Occitan

A language of France

ISO 639-3

oci

Alternate Names

Occitani

Population

1,940,000 in France. Population total all countries: 2,048,310.

Location

Auvergne, Gascogne, Languedoc, Limousin, and Provence provinces. Also in Italy, Monaco, Spain (Aranese Gascon).

Language Maps

Andorra and France

Portugal and Spain

Language Status

4 (Educational).

Classification

Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Ibero-Romance, Oc

Dialects

Auvergnat (Auverne, Auvernhas), Gascon, Languedocien (Langadoc, Languedoc, Lengadoucian), Limousin (Lemosin), Provençal (Alpine Provençal, Mistralien, Prouvençau, Provençal). Highly fragmented dialect situation, with limited intelligibility between some varieties.

Language Use

Home, (rural) community. Few children learn the language. Positive attitudes. Also use French [fra].

Language Development

Literacy rate in L2: 99%. Poetry. Magazines. Newspapers. New media. Bible portions: 1583–1983.

Language Resources

OLAC resources in and about Occitan

Writing

Latin script.

Also spoken in:

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Italy

Language nameOccitan

Population

100,000 in Italy (1990 P. Blanchet).

Location

Italian Piedmont upper valleys (Val Mairo, Val Varacho, Val d’Esturo, Entraigas, Limoun, Vinai, Pignerol, Sestriero); Calabria, Guardia Piemontese.

Alternate Names

Provençal, Provenzale

Dialects

Provençal.

Status

4 (Educational).

Language Use

All ages. Also use Piemontese [pms] or Italian [ita].

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Monaco

Language nameOccitan

Population

4,500 in Monaco (1988).

Dialects

Provencal.

Status

4 (Educational).

Other Comments

Come from Nice and Cannes.

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Spain

Language nameGascon, Aranese

Population

3,810 in Spain (1991 census). Spoken by most of the 4,800 living in the Aran Valley in the Pyrenees (Salminen 2007). Ethnic population: 5,550 (1991).

Location

Pyrenees Mountains, Catalonia Autonomous Region, Aran valley, northwest corner, Garona River headwaters.

Alternate Names

Aranés, Aranese, Aranese Occitán, Arnais, Gascón

Dialects

Baish Aranés, Mijaranés Aranés, Naut Aranés.

Status

2 (Provincial). Language of recognized nationality (1979, Autonomy Act, No. 4/1979), Aranese in local laws.

Language Use

Official language within the valley. Spelling standardized. 60% of the valley’s inhabitants always or usually speak Aranese; over 10% speak it as L2; 1,283 understand but do not speak it. Vigorous. Most domains. All ages. Also use French [fra], Spanish [spa], or Catalan [cat].

Language Development

Literacy rate in L1: 51% read Aranese dialect; 19% write it (1991). Literacy rate in L2: Nearly 100% in Spanish, 50% in Catalan. The Center of Linguistic Normalization is dedicated to promotion of its use. Taught regularly in school since 1984.

Other Comments

Called Aranese in France; influenced by Catalan [cat] and Spanish [spa] more than French [fra].

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Ethnologue

Occitan

A language of France

Also spoken in:

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Occitan

A language of France

Also spoken in: