In
Occitan, ''vergonha'' (, meaning "shame") refers to the effects of various language discriminatory policies of the
government of France
The Government of France (French: ''Gouvernement français''), officially the Government of the French Republic (''Gouvernement de la République française'' ), exercises executive power in France. It is composed of the Prime Minister, who ...
on its minorities whose
native language
A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother to ...
was deemed a ''
patois
''Patois'' (, pl. same or ) is speech or language that is considered nonstandard, although the term is not formally defined in linguistics. As such, ''patois'' can refer to pidgins, creoles, dialects or vernaculars, but not commonly to jargon o ...
'', where a Romance language spoken in the country other than Standard
French
French (french: français(e), link=no) may refer to:
* Something of, from, or related to France
** French language, which originated in France, and its various dialects and accents
** French people, a nation and ethnic group identified with Franc ...
, such as
Occitan or the ''
langues d'oïl
The ''langues d'oïl'' (; ) are a dialect continuum that includes standard French and its closest autochthonous relatives historically spoken in the northern half of France, southern Belgium, and the Channel Islands. These belong to the larger ...
'', as well as other non-Romance languages such as Alsatian and Basque, were suppressed. ''Vergonha'' is imagined as a process of "being made to reject and feel ashamed of one's (or one's parents')
mother tongue
A first language, native tongue, native language, mother tongue or L1 is the first language or dialect that a person has been exposed to from birth or within the critical period. In some countries, the term ''native language'' or ''mother tong ...
through official exclusion, humiliation at school and rejection from the media", as organized and sanctioned by French political leaders from
Henri Grégoire onward.
''Vergonha'' is still a controversial topic in modern French public discourse where some including successive French governments have
denied discrimination ever existed or downplayed its effects; it is a commonly cited example of sanctioned systematic
linguicide and
cultural genocide.
[Llengua Nacional, Catalan linguistic review](_blank)
, spring of 2002. Text available at http://fpl.forumactif.com/Forum-Occitan-f11/Le-patois-des-vieux-el-patues-dels-vells-p11914.htm In
1860
Events
January–March
* January 2 – The discovery of a hypothetical planet Vulcan is announced at a meeting of the French Academy of Sciences in Paris, France.
* January 10 – The Pemberton Mill in Lawrence, Massachusetts ...
, before French schooling was made compulsory, native Occitan speakers represented more than 39% of the whole French population, as opposed to 52% for francophones proper; their share of the population declined to 26–36% by late 1920s, Since the
end of World War II End of World War II can refer to:
* End of World War II in Europe
* End of World War II in Asia
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