Editing French language (section)

=== Numerals ===
The numeral system used in the majority of Francophone countries employs both [[decimal]] and [[vigesimal]] counting. After the use of unique names for the numbers 1–16, those from 17 to 69 are counted by tens, while [[20 (number)|twenty]] (''{{lang|fr|vingt}}'') is used as a base number in the names of numbers from 70 to 99. The French word for 80 is ''{{lang|fr|quatre-vingts}}'', literally "four twenties", and the word for ''75'' is ''{{lang|fr|soixante-quinze}}'', literally "sixty-fifteen". The vigesimal method of counting is analogous to the archaic English use of ''score'', as in "fourscore and seven" (87), or "threescore and ten" (70).

[[Belgian French|Belgian]], [[Swiss French|Swiss]], and [[Aostan French]]<ref name="Jean-Pierre Martin 1984">Jean-Pierre Martin, ''Description lexicale du français parlé en Vallée d'Aoste'', éd. Musumeci, [[Quart, Aosta Valley|Quart]], 1984.</ref> as well as that used in the [[Democratic Republic of the Congo]], [[Rwanda]] and [[Burundi]], use different names for 70 and 90, namely ''{{lang|fr|septante}}'' and ''{{lang|fr|nonante}}''. In Switzerland, depending on the local dialect, 80 can be ''{{lang|fr|quatre-vingts}}'' (Geneva, Neuchâtel, Jura) or ''{{lang|fr|huitante}}'' (Vaud, Valais, Fribourg). The [[Aosta Valley]] similarly uses ''{{lang|fr|huitante}}''<ref name="Jean-Pierre Martin 1984" /> for 80. Conversely, Belgium and in its former African colonies use ''quatre-vingts'' for 80.

In [[Old French]] (during the [[Middle Ages]]), all numbers from 30 to 99 could be said in either base 10 or base 20, e.g. ''vint et doze'' (twenty and twelve) for 32, ''dous vinz et diz'' (two twenties and ten) for 50, ''uitante'' for 80, or ''nonante'' for 90.<ref>{{Cite book |last=Einhorn |first=E. |title=Old French: A Concise Handbook |publisher=Cambridge University Press |year=1974 |isbn=978-0-521-09838-0 |location=Cambridge |page=110}}</ref>

The term ''octante'' was historically used in Switzerland for 80, but is now considered archaic.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Septante, octante (huitante), nonante |url=http://www.langue-fr.net/spip.php?article202 |url-status=live |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20100904065004/http://www.langue-fr.net/spip.php?article202 |archive-date=4 September 2010 |access-date=19 July 2009 |website=langue-fr.net |language=fr}}. See also the English Wikipedia article on [[Welsh language]], especially the section "Counting system" and its note on the influence of [[Celts|Celtic]] in the French counting system.</ref>

French, like most European languages, uses a space to separate thousands.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Questions de langue: Nombres (écriture, lecture, accord) |url=http://académie-française.fr/la-langue-francaise/questions-de-langue#57_strong-em-nombres-criture-lecture-accord-em-strong |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20150101052809/http://xn--acadmie-franaise-npb1a.fr/la-langue-francaise/questions-de-langue#57_strong-em-nombres-criture-lecture-accord-em-strong |archive-date=1 January 2015 |access-date=15 November 2015 |publisher=[[Académie française]] |language=fr}}</ref> The comma ({{langx|fr|virgule|link=no}}) is used in French numbers as a decimal point, i.e. "2,5" instead of "2.5". In the case of currencies, the currency markers are substituted for decimal point, i.e. "5$7" for "5 dollars and 7 [[cent (currency)|cents]]".