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Oral Traditions

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Valais - Switzerland

Dialects (patois) on stage (theatre, stories, ...) in French-speaking Valais (Valais romand)

Franco-Provençal dialects, commonly called patois, are not a corruption of the French language. They are languages in their own right, Romance languages derived from Latin that was once implanted in the territories concerned. The area for the circulation of the Franco-Provençal language is limited by the oïl dialects in the North and in the West, by the oc dialects in the South and in the South-West, as well as by German and Italian in the East and in the South. Indeed, Franco-Provençal dialects are still more or less used in a vast region straddling France (Rhône, Savoy …), Switzerland (Western Switzerland) and Italy (Aosta).
Compared with the features that they share with the whole Franco-Provençal territory, the dialects of French-speaking Valais reflect a rich internal variation. Almost every village has developed its own characteristics, basically of a phonetic or of a lexical nature. Since official and public acts were first written in Latin and later in the 18^th century they were increasingly written in French, we have few records that are written in old dialect.
The education of children in the 19^th century and the wide use of French in exchanges and written communications downgraded the local use of dialects. After some time, they were actively opposed. Measures were taken by the authorities to prohibit their use. As a result, in 1824 in imitation of a decree in the canton of Vaud in 1806, the rules of the schools of the Commune of Monthey stipulated that: "The school authorities prohibit their students and absolutely prohibit themselves from making use of dialect during school hours and generally during all courses of study. " This example is copied and the general prohibition in Valais becomes effective when the city fathers think that the use of dialects is harmful to learning and to the widespread use of French. However, even without this ostracism, dialects (patois) declined irreversibly because they retained regional and local characteristics which at times rendered them difficult to understand from one region to another, from one commune to another and even from one village to another. However, with the intermingling of populations that increased even at the same time that important changes influenced Valais as from the 1850s, dialects or local dialects were unable to compete with the French language. The development of communications, industry, commerce and services tended to impose de facto the use of a single language.
Confined to particular practices that are linked to traditional agriculture and especially to the rearing of livestock, the language fades away. The upper classes of society are encouraged to expand the circle of their audience and use the French language for this purpose. In the same way as the media, all school curricula go in this direction and deprive traditional dialects of stable and living means of expression that can be communicated by means other than oral tradition that was earlier limited to the narrow circle of the family and the village.
After World War II, the irreversible decline in traditional agriculture and changes in all levels of society hastened the decline of dialects. With the exception of some communes in Valais, family circles no longer spoke in dialect. Children hardly spoke it any longer.
It is in this emergency situation that an organization was set up that regularly promotes the dialects of French-speaking Switzerland and of neighbouring regions.
On Radio-Lausanne (then Radio Suisse Romande), Charles Montandon, Fernand-Louis Blanc and Ernest Schüle, main editor of A glossary of dialects of French-speaking Switzerland (Glossaire des patois de la Suisse romande), launched the idea of a fortnightly transmission in dialect. Their objective was not to collect and save from extinction words and phrases that are commonly used in dialect but to reproduce the inflections and the nuances of regional dialects.
The Statutes of the Sound Archives of the dialects of French-speaking Switzerland and neighbouring regions (Archives sonores de parlers de la Suisse romande et des régions voisines) were signed on 16 December 1955 and a team began to collect and to disseminate a true authentic sound testimony of endangered dialects by saving them to disk or on tape. Over the years, the transmission widened its interest and focused on dialects in neighbouring regions: Val d'Aosta, Savoy, Piedmont, Alsace…
In all 1529 transmissions were produced between 1952 and 1992. They covered the whole traditional repertoire of oral literature. Besides stories, legends, songs, prayers and poems that reflect an original sensibility and a vision of the world, there are also numerous sketches and plays which reconstitute village scenes.
With the collaboration of Radio Suisse Romande, Memoriav and cantonal libraries from Romande, the Médiathèque Valais Martigny put online the sounds and some of the scripts of these transmissions, including 472 in the dialect of Valais and more than 500 in the dialect of Fribourg. In this way it has been possible to find, listen, study and reproduce valuable elements of this spoken tradition.

LEARNING AND TRANSMISSION

In addition to work done on the ground by Radio Suisse romande, the French-speaking and Interregional Federation of Speakers of Dialects (Fédération romande et interrégionale des patoisants), founded in 1954, organizes a literary competition presided by Ernest Schüle with the aim of promoting the creation of works written in one of the dialects found in French-speaking Switzerland and enriching in this way the audio archives of French-speaking dialects and contributing to the renewal of the life of these dialects.
Also set up in 1954, the Valais Cantonal Federation of Friends of Dialects (Fédération cantonale valaisanne des amis du patois) is committed to enhancing the importance of dialects through different channels: conferences, studies, research on sayings, proverbs, short stories, songs, poems, playlets, lectures… A special effort is made to put down in writing what is basically an oral culture. For this, the Federation organizes or supports classes in spelling, verses, music or theatre. At the same time it encourages ethnic-linguistic surveys with a view to saving the knowledge of speakers who lived in the days when traditional activities were still the general lot of the population.
Under the aegis of the Valais Cantonal Federation of Friends of Dialects (Fédération cantonale valaisanne des amis du patois), the Foundation for Patois (Fondation du patois) and the Council for Dialects (Conseil du patois), special measures are taken to keep the tradition alive.
As we have seen, the Federation encourages creativity and is building up a fully-fledged regional literature. Being very active, it also provides various courses to give interested speakers the necessary foundations to realize and sustain their knowledge. A range of diversified activities reach their climax in regional and interregional meetings, gatherings and other cultural manifestations in which singing, theatre (plays and sketches) and story-telling and the narrative of legends are the preferred modes of expression.
Furthermore, the living tradition is stimulated by the development of courses in dialect in the popular universities of the Canton and by introductory courses in some primary schools and orientation stages. It is heartening to note that the movement in favour of safeguarding and maintaining tradition had a spectacular effect with the introduction of optional courses in dialect in primary schools. The first initiative of the commune of Evolène was crowned with success since at the start of the scholastic year 2011 more than 60 students were enrolled in this optional course.

COMMUNITY

The group of participants in this initiative is broadly formed by those who still actively and regularly speak in dialect. In the census that was held in 2000, 6,202 persons in Valais indicated that dialect was one of their spoken languages. Among the 5,484 persons who declared that they spoke in dialect in their household, 839 also spoke it at work. The Hérens district had 1,319 inhabitants who spoke in dialect, representing 14.6 % of the population; the district of Conthey had 1,137 or 5.6 % and the district of Entremont had 395 speakers or 3.2 %. Évolène is the only municipality in French-speaking Switzerland where dialect has been spoken uninterruptedly. Even at the beginning of the 21^st century, children still learn dialect as their first language and dialect is spoken by 48.5 % of the resident population. Besides people who use dialect in their daily lives, one must also take into account larger groups who are in contact with the language in a passive manner but understand it and are able to enjoy productions in dialect (theatre goers, listeners of stories, etc.). The Valais Cantonal Federation of Friends of Dialects (Fédération cantonale valaisanne des amis du patois) and the twenty local affiliated societies are the recognized holders of the living tradition. It is within the framework of their activities that the essential elements of tradition take place and are spread in the form of tales, songs, plays, etc. On the initiative of Bernard Bornet, former Councillor of State, the Valais Government recognized the need to support more actively the movement in favour of safeguarding speaking in dialect in Valais. On 25 June 2008, following the proposal of a commission appointed by the head of the Department of Education, Culture and Sport, the State Council set up the Council for Dialects (Conseil du patois) which implemented an ambitious plan of action for an increased appreciation of dialects. On 4 April 2011, following a proposal by the Council for Dialects, the State Council of the Canton of Valais and the Valais Cantonal Federation of Friends of Dialects (Fédération cantonale valaisanne des amis du patois) set up the Foundation for the Development and Promotion of Franco-Provençal Dialects in Valais (Fondation pour le développement et la promotion du patois francoprovençal en Valais).

PROMOTIONAL ACTIONS

The greatest initiative to promote dialect is the Glossary of Patois in French-speaking Switzerland (Glossaire des patois de la Suisse romande). Launched in the last years of the 19^th century, the Glossary sought to save more than 50,000 words based in more than 200 localities situated throughout the whole country.
In 1973 the Dialectology Centre and Study of Regional French (Centre de dialectologie et d'étude du français régional) was set up at the University of Neuchâtel. The mission of this Centre is university education and the training of students in the field of Galloromane Dialectology, living dialects and regional French.
The Dialectology Centre and the Glossary of Patois in French-speaking Switzerland ensure a greater appreciation of dialects on a scientific level. But it is the responsibility of other actors who are involved in the survival of the language through direct oral transmission to keep the tradition alive.

PROTECTIVE MEASURES

The Foundation and the Council for Patois have undertaken to promote new modes for the expression of dialect in relation to the current performing arts. It was therefore with their support that several artists have used dialect as a language on the stage and have published CDs in contemporary styles. This is particularly the case of Laurence Revey, Paul Mc Bonvin, Sylvie Bourban, Carine Tripet…

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To learn more

Web Sites

• Les traditions vivantes en Suisse - Patois du Valais romand en scène
  
• Patois du Valais romand dans les collections audiovisuelles de la Médiathèque Valais – Martigny
  

Produced by

SVIZZERA Cantone Vallese - Médiathèque Valais - Martigny - Geraldine Roels

Scientific Advisor

Thomas Antonietti, Bernard Bornet, Jean-Henry Papilloud

Release Date

27-NOV-2014 (Geraldine Roels)

Last update

02-DIC-2014

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