Gascon

Introduction

Gascon is a dialect of the Occitan language. Gascon is mostly spoken in Gascony and Béarn.

The language spoken in Gascony before Roman rule was part of the Basque dialectal continuum (see Aquitanian language); the fact that the word 'Gascon' comes from the Latin root vasco/vasconem, which is the same root that gives us 'Basque,' implies that the speakers identified themselves at some moment as Basque. There is a proven Basque substrate in the development of Gascon. This explains some of the major differences that exist between Gascon and other Occitan languages.

Verb Types

Gascon verbs are divided in regular and irregular verbs. The vast majority of the verbs are regular. Just like in Occitan, all the verbs are also divided in conjugation groups according to the ending in the infinitive.

Sample verb (1st conjugation): ayma

• Infinitive: ayma
• Present participle: aymant
• Past participle: aymat

Click verbs to conjugate them in the table above!

• ayma to love,
• tribalha to work,
• trouba to find.

References

• Roques, Gabriel. Grammaire Gasconne. Marseille. 1977.