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Béarnese ( endonym or ) designates the whole of the Occitano-Romance languages of
Béarn The Béarn (; ; oc, Bearn or ''Biarn''; eu, Bearno or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Ba ...
. Linguistics does not distinguish Béarnese from Gascon; these languages form a homogeneous whole within the Pyrenees- Atlantic-
Garonne The Garonne (, also , ; Occitan, Catalan, Basque, and es, Garona, ; la, Garumna or ) is a river of southwest France and northern Spain. It flows from the central Spanish Pyrenees to the Gironde estuary at the French port of Bordeaux � ...
triangle. The originality of Béarnese lies in the history of
Béarn The Béarn (; ; oc, Bearn or ''Biarn''; eu, Bearno or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Ba ...
, a
viscounty A viscount ( , for male) or viscountess (, for female) is a title used in certain European countries for a noble of varying status. In many countries a viscount, and its historical equivalents, was a non-hereditary, administrative or judicial ...
that became a sovereign principality under Gaston Fébus. From the middle of the 13th century until the French Revolution, Béarnese was the institutional language of this territory. The scripta defined by the administrative and judicial acts was adopted outside the limits of Béarn, not only in a part of Gascony, but also in certain Basque territories. The French language exerted an increasing influence on Béarn from the middle of the
16th century The 16th century begins with the Julian year 1501 ( MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian year 1600 ( MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar introduced a lapse of 10 days in October 1582). The 16th centur ...
, due to its annexation as a French province in 1620. The use of Béarnese as an institutional language ended with the Revolution, its use being limited to popular culture.
Cyprien Despourrins Cyprien Despourrins (in Occitan: ''Ciprian Desporrins'') was a Gascon-language poet from Béarn and member of the Bigorre Parliament born in Accous in 1698. Many of his poems (written in Béarnese dialect) are famous traditional folk songs from ...
,
Xavier Navarrot Xavier Navarrot (in Occitan classical norm : ''Xavier Navarròt'') was an Occitan-language poet from Béarn. He was born near Lucq-de-Béarn in a wealthy family and studied law and medicine in Paris before returning in Béarn where he spent th ...
and
Alexis Peyret Alejo Peyret (french: Alexis Pierre-Louis Edouard Peyret; December 11, 1826 – August 27, 1902) was a French-born Argentine writer, agronomist, colonial administrator, and historian. Emigrating to Argentina when he was 25, he became a prominent ...
, for example, bring Béarnese to life through their works. From the second half of the 19th century to the first half of the 20th century, the Béarnese language was standardized, notably by Vastin Lespy,
Simin Palay Jean-Maximin called Simin Palay, ( Occitan: ''Simin Palai''), (1874–1965) was a French writer; as a native Béarnese speaker, he wrote poetry and articles in this language. He also made numerous philology studies on Béarnese and gasco ...
and Jean Bouzet. Béarnese remained the majority language among the Bearnais people in the 18th century. It was not until the second half of the 19th century that its use declined in favor of French. The French school entered into direct conflict with the use of regional languages in the last third of the nineteenth century and until the first half of the twentieth century, causing a clear decline in the transmission of Béarnais within the family from the 1950s. The first school was created in Pau in 1980, allowing for the revival of its teaching. The number of speakers of Béarnais is difficult to estimate; a 2008 survey suggests that 8 to 15% of the population speaks Béarnese, depending on the definition chosen. Béarnese/ Gascon is classified as endangered by UNESCO.


Definition


Name

The word Béarnese comes from the endonym or . The term derives directly from the people of , or , who gave their name to
Béarn The Béarn (; ; oc, Bearn or ''Biarn''; eu, Bearno or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Ba ...
. The city of the ''Venarni'', Beneharnum, was included in
Novempopulania Novempopulania ( Latin for "country of the nine peoples") was one of the provinces created by Diocletian (Roman emperor from 284 to 305) out of Gallia Aquitania, which was also called ''Aquitania Tertia''. Early Roman period The area of Nove ...
at the beginning of the 5th century. The origin of the name of the Béarnese has several hypothesis, one of which evokes a relationship with the
Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...
word which means "below". Although used from the middle of the 13th century in the administration of the principality, the use of Béarnese did not benefit from a "mystique" of the language, as in the kingdom of France. The linguistic conscience is not affirmed, the language never being named in the writings. The term "Béarnese" appears for the first time in the French language, but it is not used in the French language. The term Béarnese appears for the first time in the writings in a document of
March 1 Events Pre-1600 * 509 BC – Publius Valerius Publicola celebrates the first triumph of the Roman Republic after his victory over the deposed king Lucius Tarquinius Superbus at the Battle of Silva Arsia. * 293 – Emperor Diocletian ...
,
1533 __NOTOC__ Year 1533 ( MDXXXIII) was a common year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 25 – King Henry VIII of England formally but secretly marrie ...
, the States of Béarn refuse to examine texts written in French, and require their translation into Béarnes. In
1556 __NOTOC__ Year 1556 ( MDLVI) was a leap year starting on Wednesday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar. Events January–June * January 16 – Charles V, having already abdicated as Holy Roman Emperor, r ...
, Jeanne d'Albret also gave reason to the States which claimed the exclusive use of bearnes for any pleading and writing of justice.
Arnaud de Salette Arnaud de Saleta was a cleric and Béarnese poet who served during the establishment of a Protestant state in the Kingdom of Navarra in the 16th century. De Salette is one of two poets to be commissioned by Queen Jeanne d'Albret to translate ...
is considered to be the first writer to claim a writing in in his translation of the Genevan Psalter, composed between 1568 and 1571 and published in 1583 in
Orthez Orthez (; eu, Ortheze; oc, Ortès, ) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department, and region of New Aquitaine, southwestern France. It lies 40 km NW of Pau on the Southern railway to Bayonne. The town also encompasses the sm ...
. The use of the name "Béarnese" continued in the following centuries, as with Jean-Henri Fondeville in his eglogues of the end of the seventeenth century, who expresses: "." In the late nineteenth century, the use of the word "Béarnese" to designate the language of
Béarn The Béarn (; ; oc, Bearn or ''Biarn''; eu, Bearno or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Ba ...
was gradually replaced by the word , with its pejorative aspect. This movement is common to the whole of France. The use of the term patois declined from the 1980s onwards, with the revival of
regional languages * A regional language is a language spoken in a region of a sovereign state, whether it be a small area, a federated state or province or some wider area. Internationally, for the purposes of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Lan ...
. At the same time, the use of the name " Occitan" increased with the rise of Occitanism. During the sociolinguistic survey commissioned by the in 2018, the people of Béarn were asked about the name they gave to their regional language. The term "Béarnese" obtained between 62% and 70% of the votes depending on the intercommunity concerned, compared to 19% to 31% for the term "
patois ''Patois'' (, pl. same or ) is speech or language that is considered nonstandard, although the term is not formally defined in linguistics. As such, ''patois'' can refer to pidgins, creoles, dialects or vernaculars, but not commonly to jargon o ...
", 8% to 14% for " Occitan" and a maximum of 3% for " Gascon". The expression "''Béarnese language''" was used as early as
Arnaud de Salette Arnaud de Saleta was a cleric and Béarnese poet who served during the establishment of a Protestant state in the Kingdom of Navarra in the 16th century. De Salette is one of two poets to be commissioned by Queen Jeanne d'Albret to translate ...
in the 16th century, "", and this use is not based on a scientific observation, but on an identity approach, in a context of rising Béarn nationalism. The expression continues to be regularly used thereafter, a use that is now historical, but still not scientific.


Bearnese whistled language

In the village of
Aas, Pyrénées-Atlantiques Aas ( oc, Aas) is the name of a French village of about a hundred inhabitants in the commune of Eaux-Bonnes, Ossau valley, historical province of Haut-Béarn, departement Pyrénées-Atlantiques. Its shepherds maintained a whistled language un ...
, shepherds maintained a whistled language until the 20th century. According to Graham Robb, very few outsiders knew of the language until a 1959 TV program mentioned it. Whistles were up to 100 decibels, and were used for communication by shepherds in the mountains and by women working in the fields. During the Nazi occupation of World War II, the language was used to ferry refugees across the
France–Spain border The France–Spain border (; ) was formally defined in 1659. It separates the two countries from Hendaye and Irun in the west, running through the Pyrenees to Cerbère and Portbou on the Mediterranean Sea. Features Main border The Franco-Sp ...
. Nowaday, the language can be learnt at the University of Pau and the Adour region.


Geography


Linguistic area

The origin of the notion of the Béarnese language is based solely on political considerations. In the middle of the 16th century,
Béarn The Béarn (; ; oc, Bearn or ''Biarn''; eu, Bearno or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Ba ...
vigorously defended its sovereignty, in an undeniable nationalism. The language became an additional element of this Béarnese particularism. Thus, the linguistic area of Béarnese and the political borders of Béarn are combined. The "historical Bearn" is progressively formed in the
11th century The 11th century is the period from 1001 ( MI) through 1100 ( MC) in accordance with the Julian calendar, and the 1st century of the 2nd millennium. In the history of Europe, this period is considered the early part of the High Middle Ages. T ...
and 12th century with the addition of various territories to the "primitive Bearn". Béarn kept its borders intact until the French Revolution. The communes of Esquiule and
Lichos Lichos (; eu, Lixoze; oc-gsc, Lishòs) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. See also * Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The following is a list of the 546 communes of the Pyréné ...
form two particular cases, Esquiule being a commune of
Basque culture The Basques ( or ; eu, euskaldunak ; es, vascos ; french: basques ) are a Southwestern European ethnic group, characterised by the Basque language, a common culture and shared genetic ancestry to the ancient Vascones and Aquitanians. Ba ...
located in Béarn and Lichos a commune of Béarn culture in
Soule Soule (Basque: Zuberoa; Zuberoan/ Soule Basque: Xiberoa or Xiberua; Occitan: ''Sola'') is a former viscounty and French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées-Atlantiques ''département''. It is divided into two cantons of the arron ...
. The Souletine communes of
Montory Montory (; eu, Montori; oc, Mondòri) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. It is located in the historical province of Soule (). See also *Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The fo ...
and
Osserain-Rivareyte Osserain-Rivareyte ()OZARAINE-ERRIBAREITA
are also considered to be Béarnese-speaking. At the time of the Revolution, about twenty Gascon communes were integrated into the newly created department of the Basses-Pyrénées. All of these communes are now linked to Béarn cantons and inter-municipalities, and are therefore integrated into the borders of "''modern Béarn''", so the use of the term Béarnais can be applied to these new areas. The practice of Béarnese in an institutional framework allows the formation of a Béarnese scripta, which is used outside of Béarn from the thirteenth to the fifteenth century, in Gascon territories (
Bigorre Bigorre ({{IPA-fr, biɡɔʁ; Gascon: ''Bigòrra'') is a region in southwest France, historically an independent county and later a French province, located in the upper watershed of the Adour, on the northern slopes of the Pyrenees, part of ...
and sometimes
Comminges The Comminges (; Occitan/ Gascon: ''Comenge'') is an ancient region of southern France in the foothills of the Pyrenees, corresponding closely to the arrondissement of Saint-Gaudens in the department of Haute-Garonne. This natural region is nor ...
) and Basque territories (
Soule Soule (Basque: Zuberoa; Zuberoan/ Soule Basque: Xiberoa or Xiberua; Occitan: ''Sola'') is a former viscounty and French province and part of the present-day Pyrénées-Atlantiques ''département''. It is divided into two cantons of the arron ...
, Lower-Navarre and Gipuzcoa).


Sociolinguistics

Béarnese is currently the most prominent variety of Gascon. It is widely used in the normativization attempts to reach a standard Gascon and is the most likely dialect to succeed, due to the stronger cultural identity and output of this area. A 1982 survey of the inhabitants of Béarn indicated that 51% of the population can speak Béarnese, 70% understood it, and 85% were in favor of preserving the language.The Ethnologue on Gascon (15th edition)
/ref> However, use of the language has declined over recent years as Béarnese is rarely transmitted to younger generations within the family. There is a revival of focus on the language which has improved the situation, though, leading children to be taught the language in school (comparable to the way
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
students are taught a standardized form of
Irish Irish may refer to: Common meanings * Someone or something of, from, or related to: ** Ireland, an island situated off the north-western coast of continental Europe ***Éire, Irish language name for the isle ** Northern Ireland, a constituent unit ...
). Currently, the majority of the cultural associations consider Gascon (including Béarnese) an Occitan dialect. However, other authorities consider them to be distinct languages, including Jean Lafitte, publisher of Ligam-DiGam, a linguistic and lexicography review of Gascon. A detailed sociolinguistic study presenting the current status of the language (practice and different locutors' perceptions) has been made in 2004 by B. Moreux (see Sources): the majority of native speakers have learned it orally, and tend to be older. On the other hand, the proponents for its maintenance and revival are classified into three groups: Béarnists, Gasconists and Occitanists, terms which summarize the regional focus they give respectively to their language(s) of interest:
Béarn The Béarn (; ; oc, Bearn or ''Biarn''; eu, Bearno or ''Biarno''; or ''Bearnia'') is one of the traditional provinces of France, located in the Pyrenees mountains and in the plain at their feet, in southwest France. Along with the three Ba ...
, Gascony or Occitania.


Status and recognition

Used from the middle of the
13th century The 13th century was the century which lasted from January 1, 1201 ( MCCI) through December 31, 1300 ( MCCC) in accordance with the Julian calendar. The Mongol Empire was founded by Genghis Khan, which stretched from Eastern Asia to Eastern Eur ...
to replace Latin in this former
Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...
-speaking region, Béarnese remained the institutional language of the sovereign principality of Bearn from
1347 Year 1347 ( MCCCXLVII) was a common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar) of the Julian calendar, and a common year starting on Sunday (link will display the full calendar) of the Proleptic Gregorian calendar. Events ...
to
1620 Events January–June * February 4 – Prince Bethlen Gabor signs a peace treaty with Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor. * May 17 – The first merry-go-round is seen at a fair (Philippapolis, Turkey). * June 3 – ...
. The language was used in the administrative and judicial acts of the country. In the middle of the
16th century The 16th century begins with the Julian year 1501 ( MDI) and ends with either the Julian or the Gregorian year 1600 ( MDC) (depending on the reckoning used; the Gregorian calendar introduced a lapse of 10 days in October 1582). The 16th centur ...
, French also began to be used in certain acts of the Béarnaise administration. With the
annexation Annexation (Latin ''ad'', to, and ''nexus'', joining), in international law, is the forcible acquisition of one state's territory by another state, usually following military occupation of the territory. It is generally held to be an illegal act ...
of Béarn by the Kingdom of France in
1620 Events January–June * February 4 – Prince Bethlen Gabor signs a peace treaty with Ferdinand II, Holy Roman Emperor. * May 17 – The first merry-go-round is seen at a fair (Philippapolis, Turkey). * June 3 – ...
, Béarnese continued to be used in the administration of the new French province, concurrently with
French French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to: * Something of, from, or related to France ** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents ** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
. Since the French Revolution, Béarnese has no official recognition. As stated in Article 2 of the
Constitution A constitution is the aggregate of fundamental principles or established precedents that constitute the legal basis of a polity, organisation or other type of entity and commonly determine how that entity is to be governed. When these princi ...
of the
Fifth French Republic The Fifth Republic (french: Cinquième République) is France's current republican system of government. It was established on 4 October 1958 by Charles de Gaulle under the Constitution of the Fifth Republic.. The Fifth Republic emerged from ...
: "The language of the Republic is French", with no other place for regional or minority languages. Since the modification of the Constitution in 2008, Béarnese, as well as other regional languages, is recognized as belonging to the heritage of France. Article 75-1 states that "''regional languages belong to the heritage of France''". At the international level, Bearnais does not have an ISO 639 code, it is included in the "oc" code. The Linguistic Observatory assigns the code 51-AAA-fb to Bearnais in its Linguasphere register. The departmental council of the
Pyrénées-Atlantiques Pyrénées-Atlantiques (; Gascon Occitan: ''Pirenèus Atlantics''; eu, Pirinio Atlantiarrak or ) is a department in the southwest corner of France and of the region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine. Named after the Pyrenees mountain range and the Atla ...
has set up actions to support what it calls "Béarnese/ Gascon/ Occitan", through teaching and the creation of educational and cultural content. ''Iniciativa'' is the name of the departmental plan that sets the guidelines of the language policy in favor of "Bearnese/ Gascon/ Occitan". The department's website is partly accessible in
langue d'oc Occitan (; oc, occitan, link=no ), also known as ''lenga d'òc'' (; french: langue d'oc) by its native speakers, and sometimes also referred to as ''Provençal'', is a Romance language spoken in Southern France, Monaco, Italy's Occitan Vall ...
, as well as in
English English usually refers to: * English language * English people English may also refer to: Peoples, culture, and language * ''English'', an adjective for something of, from, or related to England ** English national ...
,
Spanish Spanish might refer to: * Items from or related to Spain: **Spaniards are a nation and ethnic group indigenous to Spain **Spanish language, spoken in Spain and many Latin American countries **Spanish cuisine Other places * Spanish, Ontario, Can ...
and
Basque Basque may refer to: * Basques, an ethnic group of Spain and France * Basque language, their language Places * Basque Country (greater region), the homeland of the Basque people with parts in both Spain and France * Basque Country (autonomous co ...
. Several Béarn communes have installed bilingual signs at the entrance to their commune, such as Bordes,
Etsaut Etsaut is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in south-western France. Its station on the Pau–Canfranc railway was closed after an accident in 1970. See also *Communes of the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department The followi ...
, Artix,
Lacq Lacq (; oc, Lac) is a commune in the Pyrénées-Atlantiques department in southwestern France. It lies just northwest of the prefecture (department capital) Pau. Economy In modern times the local economy has been based on the industrial use ...
or Billère.


Literature

Concerning literature and poems, the first important book was a Béarnese translation of the Psalms of David by
Arnaud de Salette Arnaud de Saleta was a cleric and Béarnese poet who served during the establishment of a Protestant state in the Kingdom of Navarra in the 16th century. De Salette is one of two poets to be commissioned by Queen Jeanne d'Albret to translate ...
, at the end of the 16th century, contemporary with the Gascon (
Armagnac Armagnac (, ) is a distinctive kind of brandy produced in the Armagnac region in Gascony, southwest France. It is distilled from wine usually made from a blend of grapes including Baco 22A, Colombard, Folle blanche and Ugni blanc, traditiona ...
dialect) translation of these Psalms by
Pey de Garros Pey de Garros ( modern Gascon: ''Pèir de Garròs''; 1530–1585), was the most important Occitan poet of the Renaissance. He was instrumental in the evolution of the Gascon dialect into a literary language. Garros was born at Lectoure, Gascony. ...
. Both translations were ordered by Jeanne d'Albret, queen of
Navarre Navarre (; es, Navarra ; eu, Nafarroa ), officially the Chartered Community of Navarre ( es, Comunidad Foral de Navarra, links=no ; eu, Nafarroako Foru Komunitatea, links=no ), is a foral autonomous community and province in northern Spain, ...
and mother of Henry IV of France, to be used at Protestant churches. Henri IV was first Enric III de Navarra, the king of this independent Calvinist and Occitan-speaking state. The Béarnese dialect was his native language that he also used in letters to his subjects. During the 17th century, the Béarnese writer Jean-Henri Fondeville (among others) composed plays such as and also his anti-Calvinist .
Cyprien Despourrins Cyprien Despourrins (in Occitan: ''Ciprian Desporrins'') was a Gascon-language poet from Béarn and member of the Bigorre Parliament born in Accous in 1698. Many of his poems (written in Béarnese dialect) are famous traditional folk songs from ...
is certainly one of the main 18th-century Béarnese poets; many of his poems are still Béarn's folk songs. From the 19th century we can mention poet
Xavier Navarrot Xavier Navarrot (in Occitan classical norm : ''Xavier Navarròt'') was an Occitan-language poet from Béarn. He was born near Lucq-de-Béarn in a wealthy family and studied law and medicine in Paris before returning in Béarn where he spent th ...
and also
Alexis Peyret Alejo Peyret (french: Alexis Pierre-Louis Edouard Peyret; December 11, 1826 – August 27, 1902) was a French-born Argentine writer, agronomist, colonial administrator, and historian. Emigrating to Argentina when he was 25, he became a prominent ...
, who emigrated to
Argentina Argentina (), officially the Argentine Republic ( es, link=no, República Argentina), is a country in the southern half of South America. Argentina covers an area of , making it the second-largest country in South America after Brazil, th ...
for political reasons where he edited his Béarnese poetry.Argentine edition of Peyret's poetry
/ref> After the creation of the Felibrige, the Escole Gastoû Fèbus (which would become ) was created as the Béarnese part of
Frédéric Mistral Joseph Étienne Frédéric Mistral (; oc, Josèp Estève Frederic Mistral, 8 September 1830 – 25 March 1914) was a French writer of Occitan literature and lexicographer of the Provençal form of the language. He received the 1904 Nobel P ...
's and
Joseph Roumanille Joseph Roumanille (; 8 August 1818 – 24 May 1891) was a Provençal poet. He was born at Saint-Rémy-de-Provence (Bouches-du-Rhône), and is commonly known in southern France as the father of the Félibrige, for he first conceived the idea of ...
's academy.
Simin Palay Jean-Maximin called Simin Palay, ( Occitan: ''Simin Palai''), (1874–1965) was a French writer; as a native Béarnese speaker, he wrote poetry and articles in this language. He also made numerous philology studies on Béarnese and gasco ...
, one of its most prominent members, published a dictionary.


References


Sources

* Anatole, Cristian - Lafont, Robert. ''Nouvelle histoire de la littérature occitane''.
París Paris () is the capital and most populous city of France, with an estimated population of 2,165,423 residents in 2019 in an area of more than 105 km² (41 sq mi), making it the 30th most densely populated city in the world in 2020. ...
: P.U.F., 1970. * * Moreux, B. (2004). Bearnais and Gascon today: language behavior and perception. ''The International Journal of the Sociology of Language'',169:25-62.


External links


The Ostau Bearnés
{{DEFAULTSORT:Bearnese Language Gascon language Pyrénées-Atlantiques Béarn