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In addition, several historical regional languages are still spoken, to some extent. Some of them are sometimes called patois, but this term (roughly meaning dialect) tends to be considered as derogative. Also, because of the history of immigration of France, several other languages are spoken by a substantial percentage of the population.
In April 2001, the Minister of Education, Jack Lang, admitted formally that for more than two centuries, the political powers of the French government had repressed regional languages, and announced that bilingual education would, for the first time, be recognized, and bilingual teachers recruited in French public schools. The real importance of local languages remains subject to debate.
The languages of France include: