the medieval dialect of Old French (French language) that furnishes the basis for the literary and official form of the modern French language. Francien was spoken in the region of Île-de-France, which included the city of Paris, and its preeminence is an indication of the political and intellectual prominence of Paris in the 13th and 14th centuries. Despite its importance, the dialect had no contemporary self-name; the French word francien was coined by Romance scholars in the later 19th century.