Languages spoken in cities & towns in Medieval France (1250 onwards)

by mortandsmallgods

Hello!

I'm curious about what languages were spoken in cities & towns in Medieval France (incl. areas of the Holy Roman Empire that are now part of modern France). I know Old Occitan, Old French, Medieval Latin, Middle High German were spoken. But were most people in medieval France bilingual? Would people marry into families who had a different main language? How about medieval taverns and trade, what was the main language spoken there?

I understand France is a huge place, and finding precise answers was quite difficult for me. Any information or advice would be appreciated.

Thanks for any replies. I've got a growing fascination with medieval history, particularly in France. For my interest to grow, it's best I brush up on my language and reading skills. But there are so many medieval languages, I'm unsure which one to pick. (Besides latin, which I'm currently learning)

A few months ago, I was really disillusioned with my history degree and asked for help, and this sub kindly helped me rediscover my love for history. I just want to say, a few months later, thank you to r/askhistorians .

ixnay2000

Concerning the languages that are not French (Langues d'Oïl) or Occitan (Langues d'Oc) in medieval / post 1250s France:

  • In the northern part of the Hauts-de-France department (essentially the former Nord-Pas-de-Calais region) the majority of inhabitants spoke Dutch. Some major national figures of France, such as the admiral Jean Bart; were actually Dutch-speaking. Over time, especially over the past 150 years; the use of Dutch has reduced it to a minority language, but it's legacy can still be seen in the numerous exonyms for towns in this area and in the etymology of a great deal of villages and towns, such as Dunkirk, Calais, Wattrelos, Maubeuge, Peuplingues, Tardinghen, Leubringhen, Bouquehault and many more. Within the traditionally Dutch-speaking area the town of Calais has had an especially interesting history from a linguistic point of view; as it was also home to a large English garrison from 1347 till 1558. The Dutch-French relationship is a very interesting one, because Dutch is the direct descendant of the West Frankish language that was (for a short time) during Late Antiquity and the Early Middle Ages the language of the ruling elite of former Gaul; whereas French descents from the Gallo-Roman dialects.
  • In southwestern parts of Gascony, Basque was spoken; and still is.
  • At the Mediterranean fringes of France (around Perpignan) Catalan was; and still is, spoken.
  • On the island of Corsica, Italian was the main language and the local dialect is a form of Italian. The (historical) dialect of Nice is often included within Occitan, but is probably better classified as Ligurian; ie. a Northern Italian dialect.
  • In the West, the traditional language is Breton; which is a Celtic language. It's often seen as being indigenous to France because it's a Celtic language and hence its assumed that it descends from the dialects spoken by the Gauls prior to Roman conquest, but this isn't the case. Breton is closely related to Welsh and it arrived in what is now France because of British people who left post-Britain either because they feared the invading Germanic tribes (Anglo-Saxons) or the raiding Celtic tribes from the north (Picts) and west (Irish) who were raiding the South after the Roman troops left. Breton is currently experiencing a revival after coordinated attempts by historical French governments to eradicate it, but is was a major language of medieval France.
  • In the Northeast, dialects which are now often called German dialects were spoken; and still are today. Alsatian could equally be considered a Germanic language in its own right, or German could be considered a divergent form of Alsatian; it's largely semantics. In any case, modern Standard German is certainly the most closely related major language to Alsatian dialects.

As for the languages of trade, it would depend heavily on the trade involved. For example, the traders of the Mediterranean would have most likely used Sabir for their communication with each other. Sabir (which means 'know') was the original lingua franca and was a mix; mainly Italian, Spanish and Occitan ... whereas the dominant languages of the English wool trade that dominated Northwestern France were Dutch and English.

Bilingualism was common in France, but only in areas in which the languages actually met. The Alsace and Northwestern parts of France (extending into Belgium) have a long history of bilingualism. This was not a learned or conscious effort though; within a village or series of villages the children (who are extremely susceptible to language acquisition) would interact with each other and learn each others languages. A difference in language was not a major barrier in medieval Europe for a marriage. The language someone spoke as a first language was immaterial when compared to the social class of the person involved.

Use of French as an official and social language is a rather recent phenomenon, but was heavily supported by the French state as a means of nation-building and national cohesion. It is estimated that around the year 1800 only half of the population of France spoke French, and as late as 1871 only a quarter spoke French as their native language; that is to say, as their first language, rather than a language they learned in school and was restricted to official use.