John Calvin’s mother tongue...

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Picard was one of five major dialects of the northern French that became modern French. I'd guess that if Calvin were asked, he'd have said he grew up speaking French.
 
This is interesting! I would have never considered this. However, Picard looks pretty intelligible with French from what little I looked into it.
 
And here I thought Calvin spoke French. Now I discover he speaks either Federation Standard or alcohol... which is it?
 
Oh, I'm sorry, I thought the title was John Calvin's mother's tongue. :lol:

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Many patois words are very similar to French, but a large number of words are totally specific to Picard, principally terms relating to mining.
Here are several typical northern phrases in Picard, accompanied by French and English translations:

Mi, à quatre heures, j'archine eune bonne tartine.

Moi, à quatre heures, je mange une bonne tartine.

"At four o'clock, I eat a good slice of bread."

Quind un Ch'ti mi i'est'à l'agonie, savez vous bin che qui li rind la vie ? I bot un d'mi. (Les Capenoules (a music group))

Quand un Nordiste est à l'agonie, savez-vous bien ce qui lui rend la vie ? Il boit un demi.

"When a northerner is in his death-throes, do you know what revives him? He drinks a beer."


Picard language - Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
 
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