ready-to-use worksheets that are perfect for teaching students about Francophones is the term for people who speak French.

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Complete List Of Included Worksheets

• Francophones Facts
• Terms to Remember
• Franco-Facts
• View of History
• Top Five Provinces
• Laws and Consequences
• Status Update
• Collage of Differences
• My Custom Glossary
• Curious About Quebec
• Key Points Discussion

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