Auvergnat
| Auvergnat | |
|---|---|
| Auvernhat | |
| Native to | France |
| Region | Auvergne, Puy-de-Dôme, Haute-Loire, Allier, Cantal, Communities in Limousin |
|
Native speakers
|
1.3 million (2004) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | auve1239 |
| Linguasphere | 51-AAA-gi |
Auvergnat (French name) or Auvernhat (native name) is an idiom spoken in Auvergne. For some linguists it's one of several varieties of the Occitan language spoken in Auvergne, which is a historical province in the central part of France. For others it's an own romance language. Auvergnat has become known internationally through the folk song arrangements of Joseph Canteloube.
The effective borders of Auvergnat do not completely coincide with those of the current Region of Auvergne or the historical region of Auvergne but can be described as follows:
There are strong oppositions between Pierre Bonnaud (for whom the Auvergnat is a language of its own, see the light orange line on the map – note it is including the easternmost part of the Marchois dialect) and for instance Roger Teulat.
Light blue area labelled fr is for French-Langue d’Oïl. Light purple area labelled frp is for Francoprovençal.
These are not characteristic of Auvergnat as a whole but allow for defining a boundary:
Note that most Occitanists use rather 7 than 8 to define the southern boundary.
Note some of the definition boundaries allow defining an internal variation. The most traditional one between Lower or Northern Auvergnat and Upper or Southern Auvergnat is the mutation of s before [k], [p], and [t] (line 9). Lower Auvergnat, defined by Teulat, is the light green area labelled 1 on the map. Upper Auvergnat, defined by Teulat, is the light brown-yellow area labelled 2 on the map. A broader area (light yellow) is generally defined. A Northwestern Auvergnat may be defined as well by 5 and 6. The Northeastern (East of 5 and 6, North of 9) has, according to Bonnaud, a stronger influence from French phonetics (a bit like Marchois).
Auvergnat is most often categorized in the Northern Occitan dialect group, along with Limousin and Vivaro-Alpine.
There are two primary distinctions in Auvergnat:
The suggestion that Auvergnat is an independent language, distinct from Occitan, has found little resonance with linguists, especially Romance linguists. It is strongly defended by those who espouse the norme bonnaudienne a standardization of Auvergnat.
An understanding of the vitality and overall usage of Auvergnat can be garnered from a survey carried out in 2006 in the Auvergne region.
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