ThereNorman-Frenchwasforalongtimespoken。ThoughtheFrankshadsupplantedtheRomans，theRomanlanguagecontinuedtobespoken。In996PariswasmadethecapitalofFrance；
andfromthattime，thelanguageofParisbecame，withvariousmodifications，thelanguageofFrance；andnotonlyofFrance，buttheRomanorLatintonguebecamethefoundationofthelanguagesofItaly，Spain，andPortugal。
Thus，Gaulish，Frankish，andNormandisappearedtogiveplacetotheLatin-French。TheKymriaclanguagewaspreservedonlyinBrittany，whereitstilllingers。Andinthesouth-westofFrance，wherethepopulationwasfurthestremovedfromtheinvasionsoftheGauls，Ostrogoths，andVisigoths，theBasquescontinuedtopreservetheirlanguage，——theBasques，whoaresupposedbyCanonIsaacTaylortobethedirectdescendantsoftheEtruscans。
ThedescendantsoftheGauls，however，constitutethemassofthepeopleinCentralFrance。TheGauls，orGalatians，aresupposedtohavecomefromthecentraldistrictofAsiaMinor。Theywerealwaysawarlikepeople。Intheirwanderingswestward，theypassedthroughthenorthofItalyandenteredFrance，wheretheysettledinlargenumbers。Dr。Smith，inhisDictionaryoftheBible，saysthat”GalataiisthesamewordasKeltici，”whichindicatesthattheGaulswereKelts。ItissupposedthatSt。PaulwrotehisEpistletotheGalatianssoonafterhisvisittothecountryoftheirorigin。”Itsabruptnessandseverity，andthesadnessofitstone，arecausedbytheirsuddenperversionfromthedoctrinewhichtheApostlehadtaughtthem，andwhichatfirsttheyhadreceivedsowillingly。Itisnofancy，ifweseeinthisficklenessaspecimenofthat’espritimpretueux，ouvertatouteslesimpressions，’andthat’mobiliteextreme，’whichThierrymarksascharacteristicoftheGaulishrace。”Atallevents，thelanguageoftheGaulsdisappearedinCentralFrancetomakewayforthelanguageortheCapital——
themodernFrench，foundedontheLatin。TheGaulishrace，nevertheless，preservedtheircharacteristics——quickness，lightness，mobility，andelasticity——qualitieswhichenabledthemquicklytoconceivenewideas，andatthesametimetoquicklyabandonthem。TheFrankshadgiventhecountrythenameitnowbears——thatofFrance。ButtheywerelongregardedasenemiesbytheCentralandSouthernGauls。InGascony，theforeignerwascalledLowFranciman，andwasregardedwithsuspicionanddislike。”ThistermofFranciman，”saysMissCostello，whotravelledthroughthecountryandstudiedthesubject，”evidentlybelongstoaperiodoftheEnglishoccupationofAquitaine，whenaFrenchmanwasanotherwordforanenemy。”[3]Butthewordhasprobablyamoreremoteorigin。WhentheFranks，ofGermanorigin，burstintoGaul，andsettledinthecountrynorthoftheLoire，andafterwardscarriedtheirconqueststothePyrenees，theFrankswereregardedasenemiesinthesouthofFrance。”Thenallthecountries，”saysThierry，”unitedbyforcetotheempireoftheFranks，andoverwhichinconsequenceofthisunion，thenameofFrancehadextendeditself，madeunheard-ofeffortstoreconquertheirancientnamesandplaces。OfalltheGallicprovinces，nonebutthesouthernonessucceededinthisgreatenterprise；andafterthewarsofinsurrection，which，underthesonsofCharlemagne，succeededthewarsofconquest，AquitaineandProvencebecamedistinctstates。AmongtheSouthEasternprovincesreappearedeventheancientnameofGaul，whichhadforeverperishednorthoftheLoire。ThechiefsofthenewKingdomofAries，whichextendedfromtheJuratotheAlps，tookthetitleofGaulinoppositiontotheKingsofFrance。”[4]