romans
Old French
Indo-European (Romance, Gallo-Romance, Northern French) · historical / hidden variety
Old French (françois, romanz) is the Romance language of northern France from the 9th to the 14th centuries CE, the direct ancestor of Middle and Modern French. Earliest attestation: the Strasbourg Oaths (842 CE). Major literary monuments include the chansons de geste (Chanson de Roland, ~1100), Chrétien de Troyes's Arthurian romances (~1170-1190, including the first Arthurian Grail narrative), the Lais of Marie de France, the Roman de la Rose (Guillaume de Lorris ~1230, Jean de Meun ~1275), and the Romance of Renart. Anglo-Norman, the dialect taken to England with the 1066 Norman Conquest, became the prestige courtly and legal language of Plantagenet England — vast loanwords in modern English derive from this period.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Old French
Water
eve
/ˈɛːvə/
Fire
feu
/fø/
Sun
soleil
/soˈleʎ/
Moon
lune
/ˈlynə/
Star
estoile
/esˈtoilə/
Mother
mere
/ˈmɛrə/
Father
pere
/ˈpɛrə/
I
je
/dʒə/
You
tu
/ty/
Name
nom
/nõ/
Eye
oeil
/œʎ/
Hand
main
/mɛ̃j/
Heart
cuer
/kwɛr/
Love
amor
/aˈmor/
Tree
arbre
/ˈarbrə/
House
maison
/maiˈzõn/
Dog
chien
/tʃjɛn/
Cat
chat
/tʃat/
Eat
mangier
/manˈdʒjer/
Drink
boivre
/ˈbojvrə/
One
un
/yn/
Two
deus
/døs/
Hello
salut
/saˈlyt/
Thank you
merci
/mɛrˈsi/
Good
bon
/bõn/
Cuckoo
cucu
/kuˈky/
Sushi
harenc sor
/aˈrɛŋk ˈsɔr/
Sources
- Pope (1934) From Latin to Modern French
- Greimas (1979) Dictionnaire de l'ancien français
- Glottolog: oldf1239
Words compared
Compared with related Indo-European (Romance, Gallo-Romance, Northern French) languages
| Meaning | Old French | Walloon | Arpitan | Classical French (17c., Bel Usage) | Cameroonian French | Jèrriais | French |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | eve /ˈɛːvə/ | aiwe /ˈajwə/ | égoua /eɡwɔ/ | eau /o/ | eau /o/ | ieau /jo/ | eau /o/ |
| Fire | feu /fø/ | feu /fø/ | fuè /fwɛ/ | feu /fø/ | feu /fø/ | feu /fø/ | feu /fø/ |
| Sun | soleil /soˈleʎ/ | solea /soˈlea/ | solely /sɔlɛj/ | soleil /sɔlɛj/ | soleil /solɛj/ | solé /sɔˈle/ | soleil /sɔlɛj/ |
| Moon | lune /ˈlynə/ | lune /ˈlyn/ | lena /lənə/ | lune /lyn/ | lune /lyn/ | leune /løːn/ | lune /lyn/ |
| Star | estoile /esˈtoilə/ | stoele /stwɛl/ | étêla /eˈtela/ | étoile /etwɛl/ | étoile /etwal/ | êtaile /etɛl/ | étoile /etwal/ |
| Mother | mere /ˈmɛrə/ | mame /mam/ | mâre /mar/ | mère /mɛːr/ | mère /mɛʁ/ | mère /mɛːr/ | mère /mɛʁ/ |
| Father | pere /ˈpɛrə/ | pére /peːʁ/ | pâre /par/ | père /pɛːr/ | père /pɛʁ/ | péthe /peːð/ | père /pɛʁ/ |
| I | je /dʒə/ | dji /dʒi/ | je /ʒə/ | je /ʒə/ | je /ʒə/ | jé /ʒe/ | je /ʒə/ |
| You | tu /ty/ | ti /ti/ | te /tə/ | tu /ty/ | tu /ty/ | tu /ty/ | tu /ty/ |
| Name | nom /nõ/ | no /no/ | nom /nõ/ | nom /nɔ̃/ | nom /nɔ̃/ | nom /nɔ̃/ | nom /nɔ̃/ |
| Eye | oeil /œʎ/ | ouy /uj/ | uely /œj/ | œil /œːj/ | oeil /œj/ | yi /ji/ | œil /œj/ |
| Hand | main /mɛ̃j/ | min /mɛ̃/ | man /mã/ | main /mɛ̃/ | main /mɛ̃/ | main /mɛ̃/ | main /mɛ̃/ |
| Heart | cuer /kwɛr/ | cour /kuːr/ | côr /kɔr/ | cœur /kœːr/ | cœur /kœʁ/ | tchoeu /tʃœ/ | cœur /kœʁ/ |
| Love | amor /aˈmor/ | amour /aˈmuːr/ | amor /amur/ | amour /amur/ | amour /amuʁ/ | amour /aˈmuːr/ | amour /amuʁ/ |
| Tree | arbre /ˈarbrə/ | åbe /ˈɔːb/ | âbro /abru/ | arbre /aːrbr/ | arbre /aʁbʁ/ | bouais /bwɛ/ | arbre /aʁbʁ/ |
| House | maison /maiˈzõn/ | måjhon /mɔːˈʒõ/ | mêson /meːzɔ̃/ | maison /mɛzɔ̃/ | maison /mɛzɔ̃/ | maîson /mɛˈzɔ̃/ | maison /mɛzɔ̃/ |
| Dog | chien /tʃjɛn/ | tchin /tʃɛ̃/ | chen /tʃɛ̃/ | chien /ʃjɛ̃/ | chien /ʃjɛ̃/ | tchian /tʃjɑ̃/ | chien /ʃjɛ̃/ |
| Cat | chat /tʃat/ | tchèt /tʃɛ/ | chat /tʃa/ | chat /ʃaː/ | chat /ʃa/ | cat /kat/ | chat /ʃa/ |
| Eat | mangier /manˈdʒjer/ | magnî /maˈɲi/ | mengiér /mendʒje/ | manger /mɑ̃ʒe/ | manger /mɑ̃ʒe/ | mangi /mɑ̃ˈʒi/ | manger /mɑ̃ʒe/ |
| Drink | boivre /ˈbojvrə/ | boere /bweːr/ | bêre /beːr/ | boire /bweːr/ | boire /bwaʁ/ | baithe /baɪð/ | boire /bwaʁ/ |
| One | un /yn/ | onk /õk/ | yon /jɔ̃/ | un /œ̃/ | un /œ̃/ | ieune /jøːn/ | un /ɛ̃/ |
| Two | deus /døs/ | deus /dø/ | dos /do/ | deux /dø/ | deux /dø/ | deux /dø/ | deux /dø/ |
| Hello | salut /saˈlyt/ | bondjoû /bõˈdʒu/ | adiô /adjo/ | Dieu vous garde /djø vu ɡard/ | bonjour /bɔ̃ʒuʁ/ | bouônjour /bwɔ̃ˈʒuːr/ | bonjour /bɔ̃ʒuʁ/ |
| Thank you | merci /mɛrˈsi/ | mèrci /mɛrˈsi/ | mèrci /mɛrsi/ | grâces /ɡraːs/ | merci /mɛʁsi/ | mèrcie /mɛrˈsi/ | merci /mɛʁsi/ |
| Good | bon /bõn/ | bon /bõ/ | bon /bɔ̃/ | bon /bɔ̃/ | bon /bɔ̃/ | bouôn /bwɔ̃/ | bon /bɔ̃/ |
| Cuckoo | cucu /kuˈky/ | coucou /kuˈku/ | coucou /kuˈku/ | coucou /kuˈku/ | coucou /kuku/ | coucou /kuˈku/ | coucou /kuku/ |
| Sushi | harenc sor /aˈrɛŋk ˈsɔr/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | — | hareng saur /aʁɑ̃ sɔʁ/ | — | — | — |
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