Editing Occitan language (section)

===Writing system===
{{further|Occitan alphabet}}
There are two main linguistic norms currently used for Occitan, one (known as "classical") based on that of Medieval Occitan, and one (sometimes known as "Mistralian", due to its use by [[Frédéric Mistral]]) based on modern [[French orthography]]. Sometimes, there is conflict between users of each system.
* The ''classical norm'' (or less exactly ''classical orthography'') has the advantage of maintaining a link with earlier stages of the language, and reflects the fact that Occitan is not a variety of French. It is used in all Occitan dialects. It also allows speakers of one dialect of Occitan to write intelligibly for speakers of other dialects (e.g. the Occitan for ''day'' is written ''jorn'' in the classical norm, but could be ''jour'', ''joun'', ''journ'', or even ''yourn'', depending on the writer's origin, in Mistralian orthography). The Occitan classical orthography and the [[Catalan language|Catalan]] orthography are quite similar: they show the very close ties of both languages. The digraphs ''lh'' and ''nh'', used in the classical orthography, were adopted by the [[Portuguese alphabet#Basic digraphs|orthography of Portuguese]], presumably by [[Gerald of Braga]], a monk from [[Moissac]], who became bishop of [[Braga]] in Portugal in 1047, playing a major role in modernizing written [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] using classical Occitan norms.<ref>Jean-Pierre Juge (2001) ''Petit précis – Chronologie occitane – Histoire & civilisation'', p. 25</ref>
* The ''[[Mistralian norm]]'' (or less exactly ''Mistralian orthography'') has the advantage of being similar to that of French, in which most Occitan speakers are literate. Now, it is used mostly in the [[Provençal (dialect)|Provençal]]/[[Niçard]] dialect, besides the classical norm. It has also been used by a number of eminent writers, particularly in Provençal. However, it is somewhat impractical, because it is based mainly on the Provençal dialect and also uses many digraphs for simple sounds, the most notable one being ''ou'' for the {{IPA|[u]}} sound, as it is in French, written as ''o'' under the classical orthography.

There are also two other norms but they have a lesser audience. The ''Escòla dau Pò norm'' (or ''Escolo dóu Po norm'') is a simplified version of the Mistralian norm and is used only in the Occitan Valleys (Italy), besides the classical norm. The ''Bonnaudian norm'' (or ''écriture auvergnate unifiée, EAU'') was created by Pierre Bonnaud and is used only in the [[Auvergnat]] dialect, besides the classical norm.

{| class="wikitable"  style="margin:1em auto;" align="center"
|+ Comparison between the four existing norms in Occitan: extract from the [[Universal Declaration of Human Rights]]
|-
! Classical norm
! Mistralian norm
! Bonnaudian norm
! Escòla dau Pò norm
|-
|'''[[Provençal dialect|Provençal]]'''<br /> Totei lei personas naisson liuras e egalas en dignitat e en drech. Son dotadas de rason e de consciéncia e li cau (/fau/) agir entre elei amb un esperit de frairesa.
|'''[[Provençal dialect|Provençal]]'''<br /> Tóuti li persouno naisson liéuro e egalo en dignita e en dre. {{not a typo|Soun}} doutado de rasoun e de counsciènci e li fau agi entre éli em' un esperit de freiresso.
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|'''[[Niçard]] Provençal'''<br /> Toti li personas naisson liuri e egali en dignitat e en drech. Son dotadi de rason e de consciéncia e li cau agir entre eli emb un esperit de frairesa.
|'''[[Niçard]] Provençal'''<br /> Touti li persouna naisson liéuri e egali en dignità e en drech. {{not a typo|Soun}} doutadi de rasoun e de counsciència e li cau agì entre eli em' un esperit de frairessa.
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|'''[[Auvergnat]]'''<br /> Totas las personas naisson liuras e egalas en dignitat e en dreit. Son dotadas de rason e de consciéncia e lor chau (/fau/) agir entre elas amb un esperit de frairesa.
|
|'''[[Auvergnat]]'''<br />Ta la proussouna neisson lieura moé parira pà dïnessà mai dret. Son charjada de razou moé de cousiensà mai lhu fau arjî entremeî lha bei n'eime de freiressà. (Touta la persouna naisson lieura e egala en dïnetàt e en dreit. {{not a typo|Soun}} doutada de razou e de cousiensà e lour chau ajî entre ela am en esprî de freiressà.)
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|'''[[Vivaroalpenc|Vivaro-Alpine]]'''<br /> Totas las personas naisson liuras e egalas en dignitat e en drech. Son dotaas de rason e de consciéncia e lor chal agir entre elas amb un esperit de fraternitat.
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|'''[[Vivaroalpenc|Vivaro-Alpine]]'''<br /> Toutes les persounes naisoun liures e egales en dignità e en drech. {{not a typo|Soun}} douta de razoun e de counsiensio e lour chal agir entre eels amb (/bou) un esperit de freireso.
|-
|'''[[Gascon language|Gascon]]'''<br /> Totas las personas que naishen liuras e egaus en dignitat e en dreit. Que son dotadas de rason e de consciéncia e que'us cau agir enter eras dab un esperit de hrairessa.
|'''[[Gascon language|Gascon]] (Febusian writing)'''<br /> Toutes las persounes que nachen libres e egaus en dinnitat e en dreyt. Que {{not a typo|soun}} doutades de rasoû e de counscienci e qu'ous cau ayi entre eres dap û esperit de hrayresse.
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|'''[[Limousin dialect|Limousin]]'''<br /> Totas las personas naisson liuras e egalas en dignitat e en drech. Son dotadas de rason e de consciéncia e lor chau (/fau/) agir entre elas emb un esperit de frairesa.
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|'''[[Languedocien dialect|Languedocien]]'''<br />Totas las personas naisson liuras e egalas en dignitat e en drech. Son dotadas de rason e de consciéncia e lor cal agir entre elas amb un esperit de frairesa.
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{| class="wikitable" align="center"
|+ The same extract in six neighboring [[Romance languages]] and English for comparison
|-
|'''[[French language|French]]'''<br />Tous les êtres humains naissent libres et égaux en dignité et en droits. Ils sont doués de raison et de conscience et doivent agir les uns envers les autres dans un esprit de fraternité.<ref name="omniglot" />
|'''[[Franco-Provençal language|Franco-Provençal]]'''<br />Tôs los étres homans nêssont libros et ègals en dignitât et en drêts. Ils ant rêson et conscience et dêvont fâre los uns envèrs los ôtros dedens un èsprit de fraternitât.<ref name="omniglot" />
|'''[[Catalan language|Catalan]]'''<br />Totes les persones neixen/naixen lliures i iguals en dignitat i en drets. Són dotades de raó i de consciència, i cal que es comportin fraternalment les unes amb les altres.<ref name="omniglot">{{cite web|url=http://www.omniglot.com/udhr/italic.htm|title=Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 1)|publisher=Omniglot.com|access-date=15 October 2009|archive-date=18 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091018133257/http://www.omniglot.com/udhr/italic.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
|'''[[Spanish language|Spanish]]'''<br />Todos los seres humanos nacen libres e iguales en dignidad y derechos y, dotados como están de razón y conciencia, deben comportarse fraternalmente los unos con los otros.<ref name="omniglot" />
|'''[[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]'''<br />Todos os seres humanos nascem livres e iguais em dignidade e direitos. Eles são dotados de razão e consciência, e devem comportar-se fraternalmente uns com os outros.<ref name="omniglot" />
|'''[[Italian language|Italian]]'''<br />Tutti gli esseri umani nascono liberi ed uguali in dignità e in diritti. Sono dotati di ragione e di coscienza e devono comportarsi fraternamente l'uno con l'altro.<ref name="omniglot" />
|'''English'''<br />All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.omniglot.com/udhr/germanic.htm|title=Universal Declaration of Human Rights (Article 1)|publisher=Omniglot.com|access-date=15 October 2009|archive-date=18 October 2009|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20091018170432/http://www.omniglot.com/udhr/germanic.htm|url-status=live}}</ref>
|}

Note that Catalan version was translated from the Spanish, while the Occitan versions were translated from the French. The second part of the Catalan version may also be rendered as "Són dotades de raó i de consciència, i els cal actuar entre si amb un esperit de fraternitat", showing the similarities between Occitan and Catalan.