Lemosin redirects here: the term has also been used in the past to refer to the Catalan language.
The Limousin or Lemosin (native name) is a Occitan language spoken or understood by about 401,000 people in the part of southern France known as Limousin.
The first Occitan documents are in this dialect, particularly the Boecis, written around the year 1000.
Limousin is used primarily by people over age 50 in rural communities. All speakers speak French as a first or second language. Due to the French single language policy, it is not recognised by the government and might be disappearing. A revivalist movement around the Felibrige and the Institut d'Estudis Occitans is active in Limousin (as well as in other parts of Occitania).
