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Norman language

File:Normans possessions 12century-fr.png|thumb|300px|Norman possessions in the 12th century
Norman (Normandy: normaund, Guernésiais: normand, Jèrriais: Nouormand) is a Romance languages|Romance language and one of the Langues d'oïl|Oïl languages. Norman can be classified in the northern Oïl languages with Picard language|Picard and Walloon language|Walloon. The name '''Norman-French''' is sometimes used to describe not only the modern Norman language, but also the administrative languages of ''Anglo-Norman language|Anglo-Norman'' and ''Law French'' used in England.

Geographical distribution

Norman is spoken in mainland Normandy in France where it has no official status, but is classed as a languages of France|regional language. It is taught in a few colleges near Cherbourg-Octeville|Cherbourg. In the Channel Islands, the Norman language has developed separately, but not in isolation, to form what are recognized as Jèrriais (in Jersey), Guernésiais or Guernsey French (in Guernsey) and Sercquiais (or Sarkese, in Sark). Jèrriais and Guernésiais are recognized as regional languages by the British and Irish governments within the framework of the British-Irish Council. Sercquiais is in fact a descendant of the 16th century Jèrriais used by the original colonists from Jersey who settled the then uninhabited island. The last native speakers of Auregnais, the Norman language of Alderney, died during the 20th century, although some rememberers still exist. The dialect of Herm also lapsed, at an unknown date. An isogloss termed the ligne Joret separates the northern and southern dialects of the Norman language (the line is from Granville, Manche|Granville to the Dutch speaking Belgium|Belgian border). There are also dialectal differences between western and eastern dialects. Three different standardized spellings are used: continental Norman, Jèrriais, and Dgèrnésiais. These represent the different developments and particular literary histories of the varieties of Norman. Norman may therefore be described as a pluricentric language. Today, the Norman language is strongest in the less accessible areas of the former Duchy of Normandy: the Channel Islands and the Cotentin Peninsula (Cotentinais) in the west, and the Pays de Caux (Cauchois) in the east. Ease of access from Paris and the popularity of the coastal resorts of central Normandy, such as Deauville, in the 19th century led to a significant loss of distinctive Norman culture. The Anglo-Norman language|Anglo-Norman dialect of Norman was a language of administration in England following the Norman Conquest. This left a legacy of Law French in the language of English courts (though it was also influenced by Parisian French). In Ireland, Norman remained strongest in the area of south-east Ireland where the Hiberno-Normans invaded in 1169. Norman is still in (limited) use for some very formal legal purposes in the UK, such as when the monarch gives Royal Assent to an Act of Parliament using the phrase, "La Reine/Le Roy Le Veult" ("The Queen/King Wills It"). The Norman conquest of southern Italy also brought the language to Sicily and the southern part of the Appenine peninsula, where it has left a few traces in the Sicilian language. ''See: Sicilian language#History#Linguistic development from the middle ages#Norman French influence|Norman French influences in Sicilian.''

History

- ''See also: Old Norman.'' When Norsemen|Norse invaders arrived in the then province of Neustria and settled the land which became known as Normandy, they gradually adopted the Gallo-Romance speech of the existing populations — much as Norman rulers later adopted in England the speech of the administered people. However in both cases the ''élites'' contributed elements of their own language to the newly enriched languages that developed in the territories. In Normandy, the new Norman language inherited vocabulary from Old Norse language|Norse. The influence on phonology is more disputed, although it is argued that the retention of aspirated /h/ and /k/ in Norman is due to Norse influence. Examples of Norman words of Norse origin: Other words such as captain, kennel, cattle and canvas introduced from Norman exemplify how Norman retained a /k/ from Latin that was not retained in French. There is also some influence from the Breton language, perhaps via Gallo language|Gallo. That is because Gallo is spoken on the border of Normandy and Brittany, south of Mont Saint-Michel and was the language (at least, an earlier form) spoken in the March of Neustria. Norman immigrants to North America, also introduced many "Normanisms" to Quebec French and French in Canada generally. Joual, a working class sociolect of Quebec particularly exhibits strong Norman influence.

Footnotes

References

- Essai de grammaire de la langue normande, UPN, 1995. ISBN 2-9509074-0-7.
- V'n-ous d'aveu mei? UPN, 1984.
- La Normandie dialectale, 1999, ISBN 2-84133-076-1
- Alain Marie, ''Les auteurs patoisants du Calvados'', 2005. ISBN 2-84706-178-9.
- Roger Jean Lebarbenchon, ''Les Falaises de la Hague'', 1991. ISBN 2-9505884-0-9.
- Jean-Louis Vaneille, ''Les patoisants bas-normands'', n.d., Saint-Lô.
- André Dupont, ''Dictionnaire des patoisants du Cotentin'', Société d'archéologie de la Manche, Saint-Lô, 1992. Category:Norman language| Category:Languages of France Category:Normandy Category:Channel Islands Category:Languages of the United Kingdom simple:Norman language zh-min-nan:Norman-gí

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