LINGUISTICS

What happened to Occitan? 🔎

Occitan, also known as Provencal, was one of the major Romance languages of the Middle Ages. It was the standard literary language in France, Monaco and northern regions of Italy and Spain from the 12th-14th centuries, and was the primary language of the medieval troubadours. The troubadours were some of the most influential medieval poets. It is most closely related to Catalan. So, what happened to the language, and why don’t we learn it in schools?

💡 Things to consider

• Oppression: The start of linguistic oppression began in 1539 when Act. 111 of the Ordinance of Villers-Cotterêts was passed under Francis I, declaring that all legislation had to be written in French. It also stated that French was the only language of the country. This was meant to eliminate Latin, which most of the French elite couldn’t read, but it also had negative effects on regional languages across France. In 1794, Henri Grégoire presented the “Report on the Necessity and Means to Annihilate the Patois” at a time when only 10% of the population spoke standard French. All other languages were considered as “patois.” Other contemporaries labelled Occitan as “the language of a defeated nation” and “barbaric jargon” and said translating cost too much money. Did the government’s post-revolution do the right thing by trying to unite a newly formed republic linguistically?

  

• Literary revolution: Occitan doesn’t have one standard written form; the Occitan that is written depends on the location of the writer. There was a “literary renaissance” in the mid-19th century that happened at the same time as the revival of many other banned languages such as Breton and Catalan. The main figure of the Félibrige movement was Frédéric Mistral, who won a Nobel Prize for his poetry. Mistral aimed to make a standardised literary version of Occitan, based on the Arles-Avignon dialect, and published an Occitan dictionary. Simultaneously, a movement arose in Toulouse to create a standardised written version of Occitan. There are clashes between the different spellings and some writers view the dialects of Occitan as different languages, thus they are written differently to each other. If there was one standard written form of Occitan, would this help with language revival and encourage people to read and study the language?

  

• Modern day: Occitan is still spoken in France today, with an estimated 700,000 native speakers. If you visit southern cities such as Toulouse or Montpellier, you will see street names written in both French and Occitan. Nearly all Occitan speakers are bilingual and speak another language, whether that be French, Spanish, or Italian. Occitan holds no legal status in France and the country refuses to ratify the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. UNESCO classifies 4 of the 6 major dialects of Occitan as severely endangered (Provencal, Auvergnat, Limousin and Languedocien) and the other two (Gascon and Vivaro-Alpine) are considered definitely endangered. If France recognised Occitan as a language of France, would the language no longer be endangered? Should France do more to protect Occitan?

🔎 Find out more

• Rapport sur la necessite et les moyens d’aneatir les patois

• Learn occitan on youtube

• Some of Frédéric Mistral’s poems

GEOGRAPHY

What are Digital Geographies? 🤳

We all know that digital technology, especially mobile phones, is a massive part of our everyday lives, and geography has been undergoing a ‘digital turn’ for many years now. Although authors such as Ash, Kitchin and Leszczynski (2018; 2019) caution against portraying everything in geography as ‘digital’, GIS tools and platforms such as Skype and Zoom have revolutionised the way geography is practised. And not just that - digital technologies have changed how we experience urban spaces too, be it through influencers geotagging Insta posts, adverts on digital billboards, or using Google Maps to make our way to an event. This makes digital geographies an exciting and emerging area of study.

💡 Things to consider

• Geography has been concerned with technology since at least the 1990s: If you think about it, geography is kind of all about technology. For centuries, geographers have been drawing maps, writing detailed accounts about their discoveries, and more recently using platforms such as ArcGIS to plot their data. Critical cartography emerged in the 1970s and 80s as a way of countering the power relations and ideas that are often embedded in maps, which we tend to ignore. Platforms such as ‘The True Size Of)’ can tell you in a few clicks how big a country really is, since world maps tend to make certain, more powerful countries look bigger than less wealthy countries.

• Digital technology is exclusionary, especially when it comes to the ‘smart city’: Pedestrian safety apps may divert its users away from areas of the city that are dominated by Black residents, whilst the Samaritan app uses Bluetooth beacons to allow passersby to donate to homeless people. But all of this means that vulnerable people are made visible to the authorities, which could threaten their safety. If the Samaritan app is hacked, for instance, the location data for lots of homeless people could be leaked, which may make them targets for violence, or allow the authorities to remove their tent encampments. Similarly, not everyone can use or access technology - the elderly, unemployed, disabled people and children may be at a disadvantage if they’re unable to pay with cash, for example.

  

  Or maybe not …

• Digital technology can be emancipatory and create new ways of resisting: However, people are using technology to challenge discrimination too. Street papers, such as the Big Issue in the UK or Real Change in Seattle, allow homeless individuals to make a living and access help for a range of issues. Also, by encouraging conversation, these vendors alter the speed of the city, making our interactions more personal and less reliant on technology. Russell (2012) describes something called ‘glitch politics’, which is when our usual patterns and inequalities are disrupted, and a new way of understanding a place emerges. Micha Cardenas created wearable technology that allowed trans and queer people to locate one another, without the police or harmful individuals being aware, so that they could ensure their safety. Movements like Black Lives Matter were organised using social media, and spread safety information for protestors too.

🔎 Find out more

• A good explanatory paper about digital geographies

• Russell’s Glitch Feminism

🍒 The cherry on top

• 🏳️‍🌈 Byron and Queer Love: Love and loss were constant themes in Lord Byron's poetry, but what if the inspiration was closer than anyone thought? This article delves into recently discovered letters hinting at a passionate, same-sex relationship that fuelled Byron's creativity. Great if you’re into Literature!

• 💎 Under Pressure: From diamond-making heat in the mantle to the Sun's fusion furnace, discover how extreme pressure can unlock surprising new properties for objects in this YouTube video. A must-watch if you’re into Physics!

• 🎀 Barbie and Philosophy: How do we assess whether life in plastic really is fantastic, not to mention the questionable principles of consent inherent in the idea that you can undress her everywhere. Most importantly, is Barbie feminist, and if so, what kind of feminist? Check out this podcast if you’re interested in Philosophy, Sociology, or Politics!

👀 Keep your eyes peeled for…

• 7th May:

  • Christ’s College Cambridge Personal Statements Webinar

  • Trinity Hall Cambridge Biological Natural Sciences Webinars (for teachers)

  • Sheffield Computer Science Online Taster Session

  • Sheffield East Asian Studies Taster Session

  • UEA Economics Webinar

• 8th May:

  • Homerton College Cambridge Maths Subject Focus Session

  • Corpus Christi College Cambridge Maths Open Evening

  • UEA Psychology Webinar

  • Sheffield Politics and International Relations Taster Session

• 9th May:

  • Homerton College Cambridge Linguistics Subject Focus Session

  • Trinity Hall Cambridge History Webinars (for prospective students)

  • UEA Economics Webinar

  • Sheffield Languages and Cultures (Latin American Studies) Taster Session

  • Sheffield Materials Science Engineering Online Taster Session

• 10th May:

  • Trinity Hall Cambridge History Webinars (for teachers)

• 11th May:

  • Oxford Modern Languages Open Day

🗳️ Poll