Reviews the book, Le Francais en Amérique du Nord: État présent by Albert Valdman, Julie Auger, and Deborah Piston-Hatlen (eds.) (2005). Poirier, Boivin, Trepanier & Verreault 1994 gave us the first general overview of the French linguistic legacy in North America. Valdman and his team have updated that work, incorporating the findings of sociolinguistic research carried out over the past decade, notably in language obsolescence. The result is comprehensive treatment of all the main areas of North America where French is spoken. It is well organized, with an introductory chapter providing a succinct overview of the four sections to follow: The first describes where, how, and to what extent French is spoken in North America; the second examines language variation in each of these areas and the effects of language contact; the third looks at linguistic norms and language planning; and a fourth is devoted to more general comparative and historical issues. It is possible to point to improvements that could have been incorporated into the volume. There are occasional production blemishes. However, this volume offers an invaluable tool not only for students of French but also for sociolinguists concerned with the effects of language contact, language change, and language obsolescence. (PsycINFO Database Record (c) 2016 APA, all rights reserved)