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Lesson 2 of 5La francophonie and Real-World Texts
Unit 5 · Lesson 2 of 5

French in Asia, the Middle East and the Indian Ocean

French reached Vietnam, Laos, Cambodia, Lebanon, Pondicherry and the islands of the Indian Ocean through colonial history, and it left traces in food, buildings, schools and everyday speech. Learn where French is official, where it is widely used and where it survives mostly as history, and how the OIF links these places to Canada.

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Key things to remember

  1. 1Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia formed French Indochina until 1953–1954; today French survives mostly among older people, in some schools and in traces like the bánh mì and cà phê.
  2. 2Lebanon (le Liban): French mandate 1920–1943. Arabic is official; French is widely used, and many people speak Arabic, French and English.
  3. 3Indian Ocean: French is official in the Seychelles and La Réunion (part of France); Mauritius names no official language, but English and French are both used.
  4. 4The OIF began in Niamey in 1970; its leaders meet at the Sommet de la Francophonie, and 20 mars is the Journée internationale de la Francophonie. Canada, Québec and New Brunswick all belong.
  5. 5Masculine countries take au / du (au Vietnam, au Cambodge, du Liban); aux for plurals (aux Seychelles); à for cities and islands without an article (à Beyrouth, à Maurice).

If you have ever eaten a bánh mì in Toronto or Ottawa, you have tasted a piece of French history in Asia: the sandwich is made on a crusty baguette, a bread that came to Vietnam with the French, filled with Vietnamese ingredients such as pickled carrot, cilantro and chili. French left traces like this far from Europe: in the cafés of Hanoi, the streets of Beirut, the town of Pondicherry in India and the islands of the Indian Ocean. In some of these places French is still an official language; in others it is widely used without being official; and in others it survives mostly in old buildings, borrowed words and the memories of older people. This lesson sorts out which is which, explains how French got there, and shows how these communities are part of la francophonie — the worldwide family of people who share the French language — along with Canada.

Le français en Asie, au Moyen-Orient et dans les océansFrench in Asia, the Middle East, the Indian Ocean and the Pacificofficiel = an official languagetrès utilisé = widely used, not officialhistorique = historical tiesAsie du Sud-EstSoutheast AsiaVietnamhistoriqueLaoshistoriqueCambodge (Cambodia)historiquePart of French Indochina untilthe 1950s. Today French isspoken mostly by older peopleand in some schools.Moyen-OrientMiddle EastLiban (Lebanon)très utiliséUnder French mandate from1920 to 1943. Arabic is theofficial language; French iscommon in schools, businessand the media.Asie du SudSouth AsiaPondichéry (India)historiqueAlso spelled Puducherry.A French settlement until1954; French street namesand French schools remain.Océan IndienIndian OceanMaurice (Mauritius)très utilisé · with English, in governmentSeychellesofficiel · with English and CreoleLa Réunion (France)officiel · part of FranceMost people on these islands alsospeak a French-based Creole.PacifiquePacificNouvelle-Calédonie (France)officiel · French territoryPolynésie française (France)officiel · French territoryWallis-et-Futuna (France)officiel · French territoryVanuatuofficiel · with English and BislamaVanuatu was ruled by Britain and Francetogether until 1980.
Fig 1French in Asia, the Middle East, the Indian Ocean and the Pacific, coded by status: officiel (an official language), très utilisé (widely used but not official) and historique (historical ties).

L'Asie du Sud-Est: the legacy of Indochina

In the second half of the 1800s France took control of Vietnam, Laos and Cambodia (le Vietnam, le Laos, le Cambodge) and ruled them as French Indochina (l'Indochine française). French became the language of government and of the schools for a small elite. After years of war, French rule ended in 1953–1954 (Laos and Cambodia in 1953, Vietnam with the Geneva agreements of 1954), and the three countries went their own way. Today Vietnamese, Lao and Khmer are the national languages, English is the foreign language most young people learn, and French is spoken mostly by older people and in some bilingual school programs. Still, all three countries are members of the OIF, and Hanoi hosted the Sommet de la Francophonie (the summit of French-speaking countries' leaders) in 1997. The French period also left visible traces:

PlaceFrench traceWhat it looks like today
le Vietnamle bánh mìVietnamese fillings in a French-style baguette — a famous street food, now sold all over Canada.
le Vietnamle caféThe French planted coffee in the 1800s; Vietnamese iced coffee with sweetened condensed milk is a favourite, and the Vietnamese word cà phê comes from French café.
le Vietnamthe writing systemVietnamese is written in the Latin alphabet with many accents, a system that became the standard in the early 1900s, during the French period.
le Vietnaml'Opéra de HanoïAn opera house completed in 1911, inspired by the Palais Garnier opera house in Paris.
le LaosLuang PrabangA UNESCO World Heritage town where traditional Lao wooden houses stand beside French colonial buildings.
le CambodgeAngkorFrench archaeologists spent decades studying and restoring Angkor's vast stone monuments, Cambodia's best-known landmark.
Le Cambodge ends in -e but is masculine: au Cambodge. Le Vietnam and le Laos are masculine too: au Vietnam, au Laos.

Le Liban: three languages in one sentence

Lebanon (le Liban) was under a French mandate from 1920 until its independence in 1943. Arabic is the official language, but French is still widely used in schools, universities, business and the media, and many Lebanese people grow up speaking Arabic, French and English. Mixing them is so normal that a well-known Lebanese greeting uses all three: Hi, kifak, ça va ? (kifak is Arabic for how are you?). Beirut (Beyrouth) hosted the Sommet de la Francophonie in 2002 and the Jeux de la Francophonie in 2009. Lebanese food is popular across Canada: le taboulé (a parsley and bulgur salad), le houmous and les falafels. The Baalbeck International Festival, first held in 1956, stages summer concerts among the Roman ruins of Baalbeck. Ottawa and Montréal both have large Lebanese communities, so you may hear Hi, kifak, ça va ? in Ontario too.

L'océan Indien and Pondichéry

PlaceStatus of FrenchOther languagesCulture snapshot
Maurice (Mauritius)Widely used: the constitution names no official language; English and French are both used in government.Mauritian Creole (kreol morisien), spoken by most people at homeFrench ruled the island from 1715 to 1810, then Britain until independence in 1968 — which is why both languages are there. Students learn English and French at school.
les SeychellesOfficial: the constitution names Creole, English and French as the national languagesSeychellois Creole (kreol seselwa)An island country; the music and dance called séga is shared with Mauritius and Réunion.
La RéunionOfficial: the island is part of France (an overseas department)Réunion Creole (créole réunionnais)Le Piton de la Fournaise, one of the world's most active volcanoes; maloya music (on UNESCO's intangible heritage list since 2009); spicy cari and rougail saucisse.
Pondichéry (Puducherry), IndiaHistorical: a French settlement until 1954Tamil, English and othersThe old town still has French street names (rue) and French schools, and some families keep ties with France.
Most people on Mauritius, Réunion and the Seychelles also speak a Creole language that grew out of French, mixed with words from Africa, Madagascar and India. French is also official in the Pacific: New Caledonia, French Polynesia (including Tahiti) and Wallis and Futuna are French territories, and Vanuatu, ruled by Britain and France together until 1980, has three official languages: Bislama, English and French.
What is the OIF?
The Organisation internationale de la Francophonie (OIF) grew out of an agency founded in Niamey, Niger, in 1970 by 21 states and governments, inspired by leaders including Senegal's Léopold Sédar Senghor, Tunisia's Habib Bourguiba, Niger's Hamani Diori and Cambodia's Norodom Sihanouk. Its members are states and governments that share the French language, even where French is not the majority language. Their leaders meet at the Sommet de la Francophonie, held about every two years: Québec City hosted it in 1987 and 2008, Moncton in 1999, Hanoi in 1997 and Beirut in 2002. The OIF supports education, culture and the French language, organises the Jeux de la Francophonie, and celebrates the Journée internationale de la Francophonie every 20 mars, the anniversary of the 1970 founding. Canada is a member, and Québec and New Brunswick have their own seats as well. A Canadian, Michaëlle Jean, born in Haiti, served as the OIF's Secretary General from 2015 to 2018.

Saying where in Asia and the islands

PlaceTo / inFromWhy
le Vietnam, le Laos, le Cambodge, le Libanau Vietnam, au Libandu Vietnam, du Libanmasculine countries (yes, even le Cambodge)
l'Indeen Inded'Indefeminine country starting with a vowel
les Seychellesaux Seychellesdes Seychellesplural
Hanoï, Beyrouth, Pondichéryà Hanoï, à Beyrouthde Hanoï, de Beyrouthcities
Mauriceà Maurice (or à l'île Maurice)de Mauricean island used without an article works like a city
La Réunionà La Réunionde La Réunionthe article is part of the name, so it stays: à La Réunion
  • Linh : Salut Maya ! Je suis au Vietnam avec mes parents pour deux semaines. Nous sommes à Hanoï, chez ma grand-mère.
  • Maya : Super ! Tu manges des bánh mì tous les jours ?
  • Linh : Oui, et du café vietnamien ! Ma grand-mère parle un peu français. Elle l'a appris à l'école quand elle était petite.
  • Maya : Moi, je vais au Liban en juillet. Ma tante habite à Beyrouth. Mes cousins disent « Hi, kifak, ça va ? » : anglais, arabe et français dans la même phrase !
  • Linh : Trop cool ! Et après, tu rentres à Ottawa ?
  • Maya : Oui, je reviens du Liban le 15 août. On mange au restaurant libanais ensemble ?

Translation: Linh: Hi Maya! I'm in Vietnam with my parents for two weeks. We're in Hanoi, at my grandmother's. Maya: Great! Are you eating bánh mì every day? Linh: Yes, and Vietnamese coffee! My grandmother speaks a little French. She learned it at school when she was little. Maya: I'm going to Lebanon in July. My aunt lives in Beirut. My cousins say 'Hi, kifak, ça va?': English, Arabic and French in the same sentence! Linh: So cool! And afterwards, are you going home to Ottawa? Maya: Yes, I'm coming back from Lebanon on August 15. Shall we eat at the Lebanese restaurant together? Notice au Vietnam and au Liban (masculine countries), à Hanoï, à Beyrouth and à Ottawa (cities), and du Liban for from. Linh's grandmother learned French at school during or just after the French period — a typical story for her generation.

PlaceMasculineFeminine
le Vietnamvietnamienvietnamienne
le Cambodgecambodgiencambodgienne
le Laoslaotienlaotienne
le Libanlibanaislibanaise
Mauricemauricienmauricienne
La Réunionréunionnaisréunionnaise
Adjectives in -ien double the n before adding -e (vietnamienne); adjectives in -ais just add -e (libanaise).
Connect it to your community
Canadian cities have large communities with roots in Vietnam, Lebanon and Mauritius, and their restaurants, shops and festivals are a doorway into these cultures. Every March, many Ontario schools and community centres celebrate le Mois de la Francophonie, ending with the Journée internationale de la Francophonie on 20 mars. Pick one place from this lesson and write three French sentences comparing it with your own community: À Beyrouth, beaucoup de jeunes parlent trois langues. Dans ma ville, on parle anglais et français.

Worked examples

Reveal one step at a time and try to beat it to the next line.

Example 1
Say in French: My cousins live in Cambodia.
Example 2
Say in French: She is coming back from the Seychelles.
Example 3
Decide how to describe the status of French in Mauritius, and say why.

Where marks get lost

  • Writing en Cambodge because the name ends in -e. Le Cambodge is masculine: au Cambodge.
  • Saying French is the official language of Lebanon. Arabic is official; French is widely used alongside it.
  • Saying French is still the main language of Vietnam. It was the colonial language, but today Vietnamese is the national language and French is spoken mostly by older people and in some schools.
  • Dropping the article from La Réunion: Je vais à Réunion. The article is part of the name: Je vais à La Réunion.
  • Forgetting to double the n: vietnamiene. Adjectives in -ien become -ienne: vietnamienne, cambodgienne.

Flashcards 9

French Indochina (l'Indochine française)
bánh mì
Hi, kifak, ça va ?
Official language of Lebanon
+ 5 more

Practice

1
Which three countries made up French Indochina?
2
How does the bánh mì show French influence in Vietnam?
3
Which statement about languages in Lebanon is accurate?
4
Which statement about Mauritius is accurate?
5
Fill in the preposition: Je vais ___ Cambodge.
6
Fill in the preposition: Elle habite ___ Seychelles.
7
Fill in the preposition: Mon oncle travaille ___ Beyrouth.
8
Fill in the preposition meaning from: Nous revenons ___ Liban.
9
Complete with the nationality adjective for a girl from Vietnam: Linh est ___.
10
Match each place to a fact about it.
Pondichéry
La Réunion
Vanuatu
Hanoï
Moncton
11
What happens every year on 20 mars?
12
Put these events in chronological order, earliest first.
  1. 1Vanuatu becomes independent (1980)
  2. 2The agency that became the OIF is founded in Niamey (1970)
  3. 3Beirut hosts the Sommet de la Francophonie (2002)
  4. 4The French mandate in Lebanon begins (1920)
  5. 5Lebanon becomes independent (1943)
  6. 6The Geneva agreements end the French period in Vietnam, and Pondichéry passes to India (1954)

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