40-Minute French

French (français, ) is a Romance language globally spoken by about 110 millionFrancophonie people as a first language (mother tongue), by 190 million as a second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired foreign language, with significant numbers of speakers in 57 countries. Most native speakers of the language live in France, where the language originated. The rest live essentially in Canada (particularly Quebec, and to a lesser extent Ontario and New Brunswick), Belgium, (particularly Wallonia and Brussels), Switzerland, French-speaking Africa (31 countries, including Cameroon, Gabon, Côte d'Ivoire), Luxembourg, Monaco, and certain parts of the U.S. states of Louisiana and Maine. Most second-language speakers of French live in Francophonic Africa, arguably exceeding the number of native speakers. La Francophonie dans le monde 2006?2007 published by the Organisation internationale de la Francophonie. Nathan, Paris, 2007. The Democratic Republic of the Congo is the Francophone country with the largest population.

French is a descendant of the Latin language of the Roman Empire, as are national languages such as Italian, Portuguese, Spanish and Romanian and minority languages ranging from Catalan to Neapolitan and many more. Its development was also influenced by the native Celtic languages of Roman Gaul and by the (Germanic) Frankish language of the post-Roman Frankish invaders.

It is an official language in 28 countries, most of which form what is called, in French, La Francophonie, the community of French-speaking nations. It is an official language of all United Nations agencies and a large number of international organizations. According to the European Union, 129 million (26% of the 499,673,300) people in 27 member states speak French, of which 65 million (12%) are native speakers and 69 million (14%) claim to speak it either as a second language or as a foreign language, which makes it the third most spoken second language in the Union, after English (2nd rank) and German (1st rank). In addition, prior to the mid 20th century, French served as the pre-eminent language of diplomacy among European and colonial powers as well as a lingua franca among the educated classes of Europe.

As a result of France's extensive colonial ambitions between the 17th and 20th centuries, French was introduced to America, Africa, Polynesia, and the Caribbean.

The French Revolution (1789?1799) was a period of political and social upheaval and radical change in the history of France, during which the French governmental structure, previously an absolute monarchy with feudal privileges for the aristocracy and Catholic clergy, underwent radical change to forms based on Enlightenment principles of citizenship and inalienable rights.

These changes were accompanied by violent turmoil which included the trial and execution of the king, vast bloodshed and repression during the Reign of Terror, and warfare involving every other major European power. Subsequent events that can be traced to the Revolution include the Napoleonic Wars, two separate restorations of the monarchy, and two additional revolutions as modern France took shape.

In the following century, France would be governed at one point or another as a republic, constitutional monarchy, and two different empires.

The French and Indian War is the common U.S. name for the North American part of the world-wide conflict known as the Seven Years' War (1756-1763). In Canada, it is usually just referred to as the "Seven Year's War", although French speakers in Québec often call it La guerre de la Conquête ("The War of the Conquest"). The Canadian Encyclopedia[http://bataille.ccbn-nbc.gc.ca/en/guerre-de-sept-ans/contexte.php The Siege of Québec: An episode of the Seven Year's War - Canadian National Battlefields Commission Plains of Abraham website] In Europe, there is no specific name for the North American part of the war.

The name French and Indian War refers to the two main enemies of the British: the royal French forces and the various Native American forces allied with them. The conflict, the fourth such colonial war between the nations of France and Great Britain, resulted in the British conquest of Canada.Trafzer, Clifford E. As long as the grass shall grow and rivers flow a history of Native Americans. Fort Worth: Harcourt College, 2000 p. 91. The outcome was one of the most significant developments in a century of Anglo-French conflict. To compensate its ally, Spain, for its loss of Florida to the British, France ceded its control of French Louisiana west of the Mississippi. France's colonial presence north of the Caribbean was reduced to the tiny islands of Saint Pierre and Miquelon, confirming Britain's position as the dominant colonial power in North America.

A french kiss, pull, or snog is a kiss, usually romantic or sexual in nature, in which one participant's tongue touches the other's tongue and usually enters his or her mouth.

Tongue kissing stimulates the lips, tongue, mouth and other sexually aroused areas, which are all areas very sensitive to touch, and the practice is considered to be pleasurable, highly intimate, and sexually arousing. Unlike other forms of kissing (such as brief kisses in greeting or friendship), episodes of tongue kissing may often be prolonged, intense, and passionate.

Studying animal behavior, Thierry Lodé,Thierry Lodé La guerre des sexes chez les animaux, 2006 Eds Odile Jacob, Paris, ISBN 2-7381-1901-8 an evolutionary biologist, argues that the tongue kiss has a real function: to explore the sexual partner's immune system via the saliva.

The exchange of saliva in a tongue kiss may increase the chances of catching an orally transmitted disease, for instance human papillomavirus may be transmitted.http://www.reuters.com/article/newsOne/idUSTRE54B61920090512

In many parts of the world, 'Tongue kissing', as a public display of affection is discouraged, and may even be regarded as taboo. The 1994 Chinese film Impetuous Fire caused controversy amongst some Chinese viewers for a kiss between Chinese-American actor Tim Chang and actress Sandy Wu.

The French Bulldog is a small companion breed of dog. The name suggests that France is the country of origin, but, in fact, the Americans and British may have played a larger role in the breed's development. The dogs are commonly called the Frenchie and are nicknamed "clowns" and frog dogs.

The Dogue de Bordeaux, Bordeaux Mastiff or French Mastiff is a breed of dog that is strong, powerful, and imposing. The Dogue de Bordeaux is one of the most ancient French breeds. They are a typical brachycephalic molossoid type. Bordeaux are very powerful dogs, with a very muscular body yet retaining a harmonious temperament. The breed has been utilized in many different forms, from using their brawn to pull carts or haul heavy objects, to guarding flocks and used to protect castles of the European elite.