Don’t Be Afraid, or You Risk Losing Your Joy
Around a bottle of water, a few of the valley’s last patois speakers are talking
Around a bottle of water, a few of the valley’s last patois speakers are talking
Gérard Revey, 90, shares his concerns about the changes taking place in the mountains.
For several years now, dialectologist Janine Barmaz-Chevrier has been organizing « Cafés patois » in Val d'Anniviers. These gatherings provide an opportunity for those who still speak this language, as well as those who are simply interested in it, to get together.
As in many other Swiss mountain valleys, the ancient language of Anniviers is now on the verge of extinction. Only a few people, mostly elderly, still speak it. This melodious accent, with its rolled “R,” will soon survive only in the archives.
“However, I have noticed that some young people are interested in it. And they are right to be, because the patois has left its mark on the civilization we live in today. It has left traces in place names and surnames, among other things, which will still be there long after no one speaks it anymore,” explains Janine.
For me, taking an interest in patois is a way of connecting with the world of Anniviers' ancestors, a world so different from ours today. Their vocabulary focused on the essentials of their needs and culture, and reflects a different outlook on life.
In a café, the language of the past evokes current topics and raises questions about the future.
