Picard (language)

Picard is a language or a set of languages closely related to French that is spoken in the far north of France, and as such is one of the larger group of Romance languages. It is spoken in the French Hauts-de-France administrative region and in parts of the Belgian region of Wallonia along the French border - in the districts of Tournai and Mons, commonly referred to as Walloon Picardy.

Picard language is known by several different names. Residents of Picardy simply call it picard, but it is more commonly known as chti or chtimi in the more populated Nord-Pas-de-Calais (around the metropolis of Lille and Douai) and in North-East Artois (around Béthune and Lens). It's also named rouchi around Valenciennes; or simply as patois by Northerners in general. Linguists group all of them under the name Picard. In general, the variety spoken in Picardy is understood by speakers in Nord-Pas-de-Calais and vice versa.

Belgium's French Community gave full official recognition to Picard as a regional language along with Walloon, Gaumais (Lorraine), Champenois (Champagne) and Lorraine German in its 1990 decree. The French government has not followed suit and has not recognized Picard as an official regional language (in line with its policy of linguistic unity, which allows for only one official language in France), but some reports have recognized Picard as a language distinct from French.