# Valdôtain dialect

Valdôtain (; local dialect: Valdotèn, Valdŏtèn, Valdouhtan) is a dialect of Arpitan (Franco-Provençal) spoken in the Aosta Valley in Italy, and the common language of the Aosta Valley. It is commonly known as patois or patoué. It is not an official language, the two regional official languages being French and Italian, though it is officially recognized.

## Distribution and classification

The Aosta Valley represents the only region of the Franco-Provençal area where this language is still widely spoken natively among all age ranges of the population, with a 2001 survey reporting almost 58% of the population know Franco-Provençal. A further 2003 study confirmed the status of Franco-Provençal as a main language for a majority of the population, with significant multilingualism.
It has been said that in the Aosta Valley there are as many forms of patois as there are bell towers, in reference to the high linguistic diversity in the region within the Valdôtain varieties of Franco-Provençal. However, they can be broadly classified into two main branches: those of the Upper Valley (French: haute Vallée, Italian: alta valle) to the west and of the Lower Valley (French: basse Vallée, Italian: bassa valle) to the east of the city of Aosta. Valdôtain varieties from the Upper Valley tend to be more innovative and have more affinity with from varieties spoken in Savoy and in Valais, across the national borders; meanwhile, those from the Lower Valley tend to be more conservative, with influence from Piedmontese.
The urban variety of Aosta itself (Arpitan: patoué de la Veulla, lit. 'Patois of the City') has often been considered 'neutral', especially for the local-language media.

## Vocabulary examples

Several subdialects of Valdôtain exist that exhibit unique features in terms of phonetics and vocabulary.
| Italian | French | West | West | West | West | West | Central-North | Central-North | Central-North | Central-North | Central-Southeast | Central-Southeast | East | East | East | East | East |
| Italian | French | La Thuile | La Salle | Rhêmes-Saint-Georges | Valsavarenche | Cogne | Sarre | Saint-Oyen | Oyace | Quart | Fénis | Champorcher | Valtournenche | Ayas | Emarèse | Arnad | Gaby |
| rastrello | râteau | rassi | râhé | rahi | rahi | raté | rati | râti | râti | raté | râti | rati | râté | rahtél | rahté | rahté | rahtél |
| fiore | fleur | flôr | fleu | fleur | fleure | fieur | fleur | flôr | fleu | fleur | fleur | fior | flour | fiour | fiour | fiour | fiour |
| volpe | renard, goupil | rèinâr | rèinâ | rèinar | rèinâr | rèinèar | rèinâr | rèinâ | rèinâr | rèinâr | rèinal | verpeuill | gorpeul | gorpéi | gorpeui | gorpeui | voulp |
| sì | oui, ouais | voué | vouè | vouè | ouè | vouài | ouè | ouè | vouè | vouè | ouè | ouèi | ò | òi | òi | òi | òi |

## Linguistic studies

Valdôtain has been the subject of detailed study at the Bureau régional pour l'ethnologie et la linguistique (BREL) in Aosta as well as in the Centre d'études francoprovençales in Saint-Nicolas.

## Music

The main modern singers and songwriters in Valdôtain are:
* Louis de Jyaryot, from Ayas;
* Maura Susanna, from Saint-Vincent;
* Magui Bétemps, from Valtournenche.
The traditional Aostan songs in Valdôtain and in French form the core of the activity of the band Trouveur valdotèn.

## Poetry

Here is a selection of some of the most important poets in Valdôtain:
   Cllier et seren lo ten apré la piôdze Cé bé soleil que torne égueeyìno la Val I sorton le feumélle ch'achèté su la lôye In precassèn de queut tant bien que mal[...]
   Esplojon de meuseucca Feusette de joèce Tsarriemèn de note que chorton Su lé, iou lé clliotse dzalaouse Le vardon a catson [...]
   De nët euna leumiére I berdzè l'at paru Un andze vin leur dëre: "Lo Saveur l'est neissu: un pouro baou l'est son palatse et sat pei de fen en traver compouson lo deur matelatse De ci gran Rei de l'univer; et din la rigueur de l'iver de dò trei lindzo l'est qeuveur
   Y son vignà de bon matèn< a désèi lo for Adeline e Dzeusepèn son lé prumì dou tor. Pôrton lo bôch de biôla é eun grou sac pesàn, lo vouidon su la tôla pé fare lo bon pan
   Dz'é vu su 'na louye, quase se presta a à tsére ba, Dé géragnon coleur lilà. Dz'é vu su 'na viéille fenétra, flourì i soleil Dé géragnon blan comme la nèi. Dz'é vu pendre, de la terasse de 'na villà Dé géragnon coleur fouà. Fleur di pouro, fleur di reutso, géragnon, Vo-éte la garniteura de totte le meison. Vo no portade lo sourire di bon Djeu Afen de no rendre tcheu moén malereu