Arpitania

I'm an old romance language. Here is my area:Map showing the Arpitan domain (in Arpitan language). The inset shows the two isolated towns in the Apulia region of southern Italy where a dialect of Arpitan is also spoken.Arpitan (Vernacular: arpitan, patouès; Italian: francoprovenzale, arpitano, patoà; French: arpitan, patois) is a Romance language with several distinctive dialects that form a linguistic sub-group separate from Langue d'Oïl and Langue d'Oc. The name Franco-Provençal was given to the language by G.I. Ascoli in the 19th century because it shared features with French and Provençal without belonging to either. Although the name is well established, there is some dissatisfaction with it. The neologism Arpitan is becoming the most popular name for the language and the people who speak it.Today, the largest number of Arpitan speakers reside in the Aosta Valley Autonomous Region of Italy. The language also is spoken in alpine valleys in the Province of Turin, two isolated towns in the Province of Foggia, and rural areas of the Suisse-Romande region of Switzerland. It is classified as a regional language of France and constitutes one of the three great Romance languages of France although its use is relatively low. However, France is currently witnessing a revival in interest for regional languages. Organizations are attempting to preserve it through cultural events, education, scholarly research, and publishing.The number of speakers has been declining significantly. According to UNESCO (1995), Arpitan is a "potentially endangered language" in Italy and an "endangered language" in Switzerland and France.* Words of Arpitan origin that are found in English include:avalanche, chalet, glacier, moraine, and névê.