Gascon language

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Gascon (Gascon, [gasˈku]; French, [gaskɔ̃]) is considered a dialect of the Occitan language, but it can be also considered as a proper language within a "oc-roman" linguistic group. Before the 19th century, there is not a text naming Gascon as a "langue d'oc" or as "Occitan". Anyway, the name Gascon is sufficient to characterize it either as a language or as a dialect. Gascon is mostly spoken in Gascony and Bearn (in the following French départements: a part of Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées, Landes, Gers, the greatest part of Gironde, a part of Lot-et-Garonne, a part of Haute-Garonne, and a part of Ariège; and in the small Spanish valley Val d'Aran, in the Northwest of Catalonia). Around the world it is spoken by 253,814 people.^{[citation needed]}

Only Aranese, a southern Gascon variety, is spoken in Spain. Aranese has been greatly influenced recently by Catalan and Spanish. This influences tend to differentiate it more and more from the dialects of Gascon spoken in the French State. Aranese is co-official with Spanish and Catalan in the Val d'Aran.

Contents 1 Linguistic classification 2 Basque substrate 3 Usage of the language 4 Subdialects 5 English words of Gascon origin 6 Examples 7 External links 8 References

[edit] Linguistic classification

See Occitan: Debates concerning linguistic classification.

The differences between Gascon and, for instance, Languedocian are more important than the differences between Languedocian and Catalan. But curiously, contrary to Gascon, Catalan is considered as an independent language within an "occitan-roman" group ... This classification is mainly due to the historical and political context. The political autonomy and national consciousness of the Catalans stopped all the attempts to merge Catalan into a supposed "unique" Occitan language. It was not the case with Gascon.

[edit] Basque substrate

The language spoken in Gascony before Roman rule was part of the Basque dialectal continuum (see Aquitanian language); the fact that the word 'Gascon' comes from the Latin root vasco/vasconem, which is the same root that gives us 'Basque,' implies that the speakers themselves have identified themselves at a moment as Basque. There is a proved Basque substrate in the development of Gascon. This explains some of the major differences that exist between Gascon and other Occitan languages.

A typically Gascon feature that may arise from this substrate is the so-called '"f" to "h" change.' Where a word originally began with [f] in Latin, such as festa 'party/feast,' this sound was weakened to aspirated [h] and then, in some areas, lost altogether; according to the substrate theory, this is due to the Basque dialects' lack of an equivalent /f/ phoneme. Thus we have Gascon hèsta [ˈhɛsto] or [ˈɛsto]. A similar change took place in Spanish; Spanish originated in Cantabria, where there were also Basque speakers, and so may have developed upon a Basque substrate. Thus Latin facere gives Spanish hacer [aˈθɛɾ] (or, in some remote areas, particularly in south-western Andalusia, [haˈθɛɾ]).

However, some linguists deny the plausibility of the Basque substrate theory; many have sought a language-internal explanation for this and other changes. The fact that this particular change occurs in both Gascon and Spanish, both of which developed in originally Basque-speaking areas, may be coincidental. Nevertheless, it is highly unlikely and some linguists agree with historians to underline the connection between Gascon and Basque.

Note that modern Basque has had lexical influence from Gascon in words like beira ("glass"), polit ("pretty", Gascon polit/polida).

[edit] Usage of the language

A poll conducted in Béarn in 1982 indicated that 51% of the population spoke Gascon, 70% understood it, and 85% expressed a favourable opinion regarding the protection of the language. However, use of the language has declined dramatically over recent years as Gascon is rarely transmitted to young generations any longer. The usual term to name Gascon is "patois", a word designating in France a non-official and devaluated dialect whatever the concerned region . It is mainly in Bearn that the population use concurrently the word of "Béarnais" to designate their Gascon forms. It is because of the political past of Bearn which was a sovereign State from 1347 to 1620. In fact, there is not one Béarnais, but several depending of the areas of Béarn speaking each of them a different kind of Gascon. Because of this specific political past, Béarnais is distinguished from Gascon from the 16th century, but it is not for linguistic reasons.

[edit] Subdialects

Gascon comprises three main linguistic areas:^{[citation needed]}

• The 'Garonnais Gascon' used on and next to the river Garonne valley. These regions know the least specific Gascon forms.
• The 'Southern Gascon' used in the south and in the south-west of the linguistic Gascon zone. The Gascon of these regions is the one with the most of the distinctive characteristics of the Gascon coming mainly from a supposed Basque substratum.
• The 'Intermediary Gascon'^{[citation needed]} in an intermediary zone between the two last mentionned.

[edit] English words of Gascon origin

cadet

from capdèt ("captain, chief")^[1].

izard

from French isard or Gascon isard^[2].

beret

from Bearnaise French béret and Gascon berret "cap"^[3]..

Jingo

OED finds an etymology from Basque Jainko ("God") through Gascon possible but not proven.

[edit] Examples

Word	Translation
Earth	tèrra
heaven	cèu
water	aiga
fire	huec
man	òmi/òme
woman	hemna
eat	minjar/manjar
drink	béver
big	gran
little	petit/pichon/pichòt
night	nueit
day	dia/jorn

See also: Languages of France

[edit] External links

• Museum of local culture
• Teaching of Occitan and Basque in Aquitania
• Cap'òc : Unitat d'Animacion Pedagogica en Occitan
• Gascon Lanas and Per Noste (Institut d'Estudis Occitans)
• Ethnologue report for Gascon
• For a controversial link on Gascon and Béarnais opposed to Occitanist ideology

[edit] References

1. ^ cadet in the Online Etymology Dictionary.
2. ^ izard in the Online Etymology Dictionary.
3. ^ beret in the Online Etymology Dictionary.

• Le Gascon de poche, Jean-Marc Leclercq & Sèrgi Javaloyès, Assimil 2004, ISBN 2-7005-0345-7