Before examining the presence of the French language in the Yukon, it is interesting to note that this language was codified in France in the 13th century with the aim of establishing a writing system that would merge the numerous dialects into one interregional dialect called françoy. After years of cross-fertilization and the addition of new words from generation to generation, the French language was born. It was mainly used by the inhabitants of Paris and northern France. French was the language of the king and of political, economic and social power. The other dialects of France slowly began to disappear.

In the 16th century, French became the official language of France and, therefore, the primary language of all Europe from the Middle Ages to the 18th century. Despite its status, the French language was not adopted by all. According to the first linguistic census in the world, during the French Revolution (at the end of the 18th century), 75% of the inhabitants of France still did not speak French! With the expansion of the French empire and Belgium in the world, the French language spread to the Americas, Africa and Asia.

Between the 16th and 19th centuries, French and British explorers were looking for a route to India. Their travels brought them to the Canadian Northwest where they established the fur trade.

Did you know that the Hudson’s Bay Company encouraged its workers to learn French? Indeed, learning French eased their trade during their travels in the territory. (Introduction to the Francophone Community in the Yukon, 2008.)

The trading posts became supply points and, over time, small population centres. Among them, Fort Frances, which was the first post in the Yukon, as well as Fort Selkirk and Fort Reliance.