Gallo-Romance languages
Encyclopedia
The Gallo-Romance branch of Romance languages
include French
and the other langue d'oïl dialects, Occitan (langue d'oc), Catalan
, Franco-Provençal
, Gallo-Italic, and other languages (sociolect
s)
and it is sometimes classified together with Occitan inside an Occitano-Romance subgroup too.
, except for some outlying regions (Corsica
, western Brittany
, French Basque country, French Flanders
, Alsace
and part of Lorraine
); the Wallonia region of Belgium
; the Romandy region of western Switzerland
; the Channel Islands
; portions of the Spanish Pyrenees
; and in Northern Italy
.
Today, a single Gallo-Romance language (French
) dominates most of this geographic region (including the formerly non-Romance areas of France), and has also spread overseas. Another (Franco-Provençal) is still commonly spoken in the Val d'Aosta. Conversely, English (a Germanic, rather than Romance, language) is now predominant in the Channel Islands.
Romance languages
The Romance languages are a branch of the Indo-European language family, more precisely of the Italic languages subfamily, comprising all the languages that descend from Vulgar Latin, the language of ancient Rome...
include French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
and the other langue d'oïl dialects, Occitan (langue d'oc), Catalan
Catalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
, Franco-Provençal
Franco-Provençal language
Franco-Provençal , Arpitan, or Romand is a Romance language with several distinct dialects that form a linguistic sub-group separate from Langue d'Oïl and Langue d'Oc. The name Franco-Provençal was given to the language by G.I...
, Gallo-Italic, and other languages (sociolect
Sociolect
In sociolinguistics, a sociolect or social dialect is a variety of language associated with a social group such as a socioeconomic class, an ethnic group, an age group, etc....
s)
Other possible classifications
Some specialists add Catalan languageCatalan language
Catalan is a Romance language, the national and only official language of Andorra and a co-official language in the Spanish autonomous communities of Catalonia, the Balearic Islands and Valencian Community, where it is known as Valencian , as well as in the city of Alghero, on the Italian island...
and it is sometimes classified together with Occitan inside an Occitano-Romance subgroup too.
Traditional geographical extension
Historically, various Gallo-Romance languages were spoken in FranceFrance
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
, except for some outlying regions (Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
, western Brittany
Brittany
Brittany is a cultural and administrative region in the north-west of France. Previously a kingdom and then a duchy, Brittany was united to the Kingdom of France in 1532 as a province. Brittany has also been referred to as Less, Lesser or Little Britain...
, French Basque country, French Flanders
French Flanders
French Flanders is a part of the historical County of Flanders in present-day France. The region today lies in the modern-day region of Nord-Pas de Calais, the department of Nord, and roughly corresponds to the arrondissements of Lille, Douai and Dunkirk on the Belgian border.-Geography:French...
, Alsace
Alsace
Alsace is the fifth-smallest of the 27 regions of France in land area , and the smallest in metropolitan France. It is also the seventh-most densely populated region in France and third most densely populated region in metropolitan France, with ca. 220 inhabitants per km²...
and part of Lorraine
Lorraine (région)
Lorraine is one of the 27 régions of France. The administrative region has two cities of equal importance, Metz and Nancy. Metz is considered to be the official capital since that is where the regional parliament is situated...
); the Wallonia region of Belgium
Belgium
Belgium , officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a federal state in Western Europe. It is a founding member of the European Union and hosts the EU's headquarters, and those of several other major international organisations such as NATO.Belgium is also a member of, or affiliated to, many...
; the Romandy region of western Switzerland
Switzerland
Switzerland name of one of the Swiss cantons. ; ; ; or ), in its full name the Swiss Confederation , is a federal republic consisting of 26 cantons, with Bern as the seat of the federal authorities. The country is situated in Western Europe,Or Central Europe depending on the definition....
; the Channel Islands
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands are an archipelago of British Crown Dependencies in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two separate bailiwicks: the Bailiwick of Guernsey and the Bailiwick of Jersey...
; portions of the Spanish Pyrenees
Spanish Pyrenees
The Spanish Pyrenees is a large mountain range which is part of the following provinces, from east to west: Girona, Barcelona, Lleida, Huesca, Zaragoza, Navarra, and Guipúzcoa. The mountain's dominions stretch for 450 kilometres from the Cantabrian Sea to the Mediterranean Sea....
; and in Northern Italy
Northern Italy
Northern Italy is a wide cultural, historical and geographical definition, without any administrative usage, used to indicate the northern part of the Italian state, also referred as Settentrione or Alta Italia...
.
Today, a single Gallo-Romance language (French
French language
French is a Romance language spoken as a first language in France, the Romandy region in Switzerland, Wallonia and Brussels in Belgium, Monaco, the regions of Quebec and Acadia in Canada, and by various communities elsewhere. Second-language speakers of French are distributed throughout many parts...
) dominates most of this geographic region (including the formerly non-Romance areas of France), and has also spread overseas. Another (Franco-Provençal) is still commonly spoken in the Val d'Aosta. Conversely, English (a Germanic, rather than Romance, language) is now predominant in the Channel Islands.