Page:Philological Museum v2.djvu/349

339 Oil Oc and Oyl. 339 nearly a century older than Dante, according to the custom of poets m those days, chose names for himself and the Pro- vencal poet Bernard de Bonn, he named himself and his friend oc and no (yes and no. Millot hist. lit. des Trouba- dours I. 238). In Manni (Illustraz. istor. di Boccaccio, p. 311) in the story of the celebrated poet William of Ca- bestang, we read : Ezella dis^ oc Senhor (and she said, yes, Sir). In short, there can be no doubt that oc was used as an affirmative. But even with regard to the modern usage, though it is only the ancient language that we are concerned with in investigating this etymology, Sau- vage, in his second edition, gives us better information. He says (p. 109 — m) • there are at present five modes of ex- pressing assent : first the four, o, oc, oco^ oi^ according to the different districts : but all only in familiar conversation with persons whom one t/ioiis. The fifth, oic-i (for it is thus at full length that the later form oui is pronounced) is a respectful answer which one addresses to strangers and per- sons of higher rank, as being nearer to the French, because genuine Languedoc words are often accounted too vulgar or too familiar, so that one who is not on intimate terms with the company never hears them, though at other times the Languedoc may be the sole language of conversation. Oc therefore not only was, but still is, the affirmative used there: and this is also attested by all who have ever written on the subject. It would therefore be carrying scepticism too far to hesitate about deriving the name Languedoc from the par- ticle. As to the Goths, though they were at one time masters of the same countries, the nature of the language rebuts their pretensions. It is so much nearer to the Latin and so much more remote from the German, or Gothic, than for instance the modern French, that it cannot have been called, by way of contrast or distinction, the Gothic tongue. On the contrary the Provencals themselves for this very reason termed their language Romana : though that of France in general, both the south and the north was like- wise so called (sometimes wi'.h the addition rustica): from which denomination of the vulgar languages, as is well known, wTre derived the terms Roman^ Romance^ for the