Saintongeais

language
name=Saintongeais
nativename=saintonjhouê, jhabrail
states=flag|France
region=Charente, Charente-Maritime (also: very small communities in Bordeaux
speakers=
extinct=
familycolor=Indo-European
fam2=Italic
fam3=Romance
fam4=Italo-Western
fam5=Western
fam6=Gallo-Iberian
fam7=Gallo-Romance
fam8=Oïl
iso1=|iso2=roa|iso3=

Saintongeais ("patouê saintonjhouê, jhabrail") is a language spoken halfway down the western coast of France in the former provinces of Saintonge, Aunis and Angoumois, all of which have been incorporated into the current "départements" of Charente and Charente-Maritime as well as in parts of their neighbouring "départements" of Deux-Sèvres, Vendée and Gironde. Although many of the same words are used in both Charente départements, they differ in many respects, i.e., in what they mean or in how they are pronounced.

Saintongeais has significantly influenced the Québécois, the Acadian and Cajun dialects of French spoken in the USA and Canada.

Geographic distribution

Its area covers the entire department of Charente-Maritime, the west and centre of the department of Charente, the northern department of Gironde with its "Pays Gabaye" and its enclaves around Saintonge, Monségur; also the Aunisien (south Vendée) and Saintongeais (south Deux-Sèvres) parts of the Marais Poitevin. Today, Saintongeais is no longer widely spoken except in the countryside. It is still used in shows, magazines, and radio. Some words from Saintongeais are still used in the region. Words like "since" (floorcloth) are so widespread that they can be wrongly considered to be French.

Cultural distribution

Along with French, Saintongeais is used in the magazine Xaintonge, which is published twice a year. The great promoters of spoken Charentais at the beginning of the twentieth century were "le Barde Saintongeais" Goulebenéze, succeeded by Odette Comandon, author of comedy and folk tales, patois actress and storyteller.

External links

* [http://saintongeais.blog4ever.com/blog/index-17728.html The Saintongeais patois saintongeais]
* [http://www.xaintonge.com/index.htm Xaintonge]
* [http://www.xaintonge.com/lexique.htm A glossary of Saintongeais]