Occitan

Occitan is the Language of the Languedoc.   Like most other southern European languages, it is a Romance Language.   Its origin can be traced back to the tenth century, though like all Romance languages it clearly developed from Vulgar Latin.   Occitan is sometimes represented as a dialect of French, or even as a corrupt form of French - a patois.   Both of these ideas are wrong, though have been taught in French schools until recently.   As philologists are fond of pointing out, this sort of error arises by regarding a language as "a dialect with an army". If Occitania were an independent state then there is no doubt that Occitan would be universally regarded as a language. The fact that Occitania is not an independent state should not change this.

Historically, Occitan was spoken over a huge area - larger than the traditional French speaking area.   It had a number of dialects, including Provençal.   Occitan is also closely related to the Catalan language.   Like "unofficial" languages elsewhere in Europe, the use of Occitan was actively discouraged for centuries in France, even suppressed.   In the interests of imposing an official language to help bolster a nascent national identity.  You may still hear people refer to Occitan as a "patois" a derogatory term for a unofficial language or dialect. This term became common during the period of the French Revolution - the result of a nasty little project led by Abbé Grégoire for the elimination of "patois" in France.

To avoid confusion between the present Languedoc (part of the Languedoc-Roussillon Region) and the Languedoc (the area of the langue d'oc where Occitan was traditionally the first language), the latter area is often called Occitania.  

It is easy now to underestimate the vitality and spread of the language.   It was for example the first (and preferred) language of Richard I of England (the Lionheart), as well as of his mother Eleanor of Aquitaine.   Occitan was the first literary language of modern Europe, the language of the Troubadours.   The Occitan legacy of the Troubadours constitutes one of the greatest literary treasures of Europe.   To appreciate the beauty of the language and the surprisingly modern tone of their poetry, you might like to read a short Troubadour song, written by a Troubairitz (a woman troubadour) over eight hundred years ago.  

Eleanor's grandfather William IX of Aquitaine was the first known Troubadours. Click on the following link for songs (in Occitan with English translations) by William IX of Aquitaine

Despite efforts by the French state to suppress Occitan, it still survives.   Indeed, it has undergone a revival in the last few years, so you can learn a little about Occitan today.

See the menu at the bottom of this page for the Origins of Occitan, Occitan and Latin, Occitan and French, Occitan and Provençal, Occitan and Catalan, some Word Comparisons, Occitan Sayings, and the Suppression of Occitan.

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The present Languedoc represents the southern half of the area covered by the ancient Roman's first province outside Italy. The northern part is now called Provence, and it's language, a dialect of Occitan, is known as Provençal. For more on Provence and Provençal click on the following link which will open a new window to Beyond the French Riviera www.beyond.fr