View source for Provençal dialect

{{short description|Dialect of Occitan}}
{{For|other uses of Provençal|Provençal (disambiguation){{!}}Provençal}}
{{distinguish|text=[[Franco-Provençal]], a distinct language that shares features of both [[French language|French]] and the Provençal dialect (Occitan)}}
{{Infobox language
|name         = Provençal
|nativename   = {{lang|oc|prouvençau}} (mistralian norm)<br/>{{lang|oc|provençal}}/{{lang|oc|provençau}} (classical norm)
|states       = [[France]], [[Italy]], [[Monaco]]
|region       = 
|speakers     = 350,000
|date         = 1990
|ref          = <ref>{{e15|prv}}</ref>
|familycolor  = Indo-European
|fam2         = [[Italic languages|Italic]]
|fam3         = [[Latino-Faliscan languages|Latino-Faliscan]]
|fam4         = [[Latin]]
|fam5         = [[Romance languages|Romance]]
|fam6         = [[Italo-Western languages|Italo-Western]]
|fam7         = [[Western Romance languages|Western Romance]]
|fam8         = [[Gallo-Romance languages|Gallo-Romance]]
|fam9         = [[Occitano-Romance languages|Occitano-Romance]]
|fam10        = [[Occitan language|Occitan]]
|isoexception = dialect
|iso3=prv
|iso3comment=(retired); subsumed in {{code|oci}}
|glotto       = prov1235
|ietf         = oc-provenc<ref>[https://www.iana.org/assignments/lang-subtags-templates/oc.txt "Occitan (post 1500)"]. ''IANA language subtag registry.'' 18 August 2008. Retrieved 11 February 2019.</ref>
|glottorefname= Provençal
|map          = Dialecte occitan provençal.png
|mapcaption   = Subdialects of the Provençal dialect with the exception of Gavòt in France and Cisalpine in Italy.
}}

'''Provençal''' ({{IPAc-en|ˌ|p|r|ɒ|v|ɒ̃|ˈ|s|ɑː|l}}, {{IPAc-en|alsoUK|-|s|æ|l}},<ref>Laurie Bauer, 2007, ''The Linguistics Student’s Handbook'', Edinburgh</ref> {{IPAc-en|US|ˌ|p|r|ou|-|,_|-|v|ən|-}}, {{IPA|fr|pʁɔvɑ̃sal|lang|LL-Q150 (fra)-VictorDtmtc-provençal.wav}}; {{langx|oc|provençau}} or {{lang|oc|prouvençau}} {{IPA|oc|pʀuvenˈsaw|}}) is a [[variety (linguistics)|variety]] of [[Occitan language|Occitan]],<ref>{{cite book |last1=Holtus |first1=Günther |last2=Metzeltin |first2=Michael |last3=Schmitt |first3=Christian |title=Lexikon der Romanistischen Linguistik (LRL) |date=1991 |publisher=De Gruyter / Max Niemeyer Verlag |location=Berlin, New York |chapter=Band V/2 Okzitanisch, Katalanisch}}</ref><ref>{{cite web |title=Langues régionales |url=https://www.culture.gouv.fr/Thematiques/Langue-francaise-et-langues-de-France/Agir-pour-les-langues/Promouvoir-les-langues-de-France/Langues-regionales |website=Ministère de la culture (France) |access-date=13 February 2023}}</ref> spoken by people in [[Provence]] and parts of [[Drôme]] and [[Gard]]. The term Provençal used to refer to the entire Occitan language, but more recently it has referred only to the variety of Occitan spoken in Provence.<ref>{{cite book |last=Dalby |first=Andrew |author-link=Andrew Dalby |title=Dictionary of Languages |chapter-url=http://www.bloomsbury.com/ |access-date=8 November 2006 |edition=1st |year=1998 |publisher=Bloomsbury Publishing plc |isbn=0-7475-3117-X |page=468 |chapter=Occitan }}</ref><ref>On the persistent use of Provençal as a synonym of Occitan see: Constanze WETH. « L'occitan / provençal ». ''Manuel des langues romanes'', Edited by Klump, Andre / Kramer, Johannes / Willems, Aline. DE GRUYTER. 2014. Pages: 491–509. ISBN ([http://www.degruyter.com/view/books/9783110302585/9783110302585.491/9783110302585.491.xml Online]): 9783110302585</ref> However, it can still be found being used to refer to Occitan as a whole, ''e.g.'' [[Merriam-Webster]] states that it can be used to refer to general Occitan, though this is going out of use.<ref>{{Cite web |title=Definition of PROVENÇAL |url=https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/Proven%C3%A7al |access-date=2022-05-14 |website=www.merriam-webster.com |language=en}}</ref>

Provençal is also the customary name given to the [[Old Occitan|older version of the Occitan language]] used by the [[troubadour]]s of [[medieval]] [[literature]], when [[Old French]] or the ''{{lang|fr|langue d'oïl}}'' was limited to the northern areas of France. Thus, the [[ISO 639-3]] code for Old Occitan is [pro].

In 2007, all the [[ISO 639-3]] codes for Occitan dialects, including [prv] for Provençal, were retired and merged into [oci] Occitan. The old codes ([prv], [auv], [gsc], [lms], [lnc]) are no longer in active use, but still have the meaning assigned to them when they were established in the Standard.<ref> {{Cite web|url= https://iso639-3.sil.org/code_tables/deprecated_codes/data |title= Deprecated Language Codes
 |publisher=[[SIL International]]}}</ref>

Some groups have called for Provençal's recognition as a full language, distinct from Occitan. The Regional Council of Provence has variously labelled Provençal as a dialect of Occitan or as a distinct language, depending on different lobbies and political majorities.

==Subdialects==
The main subdialects of Provençal are:
* ''Rodanenc'' (in French ''Rhodanien'') around the lower [[Rhone]] river, [[Arles]], [[Avignon]], [[Nîmes]].
** A Rodanenc subvariety, the ''[[Shuadit language|Shuadit]]'' (or Judeo-Provençal), has been considered extinct since 1977. It was spoken by the Jewish community around [[Avignon]]. When Jews were granted freedom of residence in France the dialect declined.
* ''Maritim'' or ''Centrau'' or ''Mediterranèu'' (Maritime or Central or Mediterranean) around [[Aix-en-Provence]], [[Marseille]], [[Toulon]], [[Cannes]], [[Antibes]], [[Grasse]], [[Forcalquier]], [[Castellane]], [[Draguignan]].
* ''[[Niçard dialect|Niçard]]'' in the lower [[County of Nice]].

''[[Vivaro-Alpine|Gavòt]]'' (in French ''Gavot''), spoken in the Western Occitan Alps, around [[Digne]], [[Sisteron]], [[Gap, Hautes-Alpes|Gap]], [[Barcelonnette]] and the upper [[County of Nice]], but also in a part of the [[Ardèche]], is not exactly a subdialect of Provençal, but rather a closely related Occitan dialect, also known as [[Vivaro-Alpine]]. So is the dialect spoken in the upper valleys of [[Piedmont]], [[Italy]] ([[Maira Valley|Val Maira]], [[Varaita Valley|Val Varaita]], [[Valle Stura di Demonte|Val Stura di Demonte]], [[Entracque]], [[Limone Piemonte]], [[Vinadio]], [[Sestriere]]).<ref>Nòrmas ortogràficas, chausias morfològicas e vocabulari de l'occitan alpin oriental [tèxte imprimit] / Commission internacionala per la normalizacion linguistica de l'occitan alpin, Published by Espaci Occitan, Piemonte, 2008 . - 242. {{ISBN|9788890299742}}-PN-01</ref> Some people view Gavòt as a variety of Provençal since a part of the Gavot area (near Digne and Sisteron) belongs to historical Provence.

==Orthography==
When written in the Mistralian norm ("{{lang|oc-grmistr|normo mistralenco}}"), definite articles are {{lang|oc-grmistr|lou}} in the masculine singular, {{lang|oc-grmistr|la}} in the feminine singular and {{lang|oc-grmistr|li}} in the masculine and feminine plural ({{lang|oc-grmistr|lis}} before vowels). Nouns and adjectives usually drop the Latin masculine endings, but ''-e'' remains; the feminine ending is ''-o'' (this is the opposite of the neighbouring [[Italian language|Italian]] masculine gender). Nouns do not inflect for number, but all adjectives ending in vowels (''-e'' or ''-o'') become ''-i'', and all plural adjectives take ''-s'' before vowels.

When written in the classical norm ("{{lang|oc-grclass|nòrma classica}}"), definite articles are masculine {{lang|oc-grclass|lo}} [lu], feminine {{lang|oc-grclass|la}} [la], and plural {{lang|oc-grclass|lei/leis}} [lej/lejz = li/liz]. Nouns and adjectives usually drop the Latin masculine endings, but ''-e'' [e] remains; the feminine ending is ''-a'' [ɔ]. Nouns inflect for number, all adjectives ending in vowels (''-e'' or ''-a'') become ''-ei/-eis'' [ej/ejz = i/iz] in some syntactic positions, and most plural adjectives take ''-s''.

{| class=wikitable
|+ Comparison of articles and endings between the two norms
|-
| colspan=2 |
!  scope="col" | English
!! scope="col" | Mistralian norm
!! scope="col" | Classical norm
|-
!  scope="row" rowspan=2 | Singular
!! scope="row" | Masculine
| rowspan=2 | the good friend  || {{lang|oc-grmistr|'''lou bon ami'''}}<br/>{{IPA|oc|lu ˌbɔn aˈmi|}}   || {{lang|oc-grclass|'''lo bòn amic'''}}<br/>{{IPA|oc|lu ˌbɔn aˈmi|}}
|-
!  scope="row" | Feminine
|                                 {{lang|oc-grmistr|'''la bono amigo'''}}<br/>{{IPA|oc|la ˌbɔn aˈmigɔ|}}|| {{lang|oc-grclass|'''la bòna amiga'''}}<br/>{{IPA|oc|la ˌbɔn aˈmigɔ|}}
|-
!  scope="row" rowspan=2 | Plural
!! scope="row" | Masculine
| rowspan=2 | the good friends || {{lang|oc-grmistr|'''li bons ami'''}}<br/>{{IPA|oc|lej ˌbɔnz aˈmi|}}<br/>= {{IPA|oc|li ˌbɔnz aˈmi|}}  || {{lang|oc-grclass|'''lei bòns amics'''}}<br/>{{IPA|oc|lej ˌbɔnz aˈmi|}}<br/>= {{IPA|oc|li ˌbɔnz aˈmi|}}
|-
!  scope="row" | Feminine
|                                 {{lang|oc-grmistr|'''li bònis amigo'''}}<br/>{{IPA|oc|lei ˈbɔnejz aˈmigɔ|}}<br/>= {{IPA|oc|li ˈbɔniz aˈmigɔ|}}|| {{lang|oc-grclass|'''lei bòneis amigas'''}}<br/>{{IPA|oc|lei ˈbɔnejz aˈmigɔ|}}<br/>= {{IPA|oc|li ˈbɔniz aˈmigɔ|}}
|}

Pronunciation remains the same in both norms (Mistralian and classical), which are only two different ways to write the same language.

The [[IETF language tag]]s register {{code|oc-provenc-grmistr}} for the Mistralian orthography and {{code|oc-provenc-grclass}} for the classical one.<ref name="BCP47">{{cite web |title=Language Subtag registry |url=https://www.iana.org/assignments/language-subtag-registry/language-subtag-registry |publisher=IANA |access-date=13 November 2023 |language=en |date=2023-10-16}}</ref>

==Literature==
Modern [[Provençal literature]] was given impetus by Nobel laureate [[Frédéric Mistral]] and the association, [[Félibrige]], which he founded with other writers, such as [[Théodore Aubanel]]. The beginning of the 20th century saw other authors like [[Joseph d'Arbaud]], [[Batisto Bonnet]] and [[Valère Bernard]]. It has been enhanced and modernized since the second half of the 20th century by writers such as [[Robèrt Lafont]], [[Pierre Pessemesse]], [[Claude Barsotti]], {{Interlanguage link|Max-Philippe Delavouët|qid=Q3301981}}, {{Interlanguage link|Philippe Gardy|qid=Q3379883}}, {{Interlanguage link|Florian Vernet|qid=Q12948863}}, {{Interlanguage link|Danielle Julien|qid=Q56072150}}, {{Interlanguage link|Jòrgi Gròs|qid=Q20556573}}, {{Interlanguage link|Sèrgi Bec|qid=Q3479188}}, [[Bernat Giély]], and many others.

==See also==
* [[Occitan conjugation]]
* [[Languages of France]]

==Notes==
{{reflist|33em}}

==References==
* Jules (Jùli) Ronjat, ''L’ourtougràfi prouvençalo'', Avignon: Vivo Prouvènço!, 1908.
* Robert Lafont, ''Phonétique et graphie du provençal: essai d’adaptation de la réforme linguistique occitane aux parlers de Provence'', Toulouse: Institut d’Études Occitanes, 1951 [2nd ed. 1960] 
* Robèrt Lafont, ''L’ortografia occitana, lo provençau'', Montpellier: Universitat de Montpelhièr III-Centre d’Estudis Occitans, 1972. 
* Jules Coupier, (& Philippe Blanchet) ''Dictionnaire français-provençal / Diciounàri francés-prouvençau'', Aix en Provence: Association Dictionnaire Français-Provençal / Edisud, 1995. (rhodanian dialect)
* [[Philippe Blanchet]], Le provençal : essai de description sociolinguistique et différentielle, Institut de Linguistique de Louvain, Louvain, Peeters, 1992 <small>([https://www.researchgate.net/publication/323383001_Le_provencal_essai_de_description_sociolinguistique_et_differentielle lire en ligne] [archive])</small>. 
* Philippe Blanchet, ''Dictionnaire fondamental français-provençal. (Variété côtière et intérieure)'', Paris, éditions Gisserot-éducation, 2002. 
* Philippe Blanchet, ''[https://luniversitenumerique.fr/wp-content/uploads/2020/08/Provençal-UOH-Blanchet-avec-liens-interneslogo.pdf Découvrir le provençal, un "cas d'école" sociolinguistique] <small>[archive]</small>'', cours en ligne de l'Université Ouverte des Humanités, 2020. 
* Philippe Blanchet, ''Langues, cultures et identités régionales en Provence. La Métaphore de l’aïoli'', Paris, L'Harmattan, 2002. 
* Pierre Vouland, ''Du provençal rhodanien parlé à l'écrit mistralien, précis d'analyse structurale et comparée'', Aix-en-Provence, Edisud, 2005, 206 pages.
* Alain Barthélemy-Vigouroux & Guy Martin, ''Manuel pratique de provençal contemporain'', Édisud 2006, {{ISBN|2-7449-0619-0}}

==External links==
{{interwiki|code=oc}}
*{{wikivoyage-inline|Provençal phrasebook}}
*[https://web.archive.org/web/20040411163938/http://www.websters-online-dictionary.org/definition/Provencal-english/ Provençal - English Dictionary] - a list of words, with some mistakes
*[https://archive.org/details/modernprovenal00fordrich ''Modern Provençal phonology and morphology studied in the language of Frederic Mistral''] (1921)
{{Romance languages}}
{{Occitano-Romance languages and dialects}}

{{Authority control}}

{{DEFAULTSORT:Provencal Dialect}}
[[Category:Provençal dialect| ]]
[[Category:Severely endangered languages]]
[[Category:Endangered Romance languages]]
[[Category:Endangered languages of Europe]]