Jennifer Cox
Picard, a minoritised Gallo-Romance language spoken in France and Belgium, is a contested language often characterised as “bad French”. Due in part to this negative stigma, it has historically been neglected by policies in support of regional languages. However, it was officially allowed to be taught in regional schools for the first time in 2022, reinvigorating revitalisation efforts for the language. But how does the contested status of Picard impact revitalisation? And how do those involved in Picard revitalisation act to counteract the effects of contestedness? This study investigates these questions using data from 45 semi-structured interviews with community members, as well as participant observation from fieldwork in the region. Results suggest that the contested status of Picard contributes to stigmatisation and a lack of support for revitalisation, but that different types of language planning actors have distinct strategies for addressing contestedness.