Limousin (French name, ; , ) is a dialect of the
Occitan language
Occitan (; ), also known by its native speakers as (; ), sometimes also referred to as Provençal, is a Romance language spoken in Southern France, Monaco, Italy's Occitan Valleys, as well as Spain's Val d'Aran in Catalonia; collectively, ...
, spoken in the three
departments of
Limousin
Limousin (; ) is a former administrative region of southwest-central France. Named after the old province of Limousin, the administrative region was founded in 1960. It comprised three departments: Corrèze, Creuse, and Haute-Vienne. On 1 Jan ...
, parts of
Charente
Charente (; Saintongese: ''Chérente''; ) is a department in the administrative region of Nouvelle-Aquitaine, southwestern France. It is named after the river Charente, the most important and longest river in the department, and also the r ...
and the
Dordogne
Dordogne ( , or ; ; ) is a large rural departments of France, department in south west France, with its Prefectures in France, prefecture in Périgueux. Located in the Nouvelle-Aquitaine region roughly half-way between the Loire Valley and ...
in the southwest of
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.
The first Occitan documents are in an early form of this dialect, particularly the ''
Boecis'', written around the year 1000.
Limousin is used primarily by people over age 50 in rural communities. All speakers speak
French as a first or second language. Due to the
French single language policy, it is not recognised by the government and therefore considered
endangered
An endangered species is a species that is very likely to become extinct in the near future, either worldwide or in a particular political jurisdiction. Endangered species may be at risk due to factors such as habitat loss, poaching, inv ...
by the linguistic community. A
revivalist movement around the
Félibrige and the
Institut d'Estudis Occitans is active in Limousin (as well as in other parts of
Occitania
Occitania is the historical region in Southern Europe where the Occitan language was historically spoken and where it is sometimes used as a second language. This cultural area roughly encompasses much of the southern third of France (except ...
).
Differences from Languedocien
Most speakers and linguists consider Limousin to be a variety of Occitan. For more detailed information on this question, see the section on
Occitan dialects and
codification.
As a comparison of Limousin and Languedocien in written form, the following reproduces the first article of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
The Universal Declaration of Human Rights (UDHR) is an international document adopted by the United Nations General Assembly that enshrines the Human rights, rights and freedoms of all human beings. Drafted by a UN Drafting of the Universal D ...
: "All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood."
See also
*
Occitan conjugation
Notes
References
External links
Institut d'Estudis Occitans dau Lemosin
Occitan language
Languages of France
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