MERIDIONAL FRENCH Meaning and
Definition
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Meridional French refers to the dialects spoken in the southern regions of France, typically in areas such as Provence, Languedoc, and Gascony. Also known as South or Southern French, Meridional French is characterized by its distinct phonological, syntactical, and lexical features, distinguishing it from the standard French spoken in the northern parts of the country.
Phonologically, Meridional French has retained many archaic sounds and vowel distinctions that have disappeared in standard French. For example, the pronunciation of the letter "l" can be velarized or vocalized, leading to variations such as the pronunciation of "soleil" (sun) as "soleu" or "soleilh." Additionally, there are notable differences in the pronunciation of certain consonants, particularly the "r" sound, which is often trilled or gutturalized in Meridional French.
Syntactically, Meridional French exhibits distinctive word order patterns and sentence structures compared to standard French. There may be variations in the placement of pronouns, negations, and interrogative particles. Lexically, Meridional French incorporates many regionalisms, borrowing words and expressions from nearby languages such as Occitan or Catalan.
These linguistic characteristics of Meridional French reflect the region's historical influence and cultural diversity. While standard French is the dominant and official language of France, Meridional French continues to be spoken as a rich and vital dialect, preserving the distinctive identity and traditions of the southern parts of the country.
Etymology of MERIDIONAL FRENCH
The term "meridional French" refers to the variety of French spoken in the southern regions of France, particularly in Provence, Occitanie, and Corsica. It is sometimes also referred to as "Southern French".
The etymology of the term can be traced back to the Latin word "meridies", which means "noon" or "midday". In ancient Rome, this term was used to refer to the southern direction, as the sun is at its highest point in the sky during midday in the south.
Over time, the term "meridies" evolved into "meridionalis" in Latin, which means "southern" in English. Eventually, this Latin term was borrowed into Old French as "meridional", which has the same meaning. Thus, "meridional French" refers to the variety of French spoken in the southern regions of France.
