The French language arose from the Latin that was spoken in ancient Northern Gaul.
French language . French has evolved from Gallo-Romance , the spoken Latin in Gaul , and more specifically in Northern Gaul . Gaul ( Latin : Gallia ) was a region of Western Europe during the Iron Age that was inhabited by Celtic tribes , encompassing present day France , Luxembourg , Belgium , most of Switzerland , Northern Italy , as well as the parts of the Netherlands and Germany on the west bank of the Rhine .