![Joret Line](https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/5/59/Joret_Line.jpg)
The Joret line (french: ligne Joret;
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
: ''lène Joret'') is an
isogloss
An isogloss, also called a heterogloss (see Etymology below), is the geographic boundary of a certain linguistic feature, such as the pronunciation of a vowel, the meaning of a word, or the use of some morphological or syntactic feature. Major d ...
used in the linguistics of the . Dialects north and west of the line have preserved
Vulgar Latin
Vulgar Latin, also known as Popular or Colloquial Latin, is the range of non-formal Register (sociolinguistics), registers of Latin spoken from the Crisis of the Roman Republic, Late Roman Republic onward. Through time, Vulgar Latin would evolve ...
and before ; dialects south and east of the line have
palatalized and before . This palatalization gave
Old French
Old French (, , ; Modern French: ) was the language spoken in most of the northern half of France from approximately the 8th to the 14th centuries. Rather than a unified language, Old French was a linkage of Romance dialects, mutually intelligib ...
and , then modern
French and . The line was first identified by
Charles Joret and published in 1883.
To the north and west of the line are found
Picard and some dialects of
Norman
Norman or Normans may refer to:
Ethnic and cultural identity
* The Normans, a people partly descended from Norse Vikings who settled in the territory of Normandy in France in the 10th and 11th centuries
** People or things connected with the Norm ...
. To the south and the east lie other Oïl dialects including southern Norman, Walloon and
French. The area north and west of the is sometimes called the ''Normano-Picard'' domain.
Geography
The Joret line extends from the
Channel Islands
The Channel Islands ( nrf, Îles d'la Manche; french: îles Anglo-Normandes or ''îles de la Manche'') are an archipelago in the English Channel, off the French coast of Normandy. They include two Crown Dependencies: the Bailiwick of Jersey, ...
(including
Jèrriais
(french: Jersiais, also known as the Jersey Language, Jersey French and Jersey Norman French in English) is a Romance language and the traditional language of the Jersey people. It is a form of the Norman language spoken in Jersey, an island i ...
,
Guernésiais
Guernésiais, also known as ''Dgèrnésiais'', Guernsey French, and Guernsey Norman French, is the variety of the Norman language spoken in Guernsey. It is sometimes known on the island simply as "patois". As one of the langues d'oïl, it has it ...
and
Sercquiais
, also known as , Sarkese or Sark-French, is the Norman dialect of the Channel Island of Sark (Bailiwick of Guernsey).
Sercquiais is a descendant of the 16th century Jèrriais used by the original colonists, 40 families mostly from Saint Ouen, ...
) and across the continent from
Granville, Manche
Granville (; Norman: ''Graunville'') is a commune in the Manche department and region of Normandy, northwestern France. The chef-lieu of the canton of Granville and seat of the ', it is a seaside resort and health resort of Mont Saint-Michel Ba ...
to the linguistic border with
Dutch
Dutch commonly refers to:
* Something of, from, or related to the Netherlands
* Dutch people ()
* Dutch language ()
Dutch may also refer to:
Places
* Dutch, West Virginia, a community in the United States
* Pennsylvania Dutch Country
People E ...
in the North of France and
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
. It runs approximately west to east through
Normandy
Normandy (; french: link=no, Normandie ; nrf, Normaundie, Nouormandie ; from Old French , plural of ''Normant'', originally from the word for "northman" in several Scandinavian languages) is a geographical and cultural region in Northwestern ...
north of Granville and
Villedieu-les-Poêles
Villedieu-les-Poêles is a former commune in the Manche department in Normandy in north-western France. On 1 January 2016, it was merged into the new commune of Villedieu-les-Poêles-Rouffigny.Manche
Manche (, ) is a coastal French département in Normandy, on the English Channel, which is known as ''La Manche'', literally "the sleeve", in French. It had a population of 495,045 in 2019.[Calvados
Calvados (, , ) is a brandy from Normandy in France, made from apples or pears, or from apples with pears.
History In France
Apple orchards and brewers are mentioned as far back as the 8th century by Charlemagne. The first known record of Nor ...]
and
Orne
Orne (; nrf, Ôrne or ) is a département in the northwest of France, named after the river Orne. It had a population of 279,942 in 2019.[Eure
Eure () is a department in Normandy in Northwestern France, named after the river Eure. Its prefecture is Évreux. In 2019, Eure had a population of 599,507.][Picardy
Picardy (; Picard and french: Picardie, , ) is a historical territory and a former administrative region of France. Since 1 January 2016, it has been part of the new region of Hauts-de-France. It is located in the northern part of France.
Hi ...]
, where the line runs with the
Amiénois The County of Amiens (also: ''Amiénois'') was a feudal state centred on the city of Amiens, northern France, that existed from the 9th century until 1077 when the last count became a monk and the county reverted to the French crown. In 1185 the cou ...
and
Thiérache
The Thiérache () is a region of France and Belgium united by similar geography and architecture, including the presence of hedgerows, grassland, hilly terrain, scattered settlements, and traditionally-built stone or brick houses with stone dividi ...
, up to the west of
Rebecq
Rebecq (; wa, Ribek) is a municipality of Wallonia located in the Belgian province of Walloon Brabant. On 1 January 2006 the municipality had 10,241 inhabitants. The total area is 39.08 km2, giving a population density of 262 inhabitants per ...
,
Beaumont
Beaumont may refer to:
Places Canada
* Beaumont, Alberta
* Beaumont, Quebec
England
* Beaumont, Cumbria
* Beaumont, Essex
** Beaumont Cut, a canal closed in the 1930s
* Beaumont Street, Oxford
France (communes)
* Beaumont, Ardèche
* ...
and
Chimay
Chimay (, wa, Chimai) is a city and Municipalities of Belgium, municipality of Wallonia located in the Hainaut Province, province of Hainaut, Belgium. In 2006, Chimay had a population of 9,774. The area is 197.10 km2 which gives a populatio ...
in
Belgium
Belgium, ; french: Belgique ; german: Belgien officially the Kingdom of Belgium, is a country in Northwestern Europe. The country is bordered by the Netherlands to the north, Germany to the east, Luxembourg to the southeast, France to th ...
where it separates
Picard from
Walloon.
Examples
* Norman Picard ~ Southern Norman, French , Walloon (
palatalization)
:Latin ''cattu'' (cat) gave rise to ''cat'' north of the line and ''
chat'' to the south.
:Low Latin ''*captiare'' (to catch) gave rise to ''cachier'' / ''cacher'' (> English catch) north of the line and ''chasser'' (> English chase) to the south.
:Low Latin ''*cantionem'' (song), Picard ''canchon'' West of the line, French ''chanson'', Walloon ''tchinson'' South and East of the line. Similarly Latin ''cantare'' → ''canter'' vs. ''chanter'', ''tchanter''.
:Frankish ''*pokka'' (bag) gave rise to ''pouque'' (> English dial. poke) north of the line and ''pouche'' (> English pouch) to the south. French ''poche'' (pocket), Norman ''pouquette'' (> English pocket).
:Latin ''candela'' (candle) gave rise to ''candelle'' north of the line and ''chandelle'' to the south.
:Celtic ''*carros'' > Latin ''carrus'' gave rise to ''car'' (> English car) north of the line and ''char'' (wain, carriage), ''chariot'' (> English chariot) to the south.
:Celtic ''*kagio-'', Gaulish ''caio-'' > Norman Picard ''kay'', ''cay'' (> ME kay) > French quai (> English quay); Old French ''chay'' > French ''chai'' (wine cellar)
* Norman Picard ~ Southern Norman, French , Walloon (palatalization)
:Latin ''gamba'' (leg) gave rise to ''gambe'' north of the line and ''jambe'' to the south, ''djambe'' to the East.
:Frankish ''*gard-'' (yard) gave rise to ''gardin'' (> English garden) north of the line and ''jardin'' to the south.
:Late Latin ''*galleto'' > Norman Picard ''gal(l)on'' (> English gallon) ; Old French ''jallon'' , French ''jalon'' (measure)
Second isogloss
Another effect of the palatalizations a bit further to the north but quite parallel was this:
* Norman Picard (or ) ~ Southern Norman or , French .
:Low Latin ''*captiare'' > Norman Picard ''cacher'', ''cachi(er)'' (> English catch); Southern Norman, French ''chasser''
:Low Latin ''ceresiu(m)'' > Norman Picard ''cherise'', ''chrise'', ''chise'' (> English cherry); Southern Norman ''srise'' French ''cerise''
Third isogloss
A third isogloss, marking a consonantal change unrelated to the others, more or less follows the Joret line throughout Normandy and continues through northeastern France. It includes all of Picardy,
Wallonia
Wallonia (; french: Wallonie ), or ; nl, Wallonië ; wa, Waloneye or officially the Walloon Region (french: link=no, Région wallonne),; nl, link=no, Waals gewest; wa, link=no, Redjon walone is one of the three regions of Belgium—alo ...
,
Champagne
Champagne (, ) is a sparkling wine originated and produced in the Champagne wine region of France under the rules of the appellation, that demand specific vineyard practices, sourcing of grapes exclusively from designated places within it, spe ...
,
Lorraine
Lorraine , also , , ; Lorrain: ''Louréne''; Lorraine Franconian: ''Lottringe''; german: Lothringen ; lb, Loutrengen; nl, Lotharingen is a cultural and historical region in Northeastern France, now located in the administrative region of Gr ...
and a part of
Burgundy
Burgundy (; french: link=no, Bourgogne ) is a historical territory and former administrative region and province of east-central France. The province was once home to the Dukes of Burgundy from the early 11th until the late 15th century. The c ...
.
Germanic (sometimes Latin was affected as well) was kept north of the line (written ''w'' or ''v''), but became (written ''g'' or ''gu'') south of the line.
*Northern French ~ French
:Latin ''vespa'' / Frankish ''*waspa'' (wasp) > Picard ''Wespe'', Norman ''Vêpe'' ~ French ''guêpe'' (wasp)
:Frankish ''*wala hlaupan'' (S. English well and leap) > Picard, Old Norman ''waloper'' (> English wallop) ; French ''galoper'' (> English gallop)
:Frankish ''wahtôn'' (S. English wake and watch) > Picard Old Norman ''wait(i)er'' (> English wait) ; Old French ''guaitier'', French ''guetter''
:Frankish ''*werra'' > Old Picard Old Norman ''werre'', ''warre'' (> English war) ; French ''guerre'' (war)
Toponymy
The Joret line affects
toponym
Toponymy, toponymics, or toponomastics is the study of '' toponyms'' (proper names of places, also known as place names and geographic names), including their origins, meanings, usage and types. Toponym is the general term for a proper name of ...
s in Normandy and Picardy:
Cambrai
Cambrai (, ; pcd, Kimbré; nl, Kamerijk), formerly Cambray and historically in English Camerick or Camericke, is a city in the Nord (French department), Nord Departments of France, department and in the Hauts-de-France Regions of France, regio ...
(corresponding to
Chambray
Chambray () is a commune in the Eure department of northern France, 13 km northeast of Évreux on the north bank of the river Eure.
The Château de Chambray, in the north of the commune, is the ancestral home of the Marquis de Venevelles ...
),
Camembert
Camembert (, also , ) is a moist, soft, creamy, surface-ripened cow's milk cheese. It was first made in the late 18th century in Camembert, Normandy, in northwest France. It is sometimes compared in look and taste to brie cheese, albeit with ...
,
Carentan
Carentan () is a small rural town near the north-eastern base of the French Cotentin Peninsula in Normandy in north-western France, with a population of about 6,000. It is a former commune in the Manche department. On 1 January 2016, it was mer ...
(corresponding to
Charenton),
Caen
Caen (, ; nrf, Kaem) is a commune in northwestern France. It is the prefecture of the department of Calvados. The city proper has 105,512 inhabitants (), while its functional urban area has 470,000,[Wace
Wace ( 1110 – after 1174), sometimes referred to as Robert Wace, was a Medieval Norman poet, who was born in Jersey and brought up in mainland Normandy (he tells us in the ''Roman de Rou'' that he was taken as a child to Caen), ending his car ...]
gallicized as ''Chaem'').
Norman placenames derived from the Gallo-Romance word ''
Campaniacum'' show initial ''C-'' in some cases (
Campigny, north) and initial ''Ch-'' in others (
Champigny-la-Futelaye
Champigny-la-Futelaye () is a commune in the Eure department in northern France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of overseas regions and territories ...
, south).
See also
*
Norman language
Norman or Norman French (, french: Normand, Guernésiais: , Jèrriais: ) is a Romance language which can be classified as one of the Oïl languages along with French, Picard and Walloon. The name "Norman French" is sometimes used to descri ...
*
Picard language
*
Walloon language
Walloon (; natively ; french: wallon) is a Romance language that is spoken in much of Wallonia and (to a very small extent) in Brussels, Belgium; some villages near Givet, northern France; and a clutch of communities in northeastern Wisconsin, ...
Notes
References
*''La Normandie dialectale'' Lepelley, Caen 1999 {{ISBN, 2-84133-076-1
Oïl languages
Picardy
Normandy
Isoglosses
Norman language