Oïl language
| Oïl | |
|---|---|
| Geographic distribution |
Northern and central France, southern Belgium, Switzerland |
| Linguistic classification | Indo-European |
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Early form
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| Subdivisions |
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| Glottolog | oila1234 |
The geographical spread of the Oïl languages (other than French) can be seen in shades of green and yellow on this map
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The langues d'oïl (/ˈwiːl/ French: [lɑ̃ɡᵊdɔjl]), or oïl languages (also in French: langues d'oui [lɑ̃ɡᵊdwi]), is a dialect continuum that includes standard French and its closest autochthonous relatives historically spoken in the northern half of France, southern Belgium, and the Channel Islands. These belong to the larger Gallo-Romance languages, which also include the historical languages of east-central France and western Switzerland (Arpitania), southern France (Occitania), portions of northern Italy, and the Val d'Aran in Spain.
Linguists divide the Romance languages of France, and especially of Medieval France, into three geographical subgroups: the first two are Langues d'oïl and occitan, both named after their words for 'yes' (oïl and òc, respectively), and the third is Franco-Provençal (Arpitan), which is considered transitional.
Langue d'oïl (in the singular), Oïl dialects and Oïl languages (in the plural) designate the ancient northern Gallo-Romance languages as well as their modern-day descendants. They share many linguistic features, a prominent one being the word oïl for yes. (Oc was and still is the southern word for yes, hence the langue d'oc or Occitan languages). The most widely spoken modern Oïl language is French (oïl was pronounced [o.il] or [o.i], which has become [wi], in modern French oui).
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