FrenchLesson 1 of 1 in the course French literature and history

Old French: Dialects, Origins, Literature, Sounds, and Grammar

5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 5 match pairs · 5 fill-in sentences · English

Save course
Lesson progress
0 / 5

Your progress is kept in this browser only.Sign up to save it

Summary

Old French refers to the Romance varieties spoken mainly in the northern half of France from approximately the late 8th century to the mid-14th century. Speakers used names such as franceis, françois, and romanz. Old French was not one fully standardized language: it consisted of related, mutually intelligible dialects that varied by region.

These northern varieties were collectively known as the langues d’oïl, named for their traditional word for “yes.” They were part of the wider Gallo-Romance dialect continuum. To the southwest were the langues d’oc, the varieties associated with Occitania and the ancestors of Occitan. To the southeast were Gallo-Italic varieties. Franco-Provençal developed in Upper Burgundy and shared features with both French and Provençal; it was recognized as a distinct Gallo-Romance variety by the 12th century.

All flashcards

What was Old French?
A group of related Romance dialects spoken mainly in northern France from about the late 8th to the mid-14th century.
What was Vulgar Latin?
The everyday spoken Latin of the Roman Empire and the ancestor of Old French.
How did Gaulish contribute to French?
It contributed vocabulary, and it may have influenced some sound changes.
How were Old French nasal vowels generally pronounced?
As nasalized oral vowels before a fully pronounced nasal consonant.
What distinctions did Old French adjectives mark?
Adjectives agreed with nouns in number, gender, and case.

Quiz questions

  1. What did the Third Council of Tours instruct priests to do in 813?Answer: Deliver sermons in plain Roman speech so the public could understand them.
  2. Which two works are major early written witnesses to the language leading to Old French?Answer: The Oaths of Strasbourg and the Sequence of Saint Eulalia.
  3. Which subjects make up Jean Bodel’s three Matters of medieval French narrative?Answer: France, Rome, and Britain.
  4. In the Old French two-case system, which case typically marked the subject?Answer: The nominative case.
  5. What language did medieval troubadours use for their compositions?Answer: Old Occitan.

Based on the Wikipedia article Old French, licensed CC BY-SA 4.0. Adapted into a summary, flashcards and quizzes.

More in French

All French lessons
FrenchBelgian French: Regional History, Pronunciation, and Vocabulary5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →FrenchQuebec French: History, Variation, and Linguistic Features5 flashcards · 5 quiz questions · 4 gamesPlay free →