Parlez-vous occitan?

Did you know French is not the only language spoken and celebrated in Toulouse? It's true! All the street signs in Toulouse are written in both French and Occitan. In the métro, station stops are announced in French and Occitan. Naturally, CIEE Toulouse wants to share this important aspect of this beautiful city with our students. Comprised of six main dialects, "Occitan is a language that is spoken across the Occitania region — mainly in southern France but also in northern Spain, in Monaco (and along the French Riviera towards Marseille) and also in the Occitan Valleys in Italy". ¹ Occitan is an endangered language, so there are efforts to ensure it remains a part of of Toulouse. 

Today, we visted le Centre occitan des musiques et danses traditionnelles. This organization exists to celebrate and safeguard this important piece of local heritage through music and dance. Our students participated in Occitane dance, sang a traditional Occitan song, and learned about Occitan instruments such as the cornemuse, the hautbois, and the aboès. Serveral students got to try their hand at making Occitan music and found out that it is not as easy as it looks.

It has been a fast-moving week at CIEE Toulouse. Our students are embracing the French language, French culture, and the beautiful Ville Rose. 

Looking forward to this weekend: Carcasson and Ariège!

¹Ledsom, A. (2018, February 13). An Introduction to Occitan, the Provençal Language. Culture Trip. https://theculturetrip.com/europe/france/articles/an-introduction-to-occitan-the-provencal-language/