French language in Cambodia language of Cambodia. Communities of returned refugees from France and Quebec as well as students who have studied in Francophone nations have also added to the French-speaking population of Cambodia. Cambodia has a large 'French Belt' running through some of its eastern provinces. Western Mondulkiri Province, central Kratié Province and eastern Tboung Khmum Province have a French language medium, often taking priority over the native Khmer language. Schools, offices and government institutions use the French language in this area, due to its colonial influence during the French Protectorate of Cambodia period of time. Cambodian French vocabulary has been influenced by
Official language after unifying the country in 221 BC. Classical Chinese would remain the standard written language for the next 2000 years. Standardization of the spoken language received less political attention, and Mandarin developed on an "ad hoc" basis from the dialects of the various imperial capitals until being officially standardized in the early twentieth century. According to an undated chart by the American pro-English-only organization known as U.S. English, 178 countries have an official language at the national level. Among those, English is the most common with 67 nations giving it official status. French is second with 29 countries, Arabic is