Native to Italy Writing system Latin Native speakers 116,000 (date missing) | Region Aosta Valley Glottolog vall1249 | |
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Regulated by Bureau régional pour l'ethnologie et la linguistique (BREL) Official language in Aosta Valley, Italy (protected by statute) Language family Indo-European: Italic > Romance > Western > Gallo-Romance > Arpitan > Valdôtain | ||
Valdôtain is a dialect of Arpitan (Franco-Provençal). It is spoken in the Aosta Valley. The varieties are commonly known as patois. It has around 116,000 speakers today.
Contents
Some words
Several subdialects of Valdôtain exist that exhibit unique features in terms of phonetics and vocabulary.
Linguistic studies
Valdôtain has been the subject of detailed study at the Bureau régional pour l'ethnologie et la linguistique (BREL) in Aosta as well as in the Centre d'études francoprovençales in Saint-Nicolas.
Music
The main modern singers and songwriters in Valdôtain are:
The traditional Aostan songs in Valdôtain and in French form the core of the activity of the band Trouveur valdotèn.
Poetry
Here is a selection of some of the most important poets in Valdôtain:
Cllier et seren lo ten apré la piôdze
Cé bé soleil que torne égueeyìno la Val
I sorton le feumélle ch'achèté su la lôye
Esplojon de meuseucca
Feusette de joèce
Tsarriemèn de note que chorton
Su lé, iou lé clliotse dzalaouse
De nët euna leumiére
I berdzè l'at paru
Un andze vin leur dëre:
"Lo Saveur l'est neissu:
un pouro baou l'est son palatse
et sat pei de fen en traver
compouson lo deur matelatse
De ci gran Rei de l'univer;
et din la rigueur de l'iver
Y son vignà de bon matèn
a désèi lo for
Adeline e Dzeusepèn
son lé prumì dou tor.
Pôrton lo bôch de biôla
é eun grou sac pesàn,
lo vouidon su la tôla
Dz'é vu su 'na louye, quase se presta a à tsére ba,
Dé géragnon coleur lilà.
Dz'é vu su 'na viéille fenétra, flourì i soleil
Dé géragnon blan comme la nèi.
Dz'é vu pendre, de la terasse de 'na villà
Dé géragnon coleur fouà.
Fleur di pouro, fleur di reutso, géragnon,
Vo-éte la garniteura de totte le meison.
Vo no portade lo sourire di bon Djeu