The English Language Part 20

19. "'A sunt bucca pli vangonts da vangir numnaus tieu Filg: fai mei esser sco un da tes Fumelgs.'"

III. The third division is the Dacian, Pannonian, or Wallachian, containing the present languages of Wallachia and Moldavia.

In the _Jahrbucher der Literatur_, June, 1829, specimens are given of two of its dialects: 1, the Daco-Wallachian, north of the Danube; 2, the Macedono-Wallachian, south of the Danube. The present specimen varies from both. It is taken from the New Testament, printed at Smyrna, 1838. The Dacian division is marked by placing the article after the noun, as _homul_=_the man_=_h.o.m.o ille_.

_Luke_ XV. 11.

11. Un om avea do[)i] fec'or[)i].

12. s.h.i.+ a zis c'el ma[)i] tinr din e[)i] tatlu[)i] su: tat, dm[)i]

partea c'e mi se kade de avucie: s.h.i.+ de a imprcit lor avuciea.

13. s.h.i.+ nu dup multe zile, adunint toate fec orul c'el ma[)i] tinr, s'a dus intr 'o car departe, s.h.i.+ akolo a rsipit toat avuciea ca, viecuind intr dezm[)i]erdr[)i].

{89} 14. s.h.i.+ keltuind el toate, c'a fkut foamete mare intr' ac'ea car: s.h.i.+ el a inc'eput a se lipsi.

15. s.h.i.+ mergina c'a lipit de unul din lkuitori[)i] cri[)i] ac'eia: si 'l a trimis pre el la carinide sale c pask porc'i[)i].

16. s.h.i.+ doria c 'sh[)i] sature pinctec'ele s[)u] de roshkobele c'e minka porc'i[)i]; s.h.i.+ nimin[)i] nu [)i] da lu[)i].

17. Iar viind intru sine, a zis: kic[)i] argac[)i] a[)i] tatlu[)i]

mie[)u] sint indestulac[)i] de pi[)i]ne, iar e[)u] p[)i]ei[)u] de foame.

18. Skula-m-vio[)u], s.h.i.+ m' voi[)u] duc'e la tata mic[)u], s.h.i.+ vio[)u]

zic'e lui:

19. Tat, gres.h.i.+t-am la c'er s.h.i.+ inaintea ta, s.h.i.+ nu mai sint vrednik a m kema fiul t[)u]; fm ka pre unul din argaci[)i] t[)i].

-- 143. Such is the _general_ view of the languages derived from the Latin, _i.e._, of the languages of the Latin branch of the Cla.s.sical stock.

The French languages of the Transalpine division require to be more minutely exhibited.

Between the provincial French of the north and the provincial French of the south, there is a difference, at the present day, at least of dialect, and perhaps of language. This is shown by the following specimens: the first from the canton of Arras, on the confines of Flanders; the second, from the department of Var, in Provence. The date of each is A.D. 1807.

I.

_Luke_ XV. 11.

11. Ain homme avouait deeux garcheons.

12. L'pus jone dit a sain pere, "Main pere, baille m'chou qui douo me 'r'v'nir ed vous bien," et leu pere leu part.i.t sain bien.

13. Ain n'sais yur, tro, quate, cheon jours apres l'pus ti d'cnes deeux efeans oyant r'cuelle tout s'n' heritt'main, s'ot' ainvoye dains nain pahis gramain louon, du qu'il echilla tout s'n' argint ain f.a.geant l'braingand dains ches cabarets.

14. Abord qu'il o eu tout bu, tout mie et tout drele, il o v'nu adonc dains ch' pahis lo ainn' famaine cruuelle, et i c'mainchouait d'avoir fon-ye d' pon-ye (_i.e_. faim de pain).

II.

THE SAME.

11. Un home avie dous enfans.

12. Lou plus pichoun diguet a son paire, "Moun paire, dounas mi ce que {90} mi reven de vouastre ben;" lou paire f.a.guet lou partage de tout ce que poussedavo.

13. Paou de jours apres, lou pichoun vendet tout se que soun paire li avie desamparat, et s'en anet dins un pais fourco luench, ounte dissipet tout soun ben en debaucho.

14. Quand aguet ton aecaba, uno grosso famino arribet dins aqueou pais et, leou, si veguet reduech a la derniero misero.

Practically speaking, although in the central parts of France the northern and southern dialects melt each into the other, the Loire may be considered as a line of demarcation between two languages; the term language being employed because, in the Middle Ages, whatever may be their real difference, the northern tongue and the southern tongue were dealt with not as separate dialects, but as distinct languages--the southern being called Provencal, the northern Norman-French.

Of these two languages (for so they will in the following pages be called, for the sake of convenience) the southern or Provencal approaches the dialects of Spain; the Valencian of Spain and the Catalonian of Spain being Provencal rather than standard Spanish or Castilian.

The southern French is sometimes called the Langue d'Oc, and sometimes the Limousin.

It is in the Southern French (Provencal, Langue d'Oc, or Limousin) that we have the following specimen, _viz_., the Oath of Ludwig, sworn A.D. 842.

_The Oath of the King._

Pro Deo amur et pro Xristian poblo et nostro commun salvament, d'ist di en avant, in quant Deus savir et podir me dunat, si salvarai eo cist meon fradre Karlo, et in ajudha et in cadhuna cosa, si c.u.m om per dreit son fradra salvar dist, in o quid il mi altresi fazet: et ab Ludher nul plaid nunquam prindrai qui, meon vol, cist meon fradre Karle in d.a.m.no sit.

_The Oath of the People._

Si Loduuigs sagrament, que son fradre Karlo jurat, conservat; et Karlus, meos sendra, de suo part non lo stanit; si io returnar non l'int pois, ne io, ne neuls cui eo returnar int pois, in nulla ajudha contra Lodhuwig num li iver.

_The same in Modern French._

Pour de Dieu l'amour et pour du Chretien peuple et le notre commun salut, de ce jour en avant, en quant que Dieu savoir et pouvoir me donne {91} a.s.surement sauverai moi ce mon frere Charles, et en aide, et en chacune chose, ainsi comme homme par droit son frere sauver doit, en cela que lui a moi pareillement fera: et avec Lothaire nul traite ne onques prendrai qui, a mon vouloir, a ce mien frere Charles en dommage soit.

Si Louis le serment, qu'a son frere Charles il jure, conserve; Charles, mon seigneur, de sa part ne le maintient; si je detourner ne l'en puis, ni moi, ne nul que je detourner en puis, en nulle aide contre Louis ne lui irai.

-- 144. The Norman-French, spoken from the Loire to the confines of Flanders, and called also the Langue d'Oyl, differed from the Provencal in (amongst others) the following circ.u.mstances.

1. It was of later origin; the southern parts of Gaul having been colonized at an early period by the Romans.

2. It was in geographical contact, not with the allied languages of Spain, but with the Gothic tongues of Germany and Holland.

It is the Norman-French that most especially bears upon the history of the English language.

The proportion of the original Celtic in the present languages of France has still to be determined. It may, however, be safely a.s.serted, that at a certain epoch between the first and fifth centuries, the language of Gaul was more Roman and less Celtic than that of Britain.

SPECIMEN.

_From the Anglo-Norman Poem of Charlemagne._

Un jur fu Karleun al Seint-Denis muster, Reout prise sa corune, en croiz seignat sun chef, E ad ceinte sa espee: li pons fud d'or mer.

Dux i out e demeines e baruns e chevalers.