Editing Walloon language (section)

===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.