Regional Dialects

TaosHum

Just wondering if someone could tell me how much of a difference there is regarding regional dialects in French regions?

At the moment I'm learning French using tapes, books, etc. Next month I will be visiting Toulouse for a few days and then on to Carcassone. I'm just afraid that because of the way I am learning French, that when I hit somewhere like Toulouse, their accent will be so different I wont be able to understand the way they speak French.

So basically just looking for a heads up on what I can expect.

shrapnel222

TaosHum wrote: »

Just wondering if someone could tell me how much of a difference there is regarding regional dialects in French regions?

At the moment I'm learning French using tapes, books, etc. Next month I will be visiting Toulouse for a few days and then on to Carcassone. I'm just afraid that because of the way I am learning French, that when I hit somewhere like Toulouse, their accent will be so different I wont be able to understand the way they speak French.

So basically just looking for a heads up on what I can expect.

they're not dialects, just regional accents. they take a bit of getting used to, but they're both great towns, and incredibly friendly people, so you'll have a great time learning!!

Aard

I presume you mean different accents? Any differences would be too slight to call dialects, which would be reserved for Quebecois for example.

To the non-native, there's really only two discernable accents: "normal" French, as you hear on TV, or from French teachers; and the "southern" accent, which isn't exactly considered as prestigious as Parisian French. Of course, there are further distinctions to be made, but my anglophone ears can't really make them out. French doesn't really do accents the way English would, something that took me a little while to get my head around. It's more to do with the words you'd use, or how you'd phrase something.

Anyway, l'accent du Sud isn't terribly different. I live in Nice, and some people would have it, but the majority just speak "normal" French. Young people especially aren't very likely to keep up the provincial accent. I know it's in Bordeaux and Marseille, so it's likely to be in Toulouse too. Like I said though, it's not as though everybody will use it.

I digress. The main difference, for me, is how they pronounce the nasal vowels. So "à demain" becomes "à demaigne". "Du pain" > "du paigne". They also really pronounce the "silent e" at the end of words: "Nice-uh", "Marseille-uh", "Toulouse-uh". The word for 30 (trente) almost rhymes with the English word Santa.

After all that though, it's likely to be a moot point: generally if they think you don't speak good French, they'll switch to English and won't switch back!

TaosHum

Thank you for the replies! Reason I used the word dialectic was I know the area in the South of France used to speak Occitan, so I thought the French they spoke would have a strong Occitan element to it.

Feedback much appreciated though as it is going to be the 1st time putting my French to a serious test, so just wanted to know what to expect.

Aard

Occitan... nah, the French establishment was/is pretty hell-bent on eliminating all traces of patois! :P

shrapnel222

there are plenty of dialects in france, basque, breton, occitan, patois etc... but most would only be used incredibly rarely and only by the older generations (except maybe basque, which is still quite important).

@aard, you also get very strong and very different accents up north (watch les chtis for a taste of it ) and in the east (alsace etc due to german influences)

Aard

Yeah, I imagine the north and elsewhere have their own things goin' on, it's just that I'd have most experience in the south. My neighbours are from Lille, and (OK maybe it's cos they're old) I can barely understand them most of the time!

djcervi

Hi! I actually studied a module in this stuff in college (French is one of my main subjects).

I've spent time in the south as well (Nice). The accent is not difficult to understand. As another post has said, it is just noticeable in the pronounciation of certain letters/syllables. E.g: 'in', matin, du pain. It is strange to hear at first, since you will be used to Standard French (spoken in Paris) Pronounciation.

Many regions have these accents, but that is all they are. Although if you watch the film 'bienvenue chez le ch'ti' (welcome to the sticks), you will come across a harder accent ch'ti. This is spoken in Nord-Pas-de-Calais, where Lille is. At the same time, it is not really an accent. It is what the French would call a dialecte or 'patois', the latter experession is more derogatory. (The two words both mean dialect).

The languages (Breton, Basque, Catalan) are French regional languages. They are totally different to French (Breton is close to Cornish/Welsh). Although in previous governments, they have been referred to as 'patois'. Especially, when the earlier governments were actively discouraging the existence of these regional languages and patois, in order to unify France with the standard form of French (originating in Paris).

I hope that clears up the regional dialects for you. Bon voyage!

LaBaguette

A quick presicion : accents tend to be stronger in the country than in towns. You would probably have no trouble understanding Toulousains, but the average old farmer from the Tarn will be much more confusing !

Same thing goes for the North : most people in Lille will have a Parisian accent, but when I brought a southern girlfriend in my small village near Picardie, she had sometimes a hard time understanding locals.

Bottom line : you should be fine in Toulouse

Dun

Aard wrote: »

The main difference, for me, is how they pronounce the nasal vowels. So "à demain" becomes "à demaigne". "Du pain" > "du paigne". They also really pronounce the "silent e" at the end of words: "Nice-uh", "Marseille-uh", "Toulouse-uh". The word for 30 (trente) almost rhymes with the English word Santa.

That's funny, I spent a semester in Brittany, and there were loads of Spanish students studying French, and most of them spoke just like that so I'd came to associate it with Spaniards speaking French.

ValerieR

LaBaguette wrote: »

A quick presicion : accents tend to be stronger in the country than in towns. You would probably have no trouble understanding Toulousains, but the average old farmer from the Tarn will be much more confusing !

Same thing goes for the North : most people in Lille will have a Parisian accent, but when I brought a southern girlfriend in my small village near Picardie, she had sometimes a hard time understanding locals.

Bottom line : you should be fine in Toulouse

LaBaguette a raison !
You might also find some specific local expressions/words but nothing major really.
Enjoy your stay in the "Pink City" of Toulouse - I'm sure you'll be fine.

V

LaBaguette

Of course I'm right

@OP: I don't want to ruin the exotic feeling, but you might want to know that if you are offered "une poche" by a shopkeeper, they mean a plastic bag.

When I first arrived in Toulouse, the cashier asked me "Vous voulez une poche ?", and I just stared dumbly at my jeans, thinking "wtf is she on about...".

Though I'd save you the possible extreme confusion