The History of the French Language

The History of the French Language The Gallo-Romance Period (500-842) The French language emerged from the Gallo-Romance dialects spoken in northern Gaul during the Roman Empire. These dialects were derived from Vulgar Latin, the spoken form of Latin used by the common people. The Franks, a Germanic people, conquered Gaul in the 5th century. The Gallo-Roman dialec