Commission for the Publication of a Dictionary of Old Occitan
In the Middle Ages Old Occitan (formerly known as Old Provençal) was a language of literature and culture influential far beyond its geographical boundaries in southern France. It was also the language of the troubadours, whose songs were decisive in shaping the love lyric of the great medieval European literatures.
The only existing work which gives a comprehensive view of the vocabulary of Old Occitan, François Raynouard's Lexique Roman in six volumes, was written in the first half of the 19th century (1834–1845). Between 1894 and 1924 it was supplemented by Emil Levy's Provenzalisches Supplementwörterbuch in eight volumes. For a long time past linguists, literary scholars and historians throughout the world have felt the need for a dictionary of Old Occitan which would satisfy modern standards and reflect the advances in scholarship made during the last hundred years.
Publication of the new Dictionnaire de l'occitan médiéval (DOM) (Dictionary of Old Occitan) began at the end of 1996 and has been supervised since 1997 by the Commission for the Publication of a Dictionary of Old Occitan.
Musicians with their instruments. Miniature from a song book of the 13th century.