Editing Occitan language (section)

==Name==
===History of the modern term===
The name Occitan comes from the term {{lang|oc|lenga d'òc}} ("language of {{lang|oc|italic=no|òc}}"), {{lang|oc|òc}} being the Occitan word for ''yes.'' While the term would have been in use orally for some time after the decline of Latin, as far as historical records show, the Italian medieval poet [[Dante Alighieri|Dante]] was the first to have recorded the term {{lang|oc|lingua d'oc}} in writing. In his {{lang|la|[[De vulgari eloquentia]]}}, he wrote in Latin, {{lang|la|"nam alii oc, alii si, alii vero dicunt oil"}} ("for some say {{lang|oc|òc}}, others {{lang|it|sì}}, yet others say {{lang|fro|oïl}}"), thereby highlighting three major [[Romance languages|Romance literary languages]] that were well known in Italy, based on each language's word for "yes", the ''{{lang|oc|òc}} language'' (Occitan), the ''{{lang|fro|oïl}} language'' (French), and the ''{{lang|it|sì}} language'' (Italian).

The word {{lang|oc|òc}} came from [[Vulgar Latin]] {{lang|la|hoc}} ("this"), while {{lang|fro|oïl}} originated from Latin {{lang|la|hoc illud}} ("this [is] it"). [[Old Catalan]] and now the Catalan of Northern Catalonia also have {{lang|ca|hoc}} ({{lang|ca|òc}}). Other Romance languages derive their word for "yes" from the Latin {{lang|la|sic}}, "thus [it is], [it was done], etc.", such as Spanish {{lang|es|sí}}, [[Eastern Lombard dialect|Eastern Lombard]] {{lang|lmo|sé}}, Italian {{lang|it|sì}}, or Portuguese {{lang|pt|sim}}. In modern Catalan, as in modern Spanish, {{lang|ca|sí}} is usually used as a response, although the language retains the word {{lang|ca|oi}}, akin to {{lang|oc|òc}}, which is sometimes used at the end of [[yes–no question]]s and also in higher register as a positive response.<ref>{{cite book|first=Antoni M.|last=Badia i Margarit|title=Gramàtica de la llengua catalana: Descriptiva, normativa, diatòpica, diastràtica|publisher=Proa|location=Barcelona|year=1995}}, 253.1 {{in lang|ca}}</ref> French uses {{lang|fr|si}} to answer "yes" in response to questions that are asked in the negative sense: for example, {{lang|fr|"Vous n'avez pas de frères?" "Si, j'en ai sept."}} ("You don't have any brothers, do you ?" "Yes I do, I have seven.").

The name "Occitan" was attested around 1300 as {{lang|la|occitanus}}, a crossing of {{lang|la|oc}} and {{lang|la|aquitanus}} ([[Aquitania]]n).<ref>{{harvnb|Smith|Bergin|1984|p=2}}</ref>

===Other names for Occitan===
For many centuries, the Occitan dialects (together with [[Catalan language|Catalan]])<ref>[http://www.lapobladelduc.org/valencia/nom.htm Lapobladelduc.org] {{webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20070806200731/http://www.lapobladelduc.org/valencia/nom.htm |date=6 August 2007 }}, {{lang|ca|italic=no|"El nom de la llengua"}}. ''The name of the language'', in Catalan</ref> were referred to as ''Limousin'' or ''Provençal'', after the names of two regions lying within the modern Occitan-speaking area. After [[Frédéric Mistral]]'s [[Félibrige]] movement in the 19th century, Provençal achieved the greatest literary recognition and so became the most popular term for Occitan.

According to [[Joseph Anglade]], a [[philology|philologist]] and specialist of [[Middle Ages|medieval]] literature who helped impose the then [[archaism|archaic]] term ''Occitan'' as the standard name,<ref>{{harvnb|Anglade|1921|p=[http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k255748j/f46.image 10]}}: {{lang|fr|Sur Occitania ont été formés les adjectifs latins occitanus, occitanicus et les adjectifs français occitanique, occitanien, occitan (ce dernier terme plus récent), qui seraient excellents et qui ne prêteraient pas à la même confusion que provençal.}}</ref> the word ''Lemosin'' was first used to designate the language at the beginning of the 13th century by [[Catalonia|Catalan]] [[troubadour]] [[Raimon Vidal de Bezaudun|Raimon Vidal de Besalú(n)]] in his {{lang|ca|Razós de trobar}}:
<blockquote>
{{lang|oc|La parladura Francesca val mais et [es] plus avinenz a far romanz e pasturellas; mas cella de Lemozin val mais per far vers et cansons et serventés; et per totas las terras de nostre lengage son de major autoritat li cantar de la lenga Lemosina que de negun'autra parladura, per qu'ieu vos en parlarai primeramen.}}{{sfn|Anglade|1921|p=[http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k255748j/f43.image 7]}}

The French language is worthier and better suited for romances and [[pastourelle]]s; but [the language] from [[History of Limousin|Limousin]] is of greater value for writing poems and [[canso (song)|cançons]] and [[sirventes|sirventés]]; and across the whole of the lands where our tongue is spoken, the literature in the Limousin language has more authority than any other dialect, wherefore I shall use this name in priority.
</blockquote>

The term ''Provençal'', though implying a reference to the region of [[Provence]], historically was used for Occitan as a whole, for "in the eleventh, the twelfth, and sometimes also the thirteenth centuries, one would understand under the name of Provence the whole territory of the old [[Gallia Narbonensis|Provincia romana Gallia Narbonensis]] and even [[Gallia Aquitania|Aquitaine]]".<ref>Camille Chabaneau et al, {{lang|fr|Histoire générale de Languedoc}}, 1872, p. 170: {{lang|fr|Au onzième, douzième et encore parfois au XIIIe siècle, on comprenait sous le nom de Provence tout le territoire de l'ancienne Provincia Romana et même de l'Aquitaine.}}</ref> The term first came into fashion in [[Italy]].<ref>{{harvnb|Anglade|1921|p=[http://gallica.bnf.fr/ark:/12148/bpt6k255748j/f43.image 7]}}: {{lang|oc|Ce terme fut surtout employé en Italie}}.</ref>

Currently, [[linguist]]s use the terms ''Provençal'' and ''Limousin'' strictly to refer to specific varieties within Occitan, using ''Occitan'' for the language as a whole. Many non-specialists, however, continue to refer to the language as ''Provençal''.