Joret line

{{Short description|Isogloss in northern France}} {{One source|date=April 2025}} thumb|upright=1.35|The Joret line (in red) The '''Joret line''' ({{langx|fr|ligne Joret}}; Norman: ''lène Joret''; Picard: ''line Joret'') is an isogloss that divides the langues d'oïl. Dialects north and west of it preserve Latin {{IPAslink|k}} and {{IPAslink|ɡ}} before {{IPAslink|a}}; dialects south and east of it palatalize them. In Old French the result of this palatalisation was {{IPAslink|t͡ʃ}} and {{IPAslink|d͡ʒ}} (for original {{IPAslink|k}} and {{IPAslink|ɡ}} respectively), which yield {{IPAslink|ʃ}} and {{IPAslink|ʒ}} in Modern French. The line was first identified by Charles Joret and published in 1883.

The area north and west of it is sometimes called the 'Normano-Picard domain' ({{langx|fr|domaine normano-picard}}). Within it lie Picard and the northern dialects of Norman.

==Geography== The Joret line extends from the Channel Islands (including Jèrriais, Guernésiais, and Sercquiais) and across the continent from Granville, Manche to the linguistic border with Dutch in the North of France and Belgium.{{efn|People in western Wallonia speak Picard (Tournai, Ath, Soignies, Mons, etc.)}} It runs approximately west to east through Normandy north of Granville and Villedieu-les-Poêles and divides Manche in two linguistically and separates Calvados and Orne along with Eure; then it curves progressively to the north and ends up approximately south to north in Picardy, where the line runs with the Amiénois and Thiérache, up to the west of Rebecq, Beaumont and Chimay in Belgium, where it separates Picard from Walloon.

==Examples== * Norman Picard {{IPAslink|k}} ~ Southern Norman, French {{IPAslink|ʃ}}, Walloon {{IPAslink|tʃ}} (palatalization)

:Latin ''cattu'' (cat) gave rise to {{IPA|/ka/}} ''cat'' north of the line and {{IPA|/ʃa/}} ''chat'' to the south.

:Low Latin ''*captiare'' (to catch) gave rise to ''cachier'' / ''cacher'' (> English catch) north of the line and ''chasser'' (> English chase) to the south.

:Low Latin ''*cantionem'' (song), Picard ''canchon'' West of the line, French ''chanson'', Walloon ''tchinson'' South and East of the line. Similarly Latin ''cantare'' → ''canter'' vs. ''chanter'', ''tchanter''.

:Frankish ''*pokka'' (bag) gave rise to {{IPA|/puk/}} ''pouque'' (> English dial. poke) north of the line and ''pouche'' (> English pouch) to the south. French ''poche'' (pocket), Norman ''pouquette'' (> English pocket).

:Latin ''candela'' (candle) gave rise to ''candelle'' north of the line and ''chandelle'' to the south.

:Celtic ''*carros'' > Latin ''carrus'' gave rise to ''car'' (> English car) north of the line and ''char'' (wain, carriage), ''chariot'' (> English chariot) to the south.

:Celtic ''*kagio-'', Gaulish ''caio-'' > Norman Picard ''kay'', ''cay'' (> ME kay) > French quai (> English quay); Old French ''chay'' > French ''chai'' (wine cellar)

* Norman Picard {{IPAslink|ɡ}} ~ Southern Norman, French {{IPAslink|ʒ}}, Walloon {{IPAslink|dʒ}} (palatalization)

:Latin ''gamba'' (leg) gave rise to {{IPA|/ɡãb/}} ''gambe'' north of the line and {{IPA|/ʒãb/}} ''jambe'' to the south, ''djambe'' to the East.

:Frankish ''*gard-'' (yard) gave rise to ''gardin'' (> English garden) north of the line and ''jardin'' to the south.

:Late Latin ''*galleto'' > Norman Picard ''gal(l)on'' (> English gallon) ; Old French ''jallon'' , French ''jalon'' (measure)

== Second isogloss == Another effect of the palatalizations a bit further to the north but quite parallel was this:

* Norman Picard {{IPAslink|ʃ}} (or {{IPAslink|tʃ}}) ~ Southern Norman {{IPAslink|ts}} or {{IPAslink|s}}, French {{IPAslink|s}}.

:Low Latin ''*captiare'' > Norman Picard ''cacher'', ''cachi(er)'' (> English catch); Southern Norman, French ''chasser''

:Low Latin ''ceresiu(m)'' > Norman Picard ''cherise'', ''chrise'', ''chise'' (> English cherry); Southern Norman ''srise'' French ''cerise''

== Third isogloss == A third isogloss, marking a consonantal change unrelated to the others, more or less follows the Joret line throughout Normandy and continues through northeastern France. It includes all of Picardy, Wallonia, Champagne, Lorraine and a part of Burgundy.

Germanic {{IPAslink|w}} (sometimes Latin {{IPAslink|v}} was affected as well) was kept north of the line (written ''w'' or ''v''), but became {{IPAslink|ɡ}} (written ''g'' or ''gu'') south of the line.

*Northern French {{IPAslink|v}} ~ French {{IPAslink|ɡ}}

:Latin ''vespa'' / Frankish ''*waspa'' (wasp) > Picard ''Wespe'', Norman ''Vêpe'' ~ French ''guêpe'' (wasp)

:Frankish ''*wala hlaupan'' (S. English well and leap) > Picard, Old Norman ''waloper'' (> English wallop) ; French ''galoper'' (> English gallop)

:Frankish ''wahtôn'' (S. English wake and watch) > Picard, Old Norman ''wait(i)er'' (> English wait) ; Old French ''guaitier'', French ''guetter''

:Frankish ''*werra'' > Old Picard Old Norman ''werre'', ''warre'' (> English war) ; French ''guerre'' (war)

== Toponymy == The Joret line affects toponyms in Normandy and Picardy: Cambrai (corresponding to Chambray), Camembert, Carentan (corresponding to Charenton), Caen (Wace gallicized as ''Chaem'').

Norman placenames derived from the Gallo-Romance word ''Campaniacum'' show initial ''C-'' in some cases (Campigny, north) and initial ''Ch-'' in others (Champigny-la-Futelaye, south).

== Notes == {{notelist}}

==References== {{Reflist}} *''La Normandie dialectale'' Lepelley, Caen 1999 {{ISBN|2-84133-076-1}}

Category:Oïl languages Category:Culture of Picardy Category:Normandy Category:Isoglosses Category:Norman language