Langues d'oïl

The langues d'oïl are a group of related languages and dialects that include standard French and its closest relatives. These languages were historically spoken in the northern half of France, southern Belgium, and the Channel Islands. They are part of a larger family called the Gallo-Romance languages, which also covered areas in east-central France, western Switzerland, southern France, parts of northern Italy, the Val d'Aran in Spain, and sometimes Catalonia.

Experts split the Romance languages of Medieval France into two main groups based on where they were spoken. The langues d'oïl were spoken in the north, while the lengas d'òc were spoken in the south. These names come from the word for "yes" in these old languages. Today, the most common langue d'oïl is standard French, where the old word oïl changed to oui.

Terminology

Langue d'oïl (in the singular), Oïl dialects and Oïl languages (in the plural) are names for the old languages spoken in the north of France and their modern forms. They share many features, including using the word oïl to mean “yes”. (In the south, the word for “yes” is oc, which gives the name langue d'oc or Occitan languages). The most common modern Oïl language today is French. The word oïl was said as [o.il] or [o.i] in the past, which changed to [wi] and is now oui in French.

There are three ways people use the term oïl:

1. Langue d'oïl
2. Oïl dialects
3. Oïl languages

In the singular, langue d'oïl talks about the different ways people spoke an old language called lingua romana from the 8th century in northern France and southern Belgium (Wallonia), from the 10th century in the Channel Islands, and between the 11th and 14th centuries in England (the Anglo-Norman language). The phrase langue d'oïl has been used since the 12th century to describe this old group of languages. Sometimes, it can mean the same as Old French.

When we say Oïl dialects, we mean the different versions of the old langue d'oïl.

Oïl languages are the modern forms that came from the old langue d'oïl. Today, the term langues d'oïl can either mean all these modern languages except French, or it can include French too. Some people also call Oïl languages “French dialects” because they are very similar to modern French. However, because the word “dialect” can sometimes sound insulting, many experts now prefer to call them langues d'oïl instead of dialects.

Varieties

Linguists have identified five main groups of Oïl dialects. These dialects are mostly understood by each other and are spoken in parts of northern France, southern Belgium, and the Channel Islands.

The five zones include:

Franconian zone (zone francique)

This zone includes languages such as Picard, Walloon, Lorrain, and Northern Norman. Northern Norman is spoken north of the Joret line and includes varieties like Anglo-Norman; Dgèrnésiais (spoken in Guernsey), Jèrriais (spoken in Jersey), Auregnais (spoken in Alderney), Sercquiais (spoken in Sark). Also included are Eastern Champenois and Moselle Romance.

Francien zone (zone francienne)

This zone includes Parisian, which was the basis for Standard French, along with Orléanais, Tourangeau, Berrichon, Bourbonnais, and Western Champenois (also known as Eastern Francien).

Burgundian zone (zone burgonde)

This zone includes Bourguignon and Franc-Comtois.

Armorican zone (zone armoricaine)

Eastern Armorican includes Angevin, Mayennais, Manceau, and Southern Norman (spoken south of the Joret line). Western Armorican includes Gallo. Gallo has influences from Breton and originated from the Oïl speech of people from Anjou, Maine (Mayenne and Sarthe), and Normandy, who were in contact with Breton speakers in Upper Brittany.

Poitevin-Saintongeais zone (zone poitevine and zone saintongeaise)

This zone is named after the former provinces of Poitou and Saintonge and includes Poitevin and Saintongeais.

Development

For the history of phonology, orthography, syntax and morphology, see History of the French language and the relevant individual Oïl language articles.

Each of the Oïl languages grew in its own way from a common ancestor. How we split their development into periods depends on each language's own history. Modern linguistics uses these terms:

• 9th–13th centuries
  • Old French
  • Old Norman
  • etc.
• French
  • Middle French for the period 14th–15th centuries
  • 16th century: français renaissance (Renaissance French)
  • 17th to 18th century: français classique (Classical French)

History

Romana lingua

In the 9th century, people began to see romana lingua as its own special language. This is because it was very different from Latin compared to other languages. Many changes that we now see in Walloon happened between the 8th and 12th centuries. By the 13th century, Walloon had its own clear identity, even though early writings didn’t mention it directly.

Langue d'oïl

After the Roman Empire, French developed two ways to say “yes”: oïl and oc. The word langue d'oïl started being used in the 12th century to describe these French languages. A famous writer named Dante wrote about these differences in the 14th century, helping to separate the languages of southern France (oc languages) from those in northern France (oïl languages).

French (Old French/Standardized Oïl) or lingua Gallicana

By the 13th century, people started calling these different styles of speech “dialects” of one main language, the langue d'oïl. A common version of this language emerged, and by the late 13th century, it was named French. Writers began using this common French instead of their own local styles, which helped French become the main language.

Rise of French (Standardized Oïl) versus other Oïl languages

Because of politics, French grew stronger in the Paris area. By the late 1300s, French became the standard spoken and written language. Laws in 1539 required French to be used in official documents instead of Latin. Later, during the French Revolution, French was made the official language for everyone. Even though other local languages tried to stay alive, French became the most important, especially in schools. Today, French is the most well-known of all the Oïl languages.

Literature

Besides the influence of French literature, small pieces of writing have survived in other Oïl languages. Theatre is most famous in Picard (which keeps a style of puppet shows), Poitevin, and Saintongeais. Storytelling is a part of Gallo, while Norman and Walloon writing, especially from the early 1800s, often focuses on poems and books (see, for example, Wace and Jèrriais literature).

As these local Oïl languages moved away from cities, they stayed stronger in the countryside. This means most of their stories and books are about country life and farmers. The special history of the Channel Islands created lively discussions about politics, and the early factories in Picardy helped keep Picard alive in the mines and workshops. The mining poets of Picardy can be compared to the rhyming Weaver Poets of Ulster Scots in a similar factory setting.

There are some local magazines, such as Ch'lanchron (Picard), Le Viquet (Norman), Les Nouvelles Chroniques du Don Balleine (Jèrriais), and El Bourdon (Walloon), which are printed either completely in their Oïl language or with French too. These give space for more writing.

Status

Besides French, which is an official language in many countries (see list), the Oïl languages have not had much importance recently.

Right now, Walloon, Lorrain (called Gaumais locally), and Champenois are recognized as regional languages in Wallonia.

The Norman languages spoken in the Channel Islands have some status under the governments of their Bailiwicks and in the regional framework of the British-Irish Council. The Anglo-Norman language, a version of Norman that was once the official language of England, now mostly has a ceremonial role in the United Kingdom (called Law French).

The French government sees the Oïl languages as languages of France, but the Constitutional Council of France stopped France from joining the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages.

Influence

Further information: Anglo-Norman language

The langues d'oïl were shaped by the languages of groups like the Franks who ruled in areas where these languages were spoken. Their way of speaking changed how the languages sounded and were built, making French different from other similar languages.

The English language took many words from Norman after a big event called the Norman Conquest. These words often had a special style from the Normans.

The language of Portugal was also changed by being close to speakers of Oïl and Occitan language for a very long time. This affected its words, sounds, and writing. The biggest change came from a group called the troubadours, whose way of speaking was very popular in medieval times.

In the 1800s, some people in Brazil began using more French instead of Portuguese because they saw France as a leader in culture and progress. Learning French was very important for important people in Portugal and Brazil for a long time, until English became more common.

The French spoken in Belgium has some influences from Walloon.

French in North America was shaped by the way people from northwestern France spoke. Many of these settlers brought their own styles into the French they used there. (See also French language in the United States, French language in Canada)

Languages and dialects with significant Oïl influence

The langues d'oïl have influenced many languages and dialects. These include all regional languages spoken in France, Belgium, and Luxembourg. It also includes Limburgish, especially Maastrichtian, and all French-based creole languages.

Additionally, the langues d'oïl influenced Anglic languages. This influence came through the Anglo-Norman language spoken by the upper classes in England after the Norman Conquest. It also influenced Portuguese, especially in its vocabulary and sound patterns. Finally, Franco-Italian is a mix of Old French and either Venetian or Lombard used in Italy many centuries ago.