Ariegeois love poem

Ariégeois (languedocien, lengadocian), belongs to the ariegeois branch of the Oc languages, it's one of the dialects of the Oc language, spoken in Ariège, in the south-west of France.

Occitan gathers the different dialects of an entire region which represents ⅓ of France (southern part), and which overflows in Spain and Italy. The Catalan language is a close cousin. In its various forms there may be 4 million people to speak or understand it.

Languedocian and Provençal are part of the Middle or Southern Occitan group.

Languedocian is often considered as the Occitan closest to the language of the troubadours, itself, it can be separated into two groups. The Ariège variant being part of the Western group.

After the crusade against the Albigensians (13th century), Languedoc was annexed by France. Many passages of languedocian words into French will follow.

Even if little by little, French will play an increasingly important role in writing, the speakers of this Oc language will remain bilingual until the Revolution.

The main dialects are Languedocian (here Ariègeois), Provencal, Gascon, Auvergnat and Limousin. The Gascon is quite distinct from the others and could almost be considered apart.

If today no one really agrees on a standard form, and if the language fully retains its regional forms, orthographic norms seem to have been adopted.

It is in the 12th that the classical period begins when the troubadours and their sung poetry appear, it will become a model during 2 centuries. The use of French will announce, as for the other regional languages, its decline.

Ariège got its name from the Ariège river, and is a French department on the foothills of Central Pyrénées. The most important city is Foix.