From Gaul to Gloss: Tracing the Celtic, Latin, and Frankish Roots of the French Language
- Irion Dekov
- Jun 4
- 3 min read
Updated: Jun 10
Author: Sam Favé
Introduction
Let’s face it, languages don’t just appear overnight. They evolve—slowly, messily, and thanks to all kinds of outside influence. French is a perfect example of that. Modern French didn’t just come from one source. It’s more like a mash-up of languages, cultures, and history. From the Celts to the Romans, and then the Germanic Franks, each group shaped the way people spoke in their own way. This article looks at how those layers stacked up to form the French we speak today.
The celtic base: gaulish
Long before the Roman Empire rolled in, the people in what’s now France spoke Gaulish—a Celtic language. It’s mostly gone today, but that doesn’t mean it had zero impact. Some old Gaulish words probably stuck around—maybe in names like alouette or bouleau. You can still spot traces of Celtic roots in a bunch of French place names too. And even if most of the original vocabulary disappeared, the overall vibe might’ve left a mark—especially that melodic rhythm people often notice in spoken French.
Roman conquest and latinization
When the Romans showed up around 52 BCE, they didn’t just bring roads and buildings—they brought Latin too. But not the super formal kind you'd see in textbooks. It was more like the everyday version, known as Vulgar Latin. People began using it every day especially in cities, and for stuff like religion, education, and the legal system. Little by little, people started speaking it every day especially in towns, and for things like school, religion, or law. Gaulish slowly faded out. Over time, this everyday Latin turned into what we now call Gallo-Romance, which later gave birth to Old French. That’s where a lot of the basic French words come from—like manger, école, or parler.
Frankish impact: germanic infusion
After the Romans left, it was the Franks’ turn. These Germanic tribes ended up taking control of big chunks of what we now know as France. Their influence changed how people spoke Latin in the region. They added new sounds, like the harsher ‘r’ and h aspiré. And they brought new words—especially related to war and feudal life:
● Guerre (war)
● Blesser (to wound)
● Baron and marquis (titles)
● Some slang and everyday speech
So even though French is a Romance language, you’ll hear Germanic echoes in a lot of everyday words and pronunciation.
Modern echoes of ancient roots
It’s wild, but if you listen closely, you can still pick up bits of these old languages in modern French. Some accents in France sound more Celtic. The sentence structure and verb system? And then there’s that Frankish touch the harsher sounds and unique words that give French some of its personality. These influences never really disappeared, even if most people don’t think about them.
It’s also worth stepping back for a second to see how all this unfolded over time. Back in the days of the Gauls, everyday language was mostly oral, few people could write, and what they spoke sounded completely different from anything we know today.
Latin roots, french twists
Latin gradually permeated daily life once the Romans introduced it; people spoke it in churches, classrooms, marketplaces, and even casual conversations on the street. However, their speech patterns began to shift with time. Accents took over, words became shorter, and things changed. For example, equus became cheval, caput became chef, which now denotes both a cook and a boss, and aqua became eau. These changes took time to manifest. They originated from people passing it on, stating things in different ways, and utilizing the language on a daily basis. French has several levels because of this, and to be honest, that's what makes it cool.
Conclusion
So next time someone tells you French only comes from Latin, you’ll know that’s not the whole story. Sure, Latin is a huge part of the story. But the Celtic and Frankish chapters matter too. They shaped the feel of the language, not just the words. French is basically the result of centuries of cultural remixing. And honestly, that’s what makes it such a rich and fascinating language to learn or to hear.
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