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| Berrichon | |
|---|---|
| berrichon | |
| Native to | France |
| Region | Berry |
Early forms | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | berr1239 |
 | |
Berrichon (French pronunciation:[beʁiʃɔ̃] or[bɛʁiʃɔ̃]) is anOïl language very closely related toFrench or adialect of it traditionally spoken in the historical area of the French province ofBerry. The word is also used as ademonym and as an adjective meaning "pertaining to Berry".
The dialect evolved out of thelangues d'oïl which evolved during the Middle Ages out of theVulgar Latin spoken in northernGaul. Its general use in the Berry region began to decline in the sixteenth century as the local aristocracy and bourgeoisie began to adoptstandard French, leaving Berrichon as a "patois" used by the peasantry in the countryside. Subsequent developments, such as theFrench Revolution, which created a sense ofnationalism, and theestablishment of free, mandatory, primary education under the Minister of Public Instruction,Jules Ferry, which greatly expanded the teaching of French, further undermined the position of Berrichon.
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The decline of Berrichon has virtually led to it being regarded as a sub-standard dialect of French rather than a separate language. Additionally, as most speakers in its region now speak standard French, it is no longer possible to say that a Berrichon "patois" exists, but rather that a regional version of French does. Nevertheless, traces of Berrichon and its regional varieties remain today. This is exemplified in the continued use of Berrichon terms in spoken French among speakers in the region.
Although Berrichon does not have an official grammar or pronunciation, there are general rules as to how it differs from French. Berrichon differentiates between closed and opena.Rs arerolled and emphatic. Words which have theo sound in standard French are pronounced with aclose back rounded vowel, resulting in, for example,un houmme (man),une poumme (apple). Theoi [wa] sound becomesoé [oe]. Thesuffix -eur becomes -eux in Berrichon, and -eau becomes -iau; therefore,leurs (theirs) isieux andun seau d'eau (a bucket of water) isun siau d'iau.
Conjugation is also different. Thepresent indicative of the first-person singular, the third-person singular and the third-person plural are all conjugated in the same manner, which results in phrases of the type, "j'menons les oies" ("I lead thegeese"). There is also frequent truncation: "i m'nons les oies" ("they lead the geese"). Tense endings are also different from standard French, as in the third person pluralimperfect ending-aient is replaced by-aint, e.g., "i's étaint" instead of "ils étaient" ("They used to be").
In Berry, it is customary to precede given names witharticles:la for women's names andeul for men's names.
When referring to weather terms, the pronounça is used in place of the Frenchil. For example, "Il pleut" (It is raining.) would be "Ça pleut" in Berrichon.
Examples of Berrichon vocabulary being used instead of their French counterparts include:
| Berrichon | French(Paris) | English |
|---|---|---|
| agouant | pénible | pain in the neck |
| cagoui | escargot | snail |
| caqueziau | moustique | mosquito |
| carroué | carrefour | intersection, crossroads |
| chian | chien | dog |
| chieuve | chèvre | goat |
| ch'tit | mauvais, méchant | bad |
| daguenettes | pommes/poires séchées | dried apples/pears |
| ediasse (North), ajasse (South) | pie | magpie |
| formion, fromion | fourmis | ant |
| jau | coq | rooster |
| mainguion | petit repas | light meal |
| Naud | Noël | Christmas |
| ouche | jardin (de la maison) | house garden |
| pal'tau | veste | jacket |
| patin | pantoufle | slipper |
| pochon | sac | bag |
| rag'nasser | faire du bruit | to make noise |
| s'accutter | s'asseoir | to sit down |
| tantôt | après-midi | afternoon |
| s'tantôt | cet après-midi | this afternoon |
Article 1 of theUniversal Declaration of Human Rights:
Tertous euls houmes naquissont libres et parés catté d'la digneté et des drèts. Is tindont d'la radzon et unne aîme et is doévont s'aidier entermi ieux coume des frères.
