Editing Walloon language (section)

==Geographic distribution==
===Walloon===
Walloon is spoken in the [[Wallonia]] Region in Belgium. In addition, it is spoken in:
* a small part of France: the ''[[Pointe de Givet]]'' in northern [[Ardennes (département)|Ardennes]], and several villages in the [[Nord (département)|Nord ''département'']], making it one of the regional [[languages of France]];
* a small district of [[Door County, Wisconsin]], US, owing to fairly large-scale immigration there in the 19th century;<ref>[http://digicoll.library.wisc.edu/WI/subcollections/BelgAmrColAbout.html "Belgian-American Research Collection"], University of Wisconsin</ref> as well as portions of [[Kewaunee County, Wisconsin]], US, and [[Brown County, Wisconsin]], US;<ref>{{Cite web|url=https://phlegmish-walloony.blogspot.com/2015/10/walloon-ancestry-in-wisconsin-usa.html|title=Phlegmish & Walloony: Walloon ancestry in Wisconsin (USA)|last=Mf|date=2015-10-17|website=Phlegmish & Walloony|access-date=2020-01-17}} and [https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/24968/biers_osterhaus.pdf Notes from the Field: Wisconsin Walloon Documentation and Orthography] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210618081411/https://scholarspace.manoa.hawaii.edu/bitstream/10125/24968/biers_osterhaus.pdf |date=18 June 2021 }} by Kelly Biers and Ellen Osterhaus, ''Language Documentation and Conservation'', Vol. 15, 2021, pp. 1–29</ref> and
* [[Brussels]], by some Walloon residents.

Although Walloon was widely spoken until the mid-20th century, today only a small proportion of the inhabitants of the region are fluent in the language. Those born since the 1970s usually know little more than a few [[idiomatic expression]]s, often [[Profanity|profanities]]. The Walloon language is still part of the Walloon heritage; it is one component of Walloon identity.

===Dialects===
[[File:Wallonie-linguistique-wa.svg|thumb|500px|Main subdivisions of Walloon dialects]]

Four dialects of Walloon developed in four distinct zones of Wallonia:<ref>Steven G. Kellman ''Switching languages: translingual writers reflect on their craft'', p.&nbsp;152.</ref>
* Central, spoken in [[Namur]] (''{{lang|wa|Nameur}}''), the Wallon capital, and the cities of [[Wavre]] (''{{lang|wa|Åve}}'') and [[Dinant]];
* Eastern – in many respects the most conservative and idiosyncratic of the dialects, spoken in [[Liège]] (''{{lang|wa|Lidje}}''), [[Verviers]] (''{{lang|wa|Vervî}}''), [[Malmedy]] (''{{lang|wa|Måmdi}}''), [[Huy]] (''{{lang|wa|Hu}}''), and [[Waremme]] (''{{lang|wa|Wareme}}'');
* Western – the dialect closest to French proper and with a strong [[Picard language|Picard]] influence, spoken in [[Charleroi]] (''{{lang|wa|Tchårlerwè}}''), [[Nivelles]] (''{{lang|wa|Nivele}}''), and [[Philippeville]] (''{{lang|wa|Flipvile}}''); and
* Southern – close to the [[Lorrain language|Lorrain]] and to a lesser extent [[Champenois]] languages, spoken in [[Bastogne]], [[Marche-en-Famenne]] (''{{lang|wa|Måtche-el-Fåmene}}''), and [[Neufchâteau, Luxembourg Province|Neufchâteau]] (''{{lang|wa|Li Tchestea}}''), all in the [[Ardennes]] region.

Despite local [[phonetic]] differences, there is a regional movement towards the adoption of a common spelling, called the [[:wa:Rifondou walon|Rifondou walon]]. This [[orthography]] is [[diasystem]]ic, reflecting different pronunciations for different readers, a concept inspired by the spelling of [[Breton language|Breton]]. The written forms attempt to reconcile current phonetic uses with ancient traditions (notably the reintroduction of ''xh'' and ''oi'' that were used for writing Walloon until the late 19th century) and the language's own [[phonology|phonological]] logic.

===Other regional languages===
Other regional languages spoken in Wallonia, outside the Walloon domain, are:
* [[Picard language|Picard]], in [[Mons, Belgium|Mons]], [[Ath]], and [[Tournai]];
* [[Lorrain language|Lorrain]] (also called ''Gaumais'' locally), in [[Virton]];
* [[Champenois language|Champenois]], in [[Bohan, Wallonia|Bohan]]; and
* [[Luxembourgish]], in [[Arlon]] and [[Martelange]].

The Picard, Lorrain and Champenois dialects spoken in Wallonia are sometimes also referred to as "Walloon", which may lead to confusion.