Lissandre and his wife are confused. Just parents, this couple, originally from Occitania had the bad surprise to find that the first name they wanted to give to their child was not accepted by the municipality.
The couple wanted to name their newborn Artús. The first name, however not very daring, was therefore refused to the administration. The cause ? The little accent that the parents wanted to add to the “u”, which would be too typical of the regional language of Occitania.
So it will be without accent
“For us, giving our son an Occitan first name allows him to maintain a link with previous generations and restores some dignity to our culture.“, explains the dad during a report for TF1. “It is a misunderstanding. Our country denies us our culture, an Occitan first name“, explains the mother.
The mayor, meanwhile, explains that the spelling of this name is not compatible: “Today we have first names which are almost invented and which are authorized because they respect the framework of the use of the alphabet and the derogations which are possible“, he explains.
But for the father, this explanation does not satisfy him. “In Occitania, you can call your son Steven or Johnny, but not with an Occitan first name!“
For the time being, the little one therefore bears the name of Artus… but without an accent.
