Lorrain language

Lorrain, also known as Lorrain Romance, is a langue d'oïl spoken by a minority of people in the region of Lorraine in northeastern France as well as in some parts of Alsace and Gaume in Belgium. Its use declined at the beginning of the 21st century, having been in serious decline since the 1930s. Despite this, more and more people are taking an interest in it in the 21st century, including linguists who study it.

It is a regional language of France. In Wallonia, it is known as Gaumais and enjoys official recognition as a regional language. It has been influenced by Lorraine Franconian and Luxembourgish, West Central German languages spoken in nearby or overlapping areas.

Lorrain was also spoken in the high valleys of the Vosges, and there it retained archaic forms such as the preservation of affricates (tchaté for château); on the Alsatian side (Pays welche), we distinguish Welche, which is related to the dialects of the Eastern Vosges.

It is often referred to as a patois.