Language Survival

Language survival is not just a kink for cunning linguists like myself. Each time a language passes into extinction, a piece of human possibility disappears. Although this is a completely novel idea for most human beings, particularly in These United States, language encodes culture as well as human interaction. When you speak, say, French, you aren't the same person as when you speak English. This is something that every exchange student learns the hard way when they return home.

There are many languages out there whose numbers are dwindling; language death starts with obsolescence and passes into extinction. However, there are also committed members of minority language groups who are fighting for the survival of their mother tongues.

Lo Progècte DiGaM [Diccionari deu Gascon Modèrn], which is also available in English and French, is a wonderful resource for those of us who are interested in minority language survival in Southern France.

A markedly distinct dialect of the Provençal language, a member of the Gallo-Romance family and cousin of French, Gascon speakers are located in Western France north of the Pyrenées on the Atlantic Coast. It is surrounded by Basque, a language apparently unrelated to any living tongue. In fact, the two share the same name: the terms 'Basque' and 'Gascon' (via *guascons) originate from the name of a tribe from the Greco-Roman period, the Vascones.

For speakers of Spanish, Portuguese, French and Italian, Gascon is not difficult to learn. So go, dig in. You can use the interface in English, French and Gascon - and I bet you can use the Gascon interface without too much effort. I guarantee it will pay off: for so many reasons, Gascon, like any language, has special things about it that make it worth sinking your teeth into, even if only for a little nibble.