Provençal (Prouvençau in Provençal language) is one of several dialects of the Romance language Occitan, which is spoken by a minority of people in southern France and other areas of France.

"Provençal" is often used to refer to all dialects of Occitan, but actually refers specifically to the dialect spoken in the former province of Provence as well as south of Dauphiné and the Nîmes region in Languedoc and the upper valleys of Piedmont, Italy (Val Mairo, Val Varacho, Val d'Esturo, Entraigas, Limoun, Vinai, Pignerol, Sestriero).

"Provençal" is also the customary name given to the older version of the langue d'oc used by the troubadours of medieval literature, corresponding to Old French of the northern areas of France.

Also, some secluded areas of Sicily still bear significant traces of Provençal in terms of vocabulary and pronunciation.

Sub-Dialects

Four main sub-dialects are identified. These are:

• Rhodanien
• Maritime (Provençal)
• Gavot
• Niçard

A fifth sub-dialect, the Shuadit or Judeo-Provençal is considered as extinct since 1977, the Holocaust being the major cause of its extinction.

Literature

Modern Provençal literature was given impetus by Nobel laureate Frédéric Mistral and the association Félibrige he founded with other writers.

Miscellaneous

The Provençal language is not to be confused with the Franco-Provençal language, a non-langue d'oc language.

See also

• Languages of France

External Links

• Provençal - English Dictionary