Languages of Southern France

The following living languages, each with distinct regional dialects, are spoken in the cultured lands of southern France. Most characters should take the appropriate dialect as a specialty but Educated or welltravelled speakers will have tried hard to rid themselves of their dialect and may have standard specialties (see ArM5, page 66).

Occitan (Gascon, Provençal/Languedoc, Limousin, Auvergnat, Vivaro-Alpine, Aranese)

French (Bourguignon, Orelanais, Poitevin) Burgundian/Romand Catalan (Western, Eastern) Lingua Franca (Western, Eastern) Basque/Euskara

Dialects of Occitan (also known somewhat confusingly as Langues d'Oc) are spoken throughout most of the tribunal, in particular: Gascon, Provençal/Languedoc and Vivaro-Alpine (also spoken in some mountainous valleys in northwestern Piedmont). In the northern parts of Aquitaine, bordering the Normandy Tribunal, the following dialects are used from west to east: Poitevin (actually a French or langue d'oïl dialect), Limousin, and Auvergnat (both Occitan dialects). The troubadours sing and compose their songs and poems in dialects of Occitan throughout the area and into Catalonia, Castile, and northern Italy, although Provence and the Toulousain remain the major centers of courtly culture.

The majority of Lower Burgundy, consisting of the Kingdom of Arelat and the County of Provence, speaks the Provençal dialect of Occitan, although the Vivaro-Alpine dialect can be found in southern Dauphine and up to the northeast border with Savoy. The French dialect of Bourguignon is heard in the north near the French-aligned Duchy and County of Burgundy. The transitional language of Burgundian or Romand is spoken around Lyons and in the northern part of Dauphine into Savoy. Speakers include those in the western parts of the Greater Alps Tribunal and a few isolated Italian Alpine valleys. Orleanais, the Parisian dialect of French, is spoken mainly by northern clergymen, crusaders, merchants, tradesmen, and those needing to communicate with the nobility of France. Toward the Mediterranean coast and particularly in Marseilles, lingua franca or Sabir (the pidgin language of trade) is more common, although Italian, Veneto, and various Spanish dialects can be heard.

A rare dialect of Occitan, Aranese, is spoken only in the small Catalan county of the Val d'Aran, in the valley on the northward face of the Pyrenees that holds the source of the Garonne.

Closely related to Occitan but distinct enough to be a separate language, the eastern dialect of Catalan is spoken in the courts of the county of Provence under its Catalan counts and Roussilon is the same as that spoken in Barcelona, the Catalan counties of the former Frankish March, and the Balearic islands. A western dialect of Catalan is spoken in Valencia and the mountain country of Ribacorga.

Basque, known as "Euskara" to its speakers, is spoken on both sides of the Pyrenees and in parts of northern Navarre. It has a multitude of dialects but for simplicity is treated as one highly distinct language, too unrelated to Latin or its descendents to be easily understood by anything other than a native speaker. It still uses the Latin script, however.

A small number of Jews, particularly in Montpellier, speak Hebrew or the local Provençal dialect—a distinct Judeo-Provençal dialect has not yet emerged. Arabic is spoken by either slaves (Andalusi or Maghrebi dialects) or the rare scholar (Classical dialect).

Many southern French names are similar to their northern French counterparts. See The Lion and the Lily, pages 136–137 for an extensive list of northern French, Breton and Flemish names that may be used for characters with northern French backgrounds. A selection of Occitan names with their northern French equivalents in parentheses is given here to aid in conversion, but some names are either the same as in French or without a direct French equivalent. Thus Raimond-Berengiers is the Occitan version of the more common French pronunciation of Raymond-Berengar, the Catalan count of Provence. Catalan names are similar to Occitan names and are used predominantly in the county of Provence and the southern coastal district of Rousillon — the Count of Provence is thus referred to as Ramon-Berenguer in his native Catalan domains.

Male Occitan Names

Aimeric (Aimery), Aliazars (Éléazar), Aloys (Louis), Arnald (Arnold), Baudoïs (Baudoin), Bausas (Bausan), Berengiers (Bérenger), Bernart (Bernard), Bertrans (Bertrand), Bochartz (Bouchard), Claris (Clarin), Crespi (Crépin), Dalmatz (Dalmas), Donat, Ebratz (Evrard), Enricx (Henri), Estève (Estève, Stephen), Folcaut (Foucaud), Folquets (Folques), Gaston, Garnier, Gaucelis (Josselin), Gui(s) (Guy), Guillhelm (Guillame), Imbert, Jaufres (Geoffroy), Jaques (Jacques), Johan (Jean), Jordas (Joudain), Joris, Lucatz (Lucas), Marius (Moreau), Martis (Martin), Nicholas, Otes (Eudes), Otz (Ot), Peire (Pierre), Ponce (Pons), Raimond or Ramon (Raymond), Rainaut (Renaud), Reiambalts (Raimbaud), Rogers (Roger), Rotlans (Roland), Savarics (Savary), Segui (Sequin), Sicart (Sicard), Simos (Simon), Tibaut (Thibaud), Ucs (Hugues)

Female Occitan Names

Alienor (Éléanor), Alazaïs, Anaïs (Anna), Bausanna (Bausanne), Constansa (Constance), Elena (Hélène), Elionor (Éléonore), Ermengarda, Ermessenda, Garsenda, Girauda (Giraude), Magali (Margaret), Mirèio (Mirelle), Petrona, Rixenda (Richenda), Rubea

Male Catalan Names

Alfons, Amat, Andrea, Arbert, Arnau, Artal, Berenguer, Bernat, Bernad, Bertran, Bonadona, Calvet, Dalmu, Dolcet, Ferrer, Gilabert, Guilabertus, Gombal, Guerau, Guillem, Guillelmus, Hug, Matthew, Miró, Olivar, Pere, Perpinyà, Ponç, Ramon, Ricart, Seguinus, Vidal

Female Catalan Names

Arsendis, Ermessendis, Ermessèn, Guillema, Guillelma, Titbores, Raimunda, València

Basque Names

Examples of Basque names in Euskara are given in Chapter 6: the Pyrenees.

Latin remains the scholarly language of the Provençal Church and scholars at the new University of Montpellier. The vernacular poetry of the troubadours is primarily written and performed in Limousin, but is under threat from the strife of the Albigensian Crusade.

Same language, different dialects: –1 penalty to both speakers

**French vs Occitan: –**2 penalty to both speakers

**Occitan vs Catalan: –**1 penalty to both speakers

French vs Catalan: –3 penalty to both speakers

**Lingua Franca vs Occitan or Catalan: –**2 penalty to both speakers

**Burgundian vs French (Bourguignon) or Occitan (Provençal or Vivaro-Alpine): –**1 penalty to both speakers

**Burgundian vs French (other dialects) or Occitan (other dialects): –**2 penalty to both speakers

The other pairs are so disparate that comprehension is likely to be based on signing and good guesswork, or magic.

Example: A character from Arles with Occitan 5 (Provençal/Languedoc) speaks to his fellows in Provence and the Toulousain with an effective score of 6, Occitan speakers with no dialect with an effective score of 5, Occitan speakers of different dialects with a score of 4, Burgundian or Catalan speakers with an effective score of 4, and speakers of French or Lingua Franca at an effective score of 3, but would have difficulty speaking with English crusaders if they spoke Anglo-Norman (effective score 2). He cannot be understood by speakers of Basque, however. A character speaking one of the southern Occitan dialects has the same communication issues, except he communicates with Burgundian speakers with more difficulty at an effective score of only 3.