Editing Occitan language (section)

===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''.