Is that French or Occitan I Hear?

On a beautiful afternoon in Toulouse, students in the High School Study Abroad Global Navigator Program enjoyed an introduction to the Occitan language through traditional music and dance. Occitan is the the original language of the Occitanie region, where Toulouse is located and where students are living with host families and studying French and learning about Francophone culture.

Students attended two workshops sponsored by the Center for Traditional Occitan Music and Danse (COMDT). Students attended two sessions: one on traditional Occitan instruments, which resemble bagpipes and clarinets, and the other on traditional song and dance in Occitan.

A specialist in the construction of ancient musical explained how the traditional instruments are constructed from boxwood and leather, typically goatskins, and a reed. He then played a musical excerpt on each instrument. Students then had a chance to raise their voices and to make music themselves, working with the song and dance specialist, who had them singing in Occitan and dancing in circle within minutes of the start of the workshop.

Students hear Occitan spoken on a daily basis on the metro, where each stop is announced first in French, then in Occitan. They also see the dual language postings on street signs throughout the city center.

The goal that the COMDT staff shared with students today is to preserve the traditional Occitan language and culture through music and danse. Students learned that there are only 250 people in the world who can play traditional Occitan musical instruments today. Our hope is that the students will carry this message to their friends and families far away in the US and beyond in order to preserve the culture of the Occitanie region,  including its language, music, and dance.