Arpitan

A language of France

Franco-provençal, Patois, Romand, arpetan, francoprovençal, patouès

Arpitan

150,000 in France (2013). Total users in all countries: 227,000.

Auvergne-Rhône-Alpes region: Ain, north and central Isere, Loire, Rhone, and Savoy departments; Bourgogne-Franche-Comté region: Doubs, Haute-Alpes, south Jura, and Saone-et-Loire departments; Provence-Alpes-Côte d’Azur region: border area.

Language Maps

Andorra and France

Liechtenstein and Switzerland

Language Status

8b (Nearly extinct). Recognized language (2013, Law No. 595), Education.

Classification

Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Gallo-Romance, Gallo-Rhaetian, Oïl, Southeastern

Dialects

Dauphinois, Lyonnais, Neuchatelais, Savoyard. Structurally distinct from French, Piedmontese [pms], and Lombard [lmo] (1985 F. Agard). In Switzerland, every canton has its own dialect, with no standardization. Difficult intelligibility among dialects, especially Fribourg.

Language Use

Elderly only. Shifted to French [fra].

Language Development

Literacy rate in L2: 100% in French [fra]. Dictionary. Grammar. Texts. Bible portions: 1830.

Language Resources

OLAC resources in and about Arpitan

Writing

Latin script [Latn].

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Italy

Language NameArpitan

User Population

70,000 in Italy (Salminen 2007).

Location

Valle d’Aosta region; Piedmont region: Turin province.

Alternate Names

Franco-Provençal, Francoprovençal, arpitano

Dialects

Valle D’aosta (Patoé Valdoten, Valdostano, Valdotain), Faeto (Faetar), Celle San Vito.

Language Status

6b (Threatened).

Language Use

Notable shift to Italian [ita] among younger people (Salminen 2007). Most domains. Some young people, all adults. Also use Italian [ita]. Also use Piedmontese [pms].

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Switzerland

Language NameArpitan

User Population

7,000 in Switzerland (1998).

Location

Bern canton: Bernese Jura; Fribourg canton: de la Broye, de la Glane, de la Sarine, de la Veveyse, and la Gruyere; Geneva, Neuchâtel, and Vaud cantons; Valais canton: d’Entremont, d’Herens, de Sierre de Monthey, Saint-Maurice, districts.

Alternate Names

Patois, Romand

Dialects

Savoyard, Neuchâtelois, Valaisan, Vaudois.

Language Status

8a (Moribund).

Language Use

Older adults only. Valais Canton: young and old in Evolène commune; communes of Hérémence, Vex, Saint-Martin, Savièse, Nendaz, Cermignon, Fully, Arbaz, Ayent, Vissole, other smaller villages in central Valais; Sion and Sierre; spoken by those 50 and older, understood by those 35 to 50. Shifted to French [fra].

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Arpitan

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A language of France

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