HOME | DD

Description
Occitan (and its dialects) isn't spoken by many people in France anymore (estimates are gonna vary between 100k and 600k speakers, much more likely to be toward the lower end), and many of its remaining speakers are old and do not recognise their mother tongue as being named Occitan first of all.

This map, based on a number of surveys done over the past 20 years, depicts the relative popularity of Occitan compared to 'Patois' (meaning dialect, vernacular, a word with usually mild negative connotations in France, but not everywhere, like in the Antilles) as well as the other main names used by the locals and the occitanophone to name their local language, as every studies show a widespread agreement on the name "Occitan" for the group of languages spoken in southern France.

Patois is usually slightly prefered by older persons and by native speakers across most regions. As one can see Occitan is usually prefered within the borders of historical Languedoc; In Creuse, Creusois is more popular than Occitan.

Sources:
LANGUE OCCITANE :ÉTAT DES LIEUX 2020, the most recent region-wide study on occitan in Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine
complemented with
PERCEPTIONS DE LA LANGUE OCCITANE (2008, Aquitaine and 2010, Midi-Pyrenées)

Le volet linguistique du recensement français de 1999 résultats et analyse appliqués à la Provence plurilingue et au provençal; 2003, based on the widest study of occitan.
Francoprovençal et occitan en Rhône-Alpes, 2009
présence, les pratiques et la perception de la langue béarnaise / gasconne / occitane sur le territoire des Pyrénées‐Atlantiques; 2018, specifically about Bearn
Le dialecte niçois : usage consacré et parler de la rue, 2014
PRATIQUES ET REPRÉSENTATIONS DES LANGUES RÉGIONALES EN AUVERGNE, 2006

Description
Occitan (and its dialects) isn't spoken by many people in France anymore (estimates are gonna vary between 100k and 600k speakers, much more likely to be toward the lower end), and many of its remaining speakers are old and do not recognise their mother tongue as being named Occitan first of all.

This map, based on a number of surveys done over the past 20 years, depicts the relative popularity of Occitan compared to 'Patois' (meaning dialect, vernacular, a word with usually mild negative connotations in France, but not everywhere, like in the Antilles) as well as the other main names used by the locals and the occitanophone to name their local language, as every studies show a widespread agreement on the name "Occitan" for the group of languages spoken in southern France.

Patois is usually slightly prefered by older persons and by native speakers across most regions. As one can see Occitan is usually prefered within the borders of historical Languedoc; In Creuse, Creusois is more popular than Occitan.

Sources:
LANGUE OCCITANE :ÉTAT DES LIEUX 2020, the most recent region-wide study on occitan in Occitanie and Nouvelle-Aquitaine
complemented with
PERCEPTIONS DE LA LANGUE OCCITANE (2008, Aquitaine and 2010, Midi-Pyrenées)

Le volet linguistique du recensement français de 1999 résultats et analyse appliqués à la Provence plurilingue et au provençal; 2003, based on the widest study of occitan.
Francoprovençal et occitan en Rhône-Alpes, 2009
présence, les pratiques et la perception de la langue béarnaise / gasconne / occitane sur le territoire des Pyrénées‐Atlantiques; 2018, specifically about Bearn
Le dialecte niçois : usage consacré et parler de la rue, 2014
PRATIQUES ET REPRÉSENTATIONS DES LANGUES RÉGIONALES EN AUVERGNE, 2006