The Bourbonnais dialects are spoken in the historic region of Bourbonnais, located in central France and including the department of Allier the area surrounding Saint-Amand-Montrond, in southeastern Cher. This linguistic zone is located between those home to the languages of Oïl, Occitan, and Franco-Provençal.
Bourbonnais, an ambiguous term
There are two indigenous languages in Bourbonnais: An Oïl language is spoken in two thirds of Allier, north of the line Montluçon (Occitan) – Saint-Pourçain-sur-Sioule (Oïl) – Lapalisse (Oïl), and in the Bourbonnais part of Cher. The dialect has its origins in the Moulins, Allier area, Bourbon-l'Archambault, and Souvigny. Occitan languages are spoken south of Montluçon and near Gannat and Vichy. These are dialects of the Occitan language of the Croissant (linguistic) in southern Bourbonnais and northern Limousin. They are on their way to be integrated into the French language. The scientific term for these idioms is Arverno-Bourbonnais, as they belong to the Auvergnat dialect linguistic zone, with a transition to the Oïl language. In the South-East, in the area of the Montagne Bourbonnaise, the local Occitan dialect is influenced by Franco-Provençal.
Thus "Bourbonnais" is an ambiguous term: it can refer to idioms of Occitan (Bourbonnais of Oc), or to French dialects of the Bourbonnais (Bourbonnais of Oïl).
Present state
Bourbonnais dialects were submitted to a Parisian top-down approach, like all other regional languages in France. Besides, the presence of Oïl idioms in the North, which are close to Standard French or Francien (île-de-France dialect), makes it easier to have linguistic assimilation towards the South.
As the majority of dialects, Bourbonnais idioms are mostly spoken, and literary works are rare. However, there are some: one example is that of writer Louis Péroux Beaulaton (1872–1946), who was passionate about his Occitan Auvergnat dialect from the Montluçon suburbs. Nowadays only enthusiasts, as well as the older generation, can speak fluent Oïl and Occitan Bourbonnais dialects. Nevertheless, they haven't totally disappeared: they have been integrated into the French language, adding numerous phrases, expressions and vocabulary. Inhabitants of this region thus unconsciously speak French, but shaded with Bourbonnais forms: this can be noticed by tourists.
Bourbonnais as an Oïl language
Pronunciation
Examples of pronunciation (transcriptions are made according to the IPA): O pronounced as [u]: example Tonner= [tone](French)/ [tune] (Bourbonnais) Oi [w] is pronounced as [ue] or [ɛ]: example Noir= [nwaR](French)/ [nuer](Bourbonnais); Droit= [dRwa] (French)/ [dRɛ] er [eR] is pronounced as [aR]: example Merci= [meRsi] (French)/ [maRsi] (Bourbonnais) re is pronounced as er: example Bredin (look at word examples) would be pronounced as Berdin au[o] is pronounced as [jo]: example Couteau=[ kuto] (French)/ [kutjo] (Bourbonnais) -lier [lje] is pronounced as [je]: example Palier= [palje] (French)/ [paje] (Bourbonnais) [R] is rolled as local speakers do in Champagne -eur [œR] is pronounced as [ø]: example Meneur=[mənœR] (French)/ [mənø] (Bourbonnais) ch [ʃ] is pronounced as [ʒ]: example Cheval [ʃəval] (French)/[ʒval] (Bourbonnais)
Grammar
The adverbial pronoun Y (there) is used as a personal pronoun representing an object. For example " fais-le "(do it) (French)/" fais-y "(Boubonnais); "donne-le/la moi "(give it to me) (French)/" donne-moi z'y; ne "(Bourbonnais);" ne le casse pas "(don't break it) (French)/" n'y casse pas "(Bourbonnais); "tu me le/la prêtes" (lend it me) (French)/ "tu m'y prêtes" (Bourbonnais) etc.
There is, in Bourbonnais, a form for neutral gender: the pronoun "al" can be used for masculine gender, as well as for feminine gender, for inanimate objects as for animated ones. Thus, both male and female dogs can be designated by "al", just as a member of a family or a neighbour. For example, the phrase "al a tout mange" ("al" ate it all) can be said about a dog but also about a neighbour.
Vocabulary
Some lexical examples
Expressions used in common French
Bourbonnais, Arverno-Bourbonnais, Occitan language (Croissant zone)
In this part we will look at the Occitan variant of Bourbonnais (Arverno-Bourbonnais/Auvergnat dialect), spoken in the community of Busset canton Cusset. The words are given in united Auvergnat writing; transcription using the phonetic alphabet used for French is given between brackets.