Bearnese language
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Bearnese is a variety of Gascon (a dialect of Occitan) spoken in Béarn (in the French department of the Pyrénées Atlantiques, in southwestern France). It is one of the Occitan varieties closest to Castilian.
It is currently the most prominent variety of that Occitan dialect. It is widely used in the normativization attempts to reach a standard Gascon and is bound to succeed mainly because of the Calandreta educative system but also to the stronger cultural identity and production of this area.
A 1982 survey of the inhabitants of Béarn indicated that 51% of the population spoke Bearnese, 70% understood it, and 85% were in favor of preserving the language.[citation needed]
Some minority secessionists movement claim Gascon to be a separate language from Occitan. They are mainly followers of a selfproclaimed linguist: Jean Lafitte.
[edit] External links
- The Ostau Bearnés
- The Occitan Institute (Institut Occitan)
- Ací Gasconha
- Biarn-e-Gascougne.org (A secessionist entity)
