ELI5: Explain Like I'm 5

Association internationale d'études occitanes

The association internationale d'études occitanes is a group of people who study the Occitan language and culture. Occitan is a type of language spoken in a part of Europe called Occitania, which is in the southern part of what is now modern-day France, as well as parts of Italy and Spain.

Imagine you are playing a game with your friends, and you all speak the same language. But then some new friends come to play, and they speak a different language that you don't understand. It can be confusing and hard to communicate with them.

Well, this is like what happened with the people who speak Occitan. A long time ago, most people in Occitania spoke Occitan, and they could understand each other perfectly. But over time, other languages became more popular and used in schools, so less people spoke Occitan. This meant that it became harder for Occitan speakers to communicate with each other and keep their language and culture alive.

That's where the association internationale d'études occitanes comes in. They are a group of people from all over the world who are really interested in Occitan. They study the language, its history, and the culture of the people who speak it. They want to help keep the Occitan language and culture alive, even if not many people speak it anymore.

The association does lots of things to help with this. They organize conferences, where experts on Occitan come together to share their knowledge and learn from each other. They also publish books and articles about Occitan, so that people can read and learn more about it. They have a website where they can connect with other people who are interested in Occitan and share information and resources.

The association internationale d'études occitanes is like a big team of people who are excited to learn about Occitan and make sure it doesn't disappear. They work together to study and promote the language and culture of Occitania. Their goal is to help people understand and appreciate Occitan, so that it can continue to be a part of our world.