parlé

Parlé is the past participle of the French verb parler (to speak). It also functions as an adjective meaning "spoken" or "oral." The form adapts for gender and number when used adjectivally: parlé (masculine singular), parlée (feminine singular), parlés (masculine plural), parlées (feminine plural).

As a participle, parlé appears in compound tenses with an auxiliary verb (avoir or être). For example, j'ai parlé (I spoke) or elle a parlé. In passive constructions or when used as a participial adjective, it can agree in gender and number with the subject: la langue parlée (the spoken language), la langue a été parlée (the language has been spoken).

In linguistic and sociolinguistic contexts, parlé is commonly used to distinguish spoken language from écrit (written language). Phrases such as français parlé, langage parlé, or prononciation parlée describe features typical of everyday speech, including phonetic variation, contractions, and regional or social styles. The term helps categorize linguistic data and describe how people actually use language in real communication, as opposed to prescriptive or formal written forms.

Parlé also appears in set phrases and historical texts where it denotes things that are said or spoken rather than written. Though primarily a French term, its usage is familiar to students of Romance languages and comparative linguistics as a straightforward indicator of the spoken dimension of language.