Félibrige. Article #6. Vol. 4, pg 719.
It’s no secret that the French are known for wanting to keep the French language pure and avoiding being railroaded by English, the modern lingua franca. While I do think that the French are some of the most polite people that I’ve met in my travels, I’m at a loss to explain their refusal to recognize my very adequate 10th-grade French. E.g. “Combien de jours à la salle de bain”?
The Félibrige was a group of seven French poets who elevated French linguistic snobbery to a new level by deciding that plain old French wasn’t good enough and pushing for broader use of the local Provençal dialect.
These guys were fairly successful, instigating a renaissance of the language and customs of Provençal. Still, I pity the poor tourist from Paris who couldn’t seem to make himself understood.
“Félibrige.” Encyclopedia Britannica. 15th ed. 2010. Vol. 4 pg 719.
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