Language Classes, 12/20

[game-of-you.livejournal.com]

Written on the blackboard:

LAST CLASS -- Please hand in your final projects

There is a basket on Dream's desk to collect the papers; next to it sits another basket, full of red-and-green wrapped Christmas chocolates. Dream, now free of the plague of balloons, leans against the blackboard with his arms folded. He manages a smile for each student as they hand in their papers.

Comments

Re: Languages of Europe, 12/20

[ihatedenmark.livejournal.com]

Although many French people trace their lineage from the original Gaulish inhabitants of France, the modern French language truly has its origin in the Vulgar Latin imported by the invading Roman armies mixing with the Germanic language of the Frankish people who immigrated there from the third century onwards. Medieval France had three main dialects: langue d'oil (which had a good deal of Frankish influence), langue d'oc (which had little Frankish influence), and Franco-Provençal (a middle ground between the two other dialects).

As langue d'oil was spoken in the Northern parts of the country where the royal court and French officials were established, it came to be the main language of royal business. As authors began developing langue d'oc-french into a literary langue with works describing the paladins of Charlemagne and the heroes of the Crusades, in began to win out over the langue d'oc dialect. The establishment of the Académie française to enforce standard language usage made the Middle French derivative of langue d'oil official as the French known and taught to people worldwide. Langue d'oc derivatives still exist, but in a much limited form. The language Provençal is a direct descendant of this dialect, and is still spoken by a minority of speakers in southern France.