Modern Provençal
Provençal is a language spoken by a minority of people in southeast France, namely the historical region of Provence. It is a branch of modern Occitan whose roots go back to the language of the troubadours and trobairitz [1]: composers and performers of lyric poetry in medieval Occitania.
Due to a history of policies by the French government meant to suppress regional minority languages, the various branches of Occitan are now only spoken by a few hundred thousand people, mainly among the older generations, and could be in danger of dying out if it is not revived.
I first became interested in the language while researching the south of France for the novel I'm writing, but I found resources scarce and of limited clarity—often due to the profusion of dialects—so I decided to research and compile my own notes in English to help me learn, and hopefully help others outside France discover this language as well.
Disclaimer
I am not a native speaker or an authority on Provence or the Provençal language. I'm compiling these notes from different and often limited sources as a way to teach myself, and while I've made every effort to be as accurate and in-depth as possible, errors are bound to happen.
If you have any comments or corrections, please contact me.
Resources
Introduction to the language
My complete introduction to the language's grammar for English speakers.
La Masca, poem by Guiraldenc
My translation of the poem La Masca ("The Witch") by Louis-Diogène Guiraldenc (1840-1869).
Jornalet — News in Occitan
Jornalet is a news site written entirely in Occitan. Articles are generally written in the languedocian dialect of Occitan using the classical norm, but differences between this dialect and Provençal are generally minor.
dicod'Òc — Occitan dictionary
This collection of dictionaries by Lo Congrès is an invaluable resource. There are both French-Occitan and Occitan-French dictionaries available for various dialects of Occitan, including Provençal.
verb'Òc — Conjugation of verbs
Another very useful resource from Lo Congrès, this tool allows you to look up conjugations of verbs in different dialects, including Provençal.
Grammaire Provençale et Cartes Linguistiques
ISBN: 2-74490-043-5
This book is well recommended if you're looking for an authoritative guide to the language.
Pepper & Carrot
Translation into Occitan (languedocian) of the webcomic Pepper & Carrot, about a young witch and her cat familiar.
Notes
-
^ A trobairitz is a female troubadour, but English has been inconsistent in its adoption of these two words; see the section on dialects and writing systems, in particular the difference between Classical and Mistralian norms. English, for whatever reason, has adopted Mistralian spelling of the masculine but Classical spelling of the feminine.