The Occitan Alphabet - Vowels, Consonants, Numerals & more

Q: How many letters are in the Occitan alphabet?

The Occitan alphabet has 26 letters [2] , the same as the standard Latin alphabet. Out of these, 5 are vowel letters (a, e, i, o, u) and the remaining 21 letters are consonants. Additionally, Occitan uses accented vowels and the cedilha (ç).

Q: What is the punt volat (·) in Occitan?

The punt volat (middle dot ·) is a distinctive feature of Occitan orthography: • Purpose - used to indicate geminated (doubled) l sound • Written as - l·l (with a raised dot between two l's) • Examples - col·leccion (collection), intel·ligent (intelligent) • Pronunciation - represents a double "l" sound, unique to Occitan orthography !

Q: What are the accented vowels in Occitan and how are they used?

Occitan uses various accented vowels for important phonetic purposes: • Grave accents (à, è, ò) - indicate open vowel quality • Acute accents (á, é, í, ó, ú) - indicate closed vowel quality or stress • Examples - parlà (spoken), sèt (seven), d'òc (of oc) These accents are essential for correct pronunciation !

Q: Where is Occitan spoken and what is its historical importance?

Occitan has a rich history and geographic distribution: • Main regions - Southern France (Provence, Languedoc, Gascony, Limousin, Auvergne) • Also spoken in - parts of Italy (Occitan Valleys) and Spain (Val d'Aran) • Historical significance - language of the medieval troubadours and courtly love poetry • 1.5 million speakers make it a significant regional language of Europe !

Q: What is the cedilha (ç) and when is it used in Occitan?

The cedilha (ç) is an important letter in Occitan: • Appearance - letter c with a small tail underneath (ç) • Pronunciation - always pronounced like "s" in "sun" • When used - before a, o, u to create an "s" sound instead of "k" • Example - França (France), where ç makes the "s" sound This letter is shared with other Romance languages like French, Portuguese, and Catalan!

Q: What are the different dialects of Occitan?

Occitan has several major dialectal groups: • Languedocian - spoken in central southern France • Provençal - spoken in Provence, southeastern France • Gascon - spoken in Gascony, including Béarnais • Limousin - spoken in the Limousin region • Auvergnat - spoken in the Auvergne region Despite dialectal variation, all use the same alphabet system !

Q: Why is Occitan called "Lenga d'òc"?

The name "Lenga d'òc" has historical linguistic significance: • Meaning - "language of òc" (where òc means "yes") • Historical division - medieval France was divided by how people said "yes" • Langue d'òc - southern France, using "òc" for yes • Langue d'oïl - northern France, using "oïl" (later "oui") for yes This linguistic boundary reflects the deep cultural divide in medieval France!

Q: What is the role of the Institut d'Estudis Occitans?

The Institut d'Estudis Occitans (IEO) plays a crucial role: • Founded - 1945, to promote and preserve Occitan language and culture [1] • Standardization - developed standardized orthography and grammar • Education - promotes Occitan language teaching in schools • Cultural preservation - preserves troubadour poetry and cultural heritage The IEO is essential for Occitan language revival efforts !

Occitan Alphabet at a Glance

26 letters from Latin script with accented vowels and cedilla (ç)
Spoken by approximately 200,000-800,000 people in southern France, Occitan Valleys of Italy, and Val d'Aran in Spain
Romance language known as Lenga d'òc, closely related to Catalan
Features unique punt volat (·) middle dot to indicate geminated l (l·l)
Rich medieval troubadour literary tradition dating to 11th-13th centuries
Recognized as regional language with official status in Catalonia (Aranese variant)
Language preservation led by Institut d'Estudis Occitans ^[1]

Uppercase Vowels:

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

Lowercase Vowels:

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

Uppercase Consonants:

[beh]

[seh]

[deh]

[eh-feh]

[zheh]

[ah-cheh]

[zhoh-tah]

[kah]

[eh-lah]

[eh-mah]

[eh-nah]

[peh]

[koo]

[eh-rah]

[eh-sah]

[teh]

[veh]

[veh doh-blah]

[eeks]

[ee greh-gah]

[zeh-tah]

[beh]

Uppercase B, called "be". Pronounced like "b" in "boy".

[seh]

Uppercase C, called "ce". Pronounced like "k" before a, o, u; like "s" before e, i.

[seh]

Uppercase C with cedilla, called "ce cedilha". Always pronounced like "s".

[deh]

Uppercase D, called "de". Pronounced like "d" in "dog".

[eh-feh]

Uppercase F, called "efe". Pronounced like "f" in "fun".

[zheh]

Uppercase G, called "ge". Pronounced like "g" in "go" before a, o, u; like "zh" in "measure" before e, i.

[ah-cheh]

Uppercase H, called "hache". Generally silent in Occitan.

[zhoh-tah]

Uppercase J, called "jòta". Pronounced like "zh" in "measure".

[kah]

Uppercase K, called "ka". Used mainly in foreign words, pronounced like "k" in "kite".

[eh-lah]

Uppercase L, called "ela". Pronounced like "l" in "love".

[eh-mah]

Uppercase M, called "ema". Pronounced like "m" in "mother".

[eh-nah]

Uppercase N, called "ena". Pronounced like "n" in "name".

[peh]

Uppercase P, called "pe". Pronounced like "p" in "pen".

[koo]

Uppercase Q, called "qu". Usually followed by "u", pronounced like "k".

[eh-rah]

Uppercase R, called "erra". Trilled r sound in Occitan.

[eh-sah]

Uppercase S, called "essa". Pronounced like "s" in "sun".

[teh]

Uppercase T, called "te". Pronounced like "t" in "top".

[veh]

Uppercase V, called "ve". Pronounced like "v" in "victory".

[veh doh-blah]

Uppercase W, called "ve dobla". Used mainly in foreign words.

[eeks]

Uppercase X, called "ics". Pronounced like "ks" in "box" or "sh" in some contexts.

[ee greh-gah]

Uppercase Y, called "i grèga". Pronounced like "y" in "yes" as consonant.

[zeh-tah]

Uppercase Z, called "zèta". Pronounced like "z" in "zone".

Lowercase Consonants:

[beh]

[seh]

[deh]

[eh-feh]

[zheh]

[ah-cheh]

[zhoh-tah]

[kah]

[eh-lah]

[eh-mah]

[eh-nah]

[peh]

[koo]

[eh-rah]

[eh-sah]

[teh]

[veh]

[veh doh-blah]

[eeks]

[ee greh-gah]

[zeh-tah]

[beh]

Lowercase b, called "be". Pronounced like "b" in "boy".

[seh]

Lowercase c, called "ce". Pronounced like "k" before a, o, u; like "s" before e, i.

[seh]

Lowercase c with cedilla, called "ce cedilha". Always pronounced like "s". Example: "França" (France).

[deh]

Lowercase d, called "de". Pronounced like "d" in "dog".

[eh-feh]

Lowercase f, called "efe". Pronounced like "f" in "fun".

[zheh]

Lowercase g, called "ge". Pronounced like "g" in "go" before a, o, u; like "zh" in "measure" before e, i.

[ah-cheh]

Lowercase h, called "hache". Generally silent in Occitan except in some Gascon dialects.

[zhoh-tah]

Lowercase j, called "jòta". Pronounced like "zh" in "measure".

[kah]

Lowercase k, called "ka". Used mainly in foreign words, pronounced like "k" in "kite".

[eh-lah]

Lowercase l, called "ela". Pronounced like "l" in "love". Can be geminated as l·l.

[eh-mah]

Lowercase m, called "ema". Pronounced like "m" in "mother".

[eh-nah]

Lowercase n, called "ena". Pronounced like "n" in "name".

[peh]

Lowercase p, called "pe". Pronounced like "p" in "pen".

[koo]

Lowercase q, called "qu". Usually followed by "u", pronounced like "k".

[eh-rah]

Lowercase r, called "erra". Trilled r sound in Occitan.

[eh-sah]

Lowercase s, called "essa". Pronounced like "s" in "sun".

[teh]

Lowercase t, called "te". Pronounced like "t" in "top".

[veh]

Lowercase v, called "ve". Pronounced like "v" in "victory".

[veh doh-blah]

Lowercase w, called "ve dobla". Used mainly in foreign words.

[eeks]

Lowercase x, called "ics". Pronounced like "ks" in "box" or "sh" in some contexts.

[ee greh-gah]

Lowercase y, called "i grèga". Pronounced like "y" in "yes" as consonant, or like "i" as vowel.

[zeh-tah]

Lowercase z, called "zèta". Pronounced like "z" in "zone".

[ah (open)]

[ah (stressed)]

[eh (open)]

[ay (closed)]

[ee (stressed)]

[oh (open)]

[oh (closed)]

[oo (stressed)]

[ah (open)]

Lowercase a with grave accent, indicates open vowel quality. Example: "parlà" (spoken).

[ah (stressed)]

Lowercase a with acute accent, less common, indicates stress in some dialects.

[eh (open)]

Lowercase e with grave accent, indicates open e sound. Example: "sèt" (seven).

[ay (closed)]

Lowercase e with acute accent, indicates closed e sound. Example: "estét" (summer).

[ee (stressed)]

Lowercase i with acute accent, used for stress in some contexts.

[oh (open)]

Lowercase o with grave accent, indicates open o sound. Example: "d'òc" (of oc).

[oh (closed)]

Lowercase o with acute accent, indicates closed o sound, less common.

[oo (stressed)]

Lowercase u with acute accent, used for stress in some contexts.

[ah (open)]

[ah (stressed)]

[eh (open)]

[ay (closed)]

[ee (stressed)]

[oh (open)]

[oh (closed)]

[oo (stressed)]

[ah (open)]

Uppercase A with grave accent, indicates open vowel quality.

[ah (stressed)]

Uppercase A with acute accent, indicates stress in some dialects.

[eh (open)]

Uppercase E with grave accent, indicates open e sound.

[ay (closed)]

Uppercase E with acute accent, indicates closed e sound.

[ee (stressed)]

Uppercase I with acute accent, used for stress in some contexts.

[oh (open)]

Uppercase O with grave accent, indicates open o sound.

[oh (closed)]

Uppercase O with acute accent, indicates closed o sound.

[oo (stressed)]

Uppercase U with acute accent, used for stress in some contexts.

[zeh-roh]

[oon]

[doos]

[trehs]

[kah-treh]

[seenk]

[syeh-ees]

[seht]

[oo-eht]

[noh-oo]

[zeh-roh]

Zero, called "zèro" in Occitan.

[oon]

One, called "un" in Occitan.

[doos]

Two, called "dos" in Occitan.

[trehs]

Three, called "tres" in Occitan.

[kah-treh]

Four, called "quatre" in Occitan.

[seenk]

Five, called "cinc" in Occitan.

[syeh-ees]

Six, called "sièis" in Occitan.

[seht]

Seven, called "sèt" in Occitan.

[oo-eht]

Eight, called "uèit" in Occitan.

[noh-oo]

Nine, called "nòu" in Occitan.

[middle dot]

[period]

[comma]

;

[semicolon]

[colon]

[question mark]

[exclamation mark]

[quotation marks]

[apostrophe]

[opening angle quote]

[closing angle quote]

[middle dot]

Punt volat (middle dot) used for geminated l (l·l), characteristic of Occitan orthography. Example: "col·leccion" (collection).

[period]

Period used to end declarative sentences.

[comma]

Comma used to separate clauses and items in lists.

;

[semicolon]

Semicolon used to connect closely related independent clauses.

[colon]

Colon used to introduce lists, explanations, or quotations.

[question mark]

Question mark used at the end of questions in Occitan.

[exclamation mark]

Exclamation mark used at the end of exclamations in Occitan.

[quotation marks]

Double quotation marks used for direct speech or quotations.

[apostrophe]

Apostrophe used in contractions and elisions.

[opening angle quote]

Opening guillemet, quotation mark used in Occitan typography.

[closing angle quote]

Closing guillemet, quotation mark used in Occitan typography.

Expand All Collapse All

How many letters are in the Occitan alphabet?

What is the punt volat (·) in Occitan?

What are the accented vowels in Occitan and how are they used?

Where is Occitan spoken and what is its historical importance?

What is the cedilha (ç) and when is it used in Occitan?

What are the different dialects of Occitan?

Why is Occitan called "Lenga d'òc"?

What is the role of the Institut d'Estudis Occitans?

References:

[1] Institut d'Estudis Occitans. "The Occitan Language and Alphabet". Retrieved from Institut d'Estudis Occitans
[2] Unicode Consortium. "Basic Latin Unicode Block (U+0000-U+007F)". Retrieved from Unicode Basic Latin
[3] UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. "Occitan Language Status". Retrieved from UNESCO Languages Atlas