Parisian French · Standard French
The Paris-area standard of European French. Carried nationally by education and broadcasting; the reference point for most French taught abroad.
West African French
The French of Francophone West Africa — used in administration, education, and media. Strong contact features from Wolof, Bambara, and other regional languages.
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Frequently asked questions
What language is West African French?
West African French is a dialect of the French language.
Where is West African French spoken?
West African French is primarily spoken in Senegal, Côte d’Ivoire, Mali, Burkina Faso.
Which region is West African French associated with?
West African French is part of the West & Central Africa region on DialectAtlas.
What are the other dialects of French?
French also includes Metropolitan French, Meridional French, Belgian French, Swiss French, Quebec French, Acadian French, Maghrebi French, Cajun French, Franco-Ontarian, Métis French. Each variety has its own vocabulary, pronunciation, and cultural context.
Other French dialects
See on the atlas →Southern French · Français méridional
The southern French of Marseille, Toulouse, and the broader Occitan-speaking belt. Marked by realisation of mute vowels and a distinct intonation contour.
Français de Belgique
The French of Wallonia and Brussels. Maintains a number of vocabulary and number forms (septante, nonante) that the Paris standard has dropped.
Romand French · Suisse romand
The French of western Switzerland. Like Belgian French, retains older numerals (septante, huitante, nonante) and shows long contact with German-Swiss varieties.
Québécois · Joual
The dominant French variety of Canada. Strongly distinct from European French in vowel realisation, lexicon, and the colloquial Joual register.
The French of the Maritime provinces, especially New Brunswick. Preserves several 17th-century features lost in both Quebec and Metropolitan French.
The French of North Africa, used as a second language across Algeria, Tunisia, and Morocco. Marked by code-switching with Maghrebi Arabic and Berber.
Louisiana French · Français cadien
The French of the Cajun communities of southern Louisiana, descended from 18th-century Acadian settlers expelled from the Maritimes. Endangered, with active revitalisation through CODOFIL and the Louisiana French immersion programme.
Ontario French · Français ontarien
The French of the historic Francophone communities of Ontario, especially around Sudbury, Ottawa, and the Northern shore. Closely related to Quebec French but with stronger English contact features.
Mitchif Français · Prairie French
The French variety of the Métis Nation of the Canadian Prairies. Distinct from Quebec and Acadian French; not to be confused with Michif, the mixed Cree-French language of the same communities.
Nearby dialects
See on the atlas →182 km away
An Atlantic Niger-Congo language and the lingua franca of Senegal and the Gambia. The most-spoken African language of urban Senegal, used widely alongside French in Dakar.
408 km away
A Bedouin-descended Arabic variety spoken across Mauritania, Western Sahara, and adjacent parts of the Sahel. Carries deep Berber substrate and a strong oral poetic tradition.
648 km away
A Mande Niger-Congo language of the historical Ghana Empire region. Spoken across Mali, Mauritania, Senegal, and the Gambia, with a long oral and Ajami-script tradition.
652 km away
A Portuguese-based creole and the everyday language of Cape Verde, used by the entire population alongside Portuguese. The oldest still-spoken creole language, with a continuous documented history since the 16th century.
674 km away
An Atlantic Niger-Congo language spoken by Fulani (Peul) communities across the Sahel from Senegal to Sudan. One of the most geographically spread African languages, with 25-30 million speakers.
702 km away
A Mande Niger-Congo language and the main lingua franca of coastal Guinea, including the capital Conakry. Around 1.5 million first-language speakers.