Bourbonnais

Bourbonnais, an ambiguous term

There are two indigenous languages in Bourbonnais:

An Oïl language is spoken in two thirds of Allier, north of the line Montluçon (Occitan) – Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule (Oïl) – Lapalisse (Oïl), and in the Bourbonnais part of Cher. The dialect has its origins in the Moulins, Allier area, Bourbon-l'Archambault, and Souvigny.

Occitan languages are spoken south of Montluçon and near Gannat and Vichy. These are dialects of the Occitan language of the Croissant (linguistic) in southern Bourbonnais and northern Limousin. They are on their way to be integrated into the French language. The scientific term for these idioms is Arverno-Bourbonnais, as they belong to the Auvergnat dialect linguistic zone, with a transition to the Oïl language.

In the South-East, in the area of the Montagne Bourbonnaise, the local Occitan dialect is influenced by Franco-Provençal.

Thus "Bourbonnais" is an ambiguous term: it can refer to idioms of Occitan (Bourbonnais of Oc), or to French dialects of the Bourbonnais (Bourbonnais of Oïl).

Present state

Bourbonnais dialects were submitted to a Parisian top-down approach, like all other regional languages in France. Besides, the presence of Oïl idioms in the North, which are close to Standard French or Francien (île-de-France dialect), makes it easier to have linguistic assimilation towards the South.

As the majority of dialects, Bourbonnais idioms are mostly spoken, and literary works are rare. However, there are some: one example is that of writer Louis Péroux Beaulaton (1872–1946), who was passionate about his Occitan Auvergnat dialect from the Montluçon suburbs. Nowadays only enthusiasts, as well as the older generation, can speak fluent Oïl and Occitan Bourbonnais dialects. Nevertheless, they haven't totally disappeared: they have been integrated into the French language, adding numerous phrases, expressions and vocabulary. Inhabitants of this region thus unconsciously speak French, but shaded with Bourbonnais forms: this can be noticed by tourists.

Bourbonnais as an Oïl language

Pronunciation

Examples of pronunciation (transcriptions are made according to the IPA):

⟨o⟩ pronounced as [u]:

for example, tonner: French [tone] / Bourbonnais [tune]

⟨oi⟩ [w] is pronounced as [ue] or [ɛ]:

noir: Fr. [nwaR] / Bourb. [nuer]

droit: Fr. [dRwa] / Bourb. [dRɛ]

⟨er⟩ [eR] is pronounced as [aR]:

merci: Fr. [meRsi] / Bourb. [maRsi]

⟨re⟩ is pronounced as ⟨er⟩:

Bredin (look at word examples) would be pronounced as Berdin

⟨au⟩ [o] is pronounced as [jo]:

couteau: Fr. [kuto] / Bourb. [kutjo]

⟨-lier⟩ [lje] is pronounced as [je]:

palier: Fr. [palje] / Bourb. [paje]

[R] is rolled as local speakers do in Champagne

⟨-eur⟩ [œR] is pronounced as [ø]:

meneur: Fr. [mənœR] / Bourb. [mənø]

⟨ch⟩ [ʃ] is pronounced as [ʒ]:

cheval: Fr. [ʃəval] / Bourb. [ʒval]

Grammar

The adverbial pronoun y 'there' is used as a personal pronoun representing an object. For example, Fr. fais-le 'do it' / Bourb. fais-y; Fr. donne-le-moi, donne-la-moi 'give it to me' / Bourb. donne-moi z'y; Fr. ne le casse pas 'don't break it' / Bourb. n'y casse pas; Fr. tu me le/la prêtes (lend it me) / Bourb. tu m'y prêtes.

There is, in Bourbonnais, a form for neutral gender: the pronoun al can be used for masculine gender as well as feminine gender, for inanimate objects and animate. Thus, both male and female dogs can be designated by al, just as a member of a family or a neighbour. For example, the phrase al a tout mange ('al ate it all') can be said about a dog but also about a neighbour.

Bourbonnais, Arverno-Bourbonnais, Occitan language (Croissant zone)

In this part we will look at the Occitan variant of Bourbonnais (Arverno-Bourbonnais/Auvergnat dialect), spoken in the community of Busset canton Cusset. The words are given in united Auvergnat writing; transcription using the phonetic alphabet used for French is given between brackets.

Texts

The first article of The Universal Declaration of Human Rights

L'houme é nessu libre et anyère anvé des drets et d'la digneté. Al'a unhne aime et unhne radzon et tos les houmes douévent s'aidié ente ieux keme des frères.

L'Oïasse de Gayette

Vé le bourg de Montoudre, su un teurau qu'y a des boés d'un coûta et des pra de Faute, forts-tarrains et fôrt-tarrines, veïez-vous l'hôpital de Gayette ? Ou é bin-n-aisant a vère dret-là : Ion que l'é, a semble un villadze. Ou é unhne retirance pre les vieux strôpiâs. Mais faudrun pas crère qu'ai é étâ bâti à l'esqueprê pre deveni unhne boéte à varmine. San unhne oïasse, a serun pas é pouvres. Ou essô un beau tsâquiau qu'unhne dame bin ritse habitô. Dans les vaissiyés, les sarvantes pouziant tous les dzours des pitsiés, des fourtsettes et des quilles en ardzent; la dame avô tzôzi les filles les pu hounêtes dou pays, et dzamais presoune les ère acorpées de voul. Unhne de ieux z'aute enlevô unhne oïasse qu'un cheti gâavô dégniâ dans les brantses dou tsâgne. Ion qu'où embredzô les maufesans. "Têh ! li avô dit cou gâ bin fûtâ, ou te pourterâ bounheûr." Et le li douni. La sarvante enleva que l'oïasse; li apprenô à causer. Le lendemain d'un apport, la dame avisa ce que l'avô d'ardzentriun; li manquô un quille. Le tretzi la gâte qu'avô randzâ les vaissiyés : ou essô mêmement la sarvante à l'oïasse. Le la fait empougner et le la questioune : Ta beau dire qu'où é pas se, le la condanhne et l'embredze au tsâgne des maufesans. Le disi, en mourant, la paure sarvante : "Vêla ce que m'a coûta mon oïasse que devô me pourter bounheûr !" Un an après, en réparant la couvârture dou tsâquiau, sou unhne tuile, le couvreû trouve le quille predu. A cou moument, Toïasse empourtô au même endrêt unhne pièce de mounaie que le venô de prendre. Le couvreû y dit à la dame qui agour se tsagrine : "Paure sarvante qu'i ai fait meuri !", que le disi. Deux anhnées pu tard, aile douni son tsâquiau et ses appartenances é pouvres de Varennes, de Montoudre, de Boucé, de Montaigu, de Rondzères, de Landzy, de Saint-Dzerand, de Crétsy, de Sanssat et des alentours. Velà ce que me disi Dzôzé, le vieu ancien meneû de loups qu'é mort y a mais de soixante ans, et que le monde cause inquère.

In films

In the film "La soupe aux choux", some characters speak more or less Standard French mixed up with phrases, words and pronunciation of Oïl Bourbonnais.