Occitan language

Occitan is a Romance language spoken in Southern France, the Occitan Valleys of Italy, Monaco, and in Val d'Aran in Catalonia, Spain, the regions sometimes known informally as Occitania. It is also spoken in the linguistic enclave of Guardia Piemontese (Calabria, Italy). It is an official language in Catalonia, Spain (known as Aranese in Val d'Aran).[2] Modern Occitan is the closest relative of Catalan.[3] The languages, as spoken in early medieval times, might be considered variant forms of the same language. The term Provençal is often used to refer to Occitan.[4]

The area where Occitan was historically dominant is home to some 14 million inhabitants. It may be spoken as a first language by as many as 1.5 million people[5] in France, Italy, Spain and Monaco. In Monaco Occitan coexists with Monégasque Ligurian which is the other native language.[6] Some researchers state that up to seven million people in France understand the language[7][8][9] while twelve to fourteen million fully spoke it in 1921.[10] In 1860, Occitan speakers represented more than 39%[11] of the whole French population (52% for francophones proper); they were still 26 to 36% in the 1920s[12] and less than 7% in 1993.

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