Angevin dialect
Angevin is the traditional langue d'oïl spoken in Anjou, a historic province in western France. It was also spoken in neighboring regions like the Pays Nantais, Maine and Touraine.
It is closely related to other oïl dialects spoken in western France, especially Sarthois, Mayennois and Norman in what could be called Eastern Armorican. Eastern Armorican, together with Gallo, forms the "zone armoricaine" of Langues d'oïl.
As an oïl language or dialect it shares many common features with French in vocabulary, phonemes and daily expressions.
It is also similar to the Gallo language. Angevin influenced the origin and development of Gallo in the Marches of Neustria beginning in the 9th and 10th centuries.
Angevin was the old speech of the Angevins or House of Plantagenet. However, in spite of this prestigious dynasty, Angevin never developed a notable literature, partially because the region of Anjou was integrated into the royal domains of the King of France at the beginning of the 13th century, where the literary language was Parisian based Francien.
Some words of Angevin origin were borrowed to English via Anglo-Norman at the Angevins domination of England.
Today it is almost an extinct dialect or language but it is preserved in the Rimiaux, poems written in Angevin, and also in some daily expressions.Literature
The Rimiaux are some of the best expressions of Angevin literature. Several Rimiaux from Angevin poets and writers have been published.
Honoré de Balzac used some Angevin words and speech in his novel Eugénie Grandet.
