Saintongeais

Saintongeais, also known as Saintongais, is a Romance language variety spoken in the historical territory of Saintonge in western France, primarily within the Charente-Maritime department. It is part of the Langue d'oïl family, the same branch that includes French, and sits within the Poitevin-Saintongeais subgroup, closely related to Poitevin. Depending on linguistic tradition, it is treated as either a distinct language or as a regional dialect of French.

Geographic distribution and status: Traditionally spoken across rural Saintonge, along the Atlantic coast and inland. In the modern era, speaker numbers have declined due to language shift toward standard French, with most fluent speakers now being older adults. Local associations and cultural programs promote awareness and, in some communities, language learning.

Linguistic characteristics: Saintongeais shares core features with other Oïl varieties, including verbs and pronouns, but preserves unique phonological and lexical traits. Distinctive features include certain vowels and consonant shifts that differ from standard French, and a number of regional words not found in the dominant language.

Relation to Poitevin-Saintongeais: It forms part of the Poitevin-Saintongeais continuum, a cluster of Oïl varieties spoken in western France; Saintongeais and Poitevin are closely related and often discussed together as a regional language bloc.

Notable aspects: It has a modest amount of written material in local publications and some school and cultural initiatives aim to keep the dialect alive as part of regional heritage.