Chapter I: Preface

This book, which is intended as a guide to students of Romance Philology, represents the result of desultory labors extending through a period of twenty years. My first introduction to the scientific pursuit of Provençal linguistics was a course given by Paul Meyer at the École des Chartes in the winter of 1884-85. Since then I have been collecting material both from my own examination of texts and from the works of those philologists who have dealt with the subject. Besides the large Grammars of the Romance Languages by Diez and by Meyer-Lübke, I have utilized H. Suchier’s _Die französische und provenzalische Sprache_ (in Gröber’s _Grundriss der romanischen Philologie_, I, 561), the _Introduzione grammaticale_ in V. Crescini’s _Manualetto provenzale_, the _Abriss der Formenlehre_ in C. Appel’s _Provenzalische Chrestomathie_, and many special treatises to which reference will be made in the appropriate places. Conscious of many imperfections in my work, I shall be grateful for corrections.

I have confined myself to the old literary language, believing that to be of the greatest importance to a student of Romance Philology or of Comparative Literature, and fearing lest an enumeration of modern forms, in addition to the ancient, might prove too bewildering. I should add that neither my own knowledge nor the material at my disposal is adequate to a satisfactory presentation of the living idioms of southern France. These dialects have, however, been investigated for the light they throw on the geographical distribution of phonetic variations; my chief source of information has been F. Mistral’s monumental _Dictionnaire provençal-français_. Catalan and Franco-Provençal have been considered only incidentally. I have not dealt with word-formation, because one of my students is preparing a treatise on that subject.

Readers desiring a brief description of Provençal literature are referred to H. Suchier and A. Birch-Hirschfeld, _Geschichte der französischen Literatur_, pp. 56-96; A. Stimming, in Gröber’s _Grundriss der romanischen Philologie_, II, ii, pp. 1-69; and A. Restori, _Letteratura provenzale_. For a more extended account of the poets they should consult _Die Poesie der Troubadours_ and the _Leben und Werke der Troubadours_ by F. Diez; and _The Troubadours at Home_ by J. H. Smith. The poetic ideals are discussed by G. Paris in _Romania_, XII, pp. 516-34; and with great fulness by L. F. Mott in _The System of Courtly Love_. The beginnings of the literature are treated by A. Jeanroy in his _Origines de la poésie lyrique en France au moyen âge_, reviewed by G. Paris in a series of important articles in the _Journal des Savants_ (November and December, 1891, and March and July, 1892) reprinted separately in 1892 under the same title as Jeanroy’s book. Contributions by A. Restori to several volumes of the _Rivista musicale italiana_ deal with Provençal music; some tunes in modern notation are to be found in J. H. Smith’s _Troubadours at Home_, and in the _Archiv für das Studium der neueren Sprachen_, CX (New Series X), 110 (E. Bohn).[1] Aside from the editions of individual poets, the best collections of verses are those of C. Appel, _Provenzalische Chrestomathie_; V. Crescini, _Manualetto provenzale_; and K. Bartsch, _Chrestomathie provençale_. Earlier and larger anthologies are M. Raynouard’s _Choix des poésies originales des troubadours_, and C. A. F. Mahn’s _Werke der Troubadours_ and _Gedichte der Troubadours_. The only dictionary of importance for the old language is the _Lexique roman_ (six volumes) of M. Raynouard, augmented by the _Supplement-Wörterbuch_ of E. Levy (now appearing in instalments). The poetic language of the present day can be studied to advantage in E. Koschwitz’s _Grammaire historique de la langue des Félibres_.