The Occitan Language in Education in France

Berthoumieux, Michel; Willemsma, Adalgard

Occitan: The Occitan Language in Education in France.

Regional Dossiers Series.

Fryske Academy, Leeuwarden (Netherlands).

Mercator - Education.

European Commission, Brussels (Belgium).

32p.; Prepared with assistance from S. Dupuy, P. Sarpoulet,
M. Stenta, C. Remund, S. Arneodo, and A. Cazes . For other
documents in the series...

Ljouwert/ Leeuwarden, The Netherlands. Tel: 31-58-2131414;
Fax: 31-58-2131409; e-mail : mercator@f a . knaw. nl ; Web site:
http://www.fa. knaw.nl/uk/mercator/fa-merc.html


Cultural Maintenance; Educational Policy; Ethnic Groups;
Foreign Countries; French; *Heritage Education; *Language
Maintenance; Language Minorities; *Language Planning;
National Programs; *Native Language Instruction; Official
Languages; Second Language Instruction; Second Language
Learning; Uncommonly Taught Languages
European Union; *France; *Occitan


ABSTRACT:


This regional dossier aims to provide concise, descriptive
information and basic educational statistics about minority language
education in a specific region of the European Union- -the South of France.
Details are provided about the features of the educational system, recent
educational policies, divisions of responsibilities, main actors, legal
arrangements, support structures, and qualitative information on a number of
schools, teachers, pupils, and financial investments. This information is
designed to serve the needs of policy makers, researchers, teachers,
students, and journalists as they assess the developments in European
minority language schooling. This information may also serve as a first
orientation towards further research (additional readings are suggested and
contact information provided) . Specifically, information is provided on
preschool, primary, secondary, vocational, higher, and adult education, as
well as a review of educational research, summary statistics, and overall
prospects for the use of the language under study. The subject of this
dossier is Occitan. Occitan is a Romance language spoken in seven regions in
the southern France- -Provence -Cote d'Azur, Aquitaine, Auvergne, Dauphine,
Limousin, Languedoc-Roussillon, and Midi-Pyrenees . 

Occitan has four main dialects, and its use has significantly waned in recent decades. (Contains 20 references.) (KFT)