Gascon (Occitan: [ɡasˈku], French: [ɡaskɔ̃]) is usually considered as a dialect of Occitan, even though some specialists regularly consider it a separate language. Gascon is mostly spoken in Gascony and Béarn in southwestern France (in parts of the following French départements:Pyrénées-Atlantiques, Hautes-Pyrénées, Landes, Gers, Gironde, Lot-et-Garonne, Haute-Garonne, and Ariège) and in the Aran Valley of Spain. It has about 250,000 speakers worldwide.^{[citation needed]}

Only Aranese, a southern Gascon variety, is spoken in Spain. Aranese has been greatly influenced recently by Catalan and Spanish. Both these influences tend to differentiate it more and more from the dialects of Gascon spoken in France. Since the 2006 adoption of the new statute of Catalonia, Aranese is co-official with Catalan and Spanish in Catalonia (before, this status was valid for the Aran Valley only).

Linguistic classification[link]

See Occitan: Debates concerning linguistic classification.

Basque substrate[link]

The language spoken in Gascony before Roman rule was part of the Basque dialectal continuum (see Aquitanian language); the fact that the word 'Gascon' comes from the Latin root vasco/vasconem, which is the same root that gives us 'Basque', implies that the speakers identified themselves at some moment as Basque. There is a proven Basque substrate in the development of Gascon. This explains some of the major differences that exist between Gascon and other Occitan dialects.

A typically Gascon feature that may arise from this substrate is the change from "f" to "h". Where a word originally began with [f] in Latin, such as festa 'party/feast', this sound was weakened to aspirated [h] and then, in some areas, lost altogether; according to the substrate theory, this is due to the Basque dialects' lack of an equivalent /f/ phoneme. Thus we have Gascon hèsta [ˈhɛsto] or [ˈɛsto]. A similar change took place in continental Spanish. Thus Latin facere gives Spanish hacer ([aˈθer]) (or, in some parts of southwestern Andalusia, [haˈθɛɾ]).^[1]

While some linguists deny the plausibility of the Basque substrate theory, it is widely assumed that Basque, the "Circumpyrenean" language (as put by Basque linguist Alfonso Irigoyen and defended by Koldo Mitxelena, 1982), is the underlying language spreading around the Pyrenees onto the banks of the Garonne River, maybe as far east as the Mediterranean in Roman times (niska cited by Joan Coromines as the name of each nymph taking care of the Roman spa Arles de Tech in Rousillon, etc.).^[2] Basque gradually eroded across Gascony in the High Middle Ages (Basques from the Val d'Aran cited still circa 1000),^[3] with vulgar Latin and Basque interacting and mingling, but eventually with the former replacing the latter north of the east and middle Pyrenees and developing into Gascon.^[4]

Note that modern Basque has had lexical influence from Gascon in words like beira ("glass"), polit ("pretty", Gascon polit/polida) to mention but a few. One way for the introduction of Gascon influence into Basque came about through language contact in bordering areas of the Northern Basque Country, acting as adstrate. The other one takes place since the 11th century over the coastal fringe of Gipuzkoa extending from Hondarribia to San Sebastian, where Gascon was spoken up to the early 18th century and often used in formal documents until the 16th, with evidence of its occurrence in Pasaia still in the 1870s.^[5] A minor focus of influence was the Way of St James and the establishment of ethnic boroughs in several towns based on the privileges bestowed on the Francs by the Navarrese kings from the 12th until the early 14th century, while the variant spoken and used in written records is mainly Occitan of Toulouse.

Usage of the language[link]

A poll conducted in Béarn in 1982 indicated that 51% of the population spoke Gascon, 70% understood it, and 85% expressed a favourable opinion regarding the protection of the language.^[6] However, use of the language has declined dramatically over recent years as Gascon is rarely transmitted to young generations any longer. The usual term for Gascon is "patois", a word designating in France a non-official and devaluated dialect whatever the concerned region.^{[citation needed]} It is mainly in Béarn that the population uses concurrently the term "Béarnais" to designate its Gascon forms. This is because of the political past of Béarn, which was independent and then part of a sovereign state (the shrinking Kingdom of Navarre) from 1347 to 1620. In fact, there is no unified Béarnais dialect; the language differs considerably throughout the province. Many of the differences in pronunciation can be divided into east, west, and south (the mountainous regions). For example, an 'a' at the end of words is pronounced "ah" in the west, "o" in the east, and "œ" in the south. Because of Béarn's specific political past, Béarnais has been distinguished from Gascon since the 16th century, though not for linguistic reasons.

Subdialects[link]

Gascon comprises three main linguistic areas:^{[citation needed]}

• The 'Garonnais Gascon' used on and next to the river Garonne valley. These regions know the least specific Gascon forms.
• The 'Southern Gascon' used in the south and in the south-west of the linguistic Gascon zone. The Gascon of these regions is the one with the most distinctive characteristics of Gascon, coming mainly from a supposed Basque substratum.
• The 'Intermediary Gascon'^{[citation needed]} in an intermediary zone between the two just mentioned.

English words of Gascon origin[link]

An isard (Pyrenean chamois).

Austrian beret.

cadet

from cabdèt [kad'dɛt] ("captain, chief").^[7]

cep

from cep [sep] 'trunk', this is an alternative cookery name for the penny bun mushroom,^[8] now more commonly known by the Italian name of porcini.

izard

from French isard or Gascon isard [i'zar].^[9]

beret

from Bearnese French béret and Gascon berret [ber'ret] "cap".^[10]

Jingo

OED finds an etymology from Basque Jainko ("God") through Gascon possible but not proven.

Influences on other languages[link]

Probably as a consequence of the linguistic continuum of occidental Romania and the French influence over the Hispanic Mark on the medieval times, shared similar and singular features are noticeable between Gascon and other Latin languages on the other side of the frontier: Aragonese and ultraoccidental Catalan (Catalan of La Franja)

Examples[link]

According to the testimony of Bernadette Soubirous, the Virgin Mary spoke to her (Lourdes, 25 March 1858) in Gascon saying: Que sòi era Immaculada Concepciou ("I am the Immaculate Conception", the phrase is reproduced under this statue in the Lourdes grotto with a non-standard spelling), confirming the proclamation of this Catholic dogma four years earlier.

See also[link]

• Occitan conjugation
• Languages of France

References[link]

• Le Gascon de poche, Jean-Marc Leclercq & Sèrgi Javaloyès, Assimil 2004, ISBN 2-7005-0345-7

External links[link]

• Museum of local culture
• Teaching of Occitan and Basque in Aquitania
• Cap'òc : Unitat d'Animacion Pedagogica en Occitan
• Gascon Lanas (Institut d'Estudis Occitans)
• Per Noste [1]
• Ethnologue 15th Edition report for Gascon
• Ethnologue 16th Edition report for Occitan, including Gascon as a dialect
• IBG site opposing Gascon and Béarnais to Occitan

Wikimedia Commons has media related to: Gascon language

Joan Albert Amargós is a Spanish composer and conductor born in Barcelona in 1950. Amargós is an instrumentalist on piano and clarinet, and has composed a number of chamber and symphonic works. He is also a great connoisseur of Flamenco, which has served as the basis for some of his compositions, that always breathe a brightness and colour distinctly Mediterranean.

He has earned a number of prizes, such as the prize for best arranger of Spain. The government of Catalonia awarded him the National Award for music for the opera Euridice in 2002. He also won the Ciudad de Barcelona Prize the same year, for his collaborations with Miguel Poveda. In 2008 his composition Northern Concerto was nominated for a Grammy in the category of Best Classical Contemporary Composition; Michala Petri was the soloist on recorder.

References[link]

• KML Fondazione
• Conservatori Liceu

Xavier College
Latin: Sursum Corda Lift up your hearts
Location
Kew & Brighton, Victoria, Australia
Coordinates	37°48′44″S 145°1′54″E / 37.81222°S 145.03167°E / -37.81222; 145.03167Coordinates: 37°48′44″S 145°1′54″E / 37.81222°S 145.03167°E / -37.81222; 145.03167
Information
Type	Independent, Co-educational (P-4), Boys (5-12), Day and Boarding
Denomination	Roman Catholic, Jesuit
Established	1878
Chairman	John Ralph AC
Rector	Fr Thomas Renshaw SJ
Principal	Chris Hayes
Key people	John Hickey (Director of the Senior Campus) Kathleen Upfold (Director of Kostka Hall) Peter Cooper (Director of Burke Hall)
Enrollment	2,085 (P–12)[1]
Colour(s)	Cardinal and Black
Website	www.xavier.vic.edu.au

Xavier College is a Roman Catholic, day and boarding school predominantly for boys, with its main campus located in Kew, an eastern suburb of Melbourne, Victoria, Australia.

Founded in 1872 by the Society of Jesus, classes started in 1878, and the college is part of the international network of Jesuit schools begun in Messina, Sicily in 1548. Originally an all-boys school, the College now offers co-education until Year 4, and an all-boys environment from then on. In 2011 the school had 2,085 students on roll,^[1] including 76 boarders.^[2]

The school is in the Archdiocese of Melbourne,^[2] and is affiliated with the Junior School Heads Association of Australia (JSHAA),^[3] the Association of Heads of Independent Schools of Australia (AHISA),^[4] the Australian Boarding Schools' Association (ABSA),^[5] and the Associated Public Schools of Victoria (APS).^[6]

In December 2010, The Age reported that, based on the number of alumni who had received a top Order of Australia honour, Xavier College ranked equal tenth among Australian schools.^[7]

Culturally, Xavier was described in June 2009 by old scholar John Roskam as "the last bastion of old-style Labor Right, DLP education".^[8]

History[link]

Senior Campus[link]

The Senior Campus is located in Barkers Road, Kew, 8 kilometres (5 miles) from the centre of Melbourne. The foundation stone of the campus was laid in 1872 and the school began formally in 1878 on land known originally as Mornane's Paddock. Founded as a Jesuit school, it was originally named St Francis Xavier's College. Construction continued during the school's early years, with the main oval added in 1883, and the West Wing and Great Hall in 1890.^[9] In 1900, Xavier replaced St Patrick's College in East Melbourne as the only Catholic institution among the six Associated Public Schools at that time.^[2] A Memorial Chapel on the Senior Campus was constructed in memory of Old Xaverians killed in the First World War, opening in 1934.

In 1993, a multi-purpose Sports Centre, the Stephenson Centre, was opened, including a 25-metre pool, a basketball stadium, gymnasium and multi-purpose rooms. The building's Gleeson Room has views onto the main oval. Following a bequest to the school, in 2008 the wooden scoreboard on the main oval was replaced with a video scoreboard, the first of its kind at an Australian school.^[10][11] Construction of a new science facility and the Eldon Hogan Performing Arts Centre began on the campus in 2005. The development includes eleven science laboratories, a large music rehearsal room, and a 500 seat auditorium.^[12] In April 2008, science classes began in the new laboratories. The centre was officially opened on 25 July 2008 with a blessing by the Archbishop of Melbourne, Denis Hart, an old boy of the College.

At his appointment as principal in October 1997 Chris McCabe was the first lay head of a Jesuit school in Australia.^[13] On his retirement at the end of 2008,^[14] the post was filled by Dr Chris Hayes, the former principal at St Edmund's, Canberra,.^[15]

Some buildings on the Senior Campus^[16], and Studley House at the Burke Hall Campus^[17], are listed on the Victorian Heritage Register.

Memorial Chapel[link]

To celebrate the golden jubilee of Xavier College in 1928, a chapel was built to be "a memorial for the dead, a reminder to the living, a beacon of faith lit by charity and always burning brightly for those still to come."[citation needed] The external architecture is in the Italian Renaissance style with four massive Ionic style pillars at the main entrance. From conception to completion, construction took around sixteen years and was led by Rectors Fr. Edmund Frost S.J. and Fr. Frank O’Keefe S.J. In 1926, Fr. Frost wrote, "From the centre of the City and from the surrounding suburbs the distant view of the noble dome would catch the attention of many a Catholic as he returned home from a day of weary toil."[citation needed] The foundation stone reads:		Memorial Chapel foundation stone
AD HONOREM DEI VIVENTIS IN MEMORIAM SODALIUM DEFUNCTORUM HUNC LAPIDEM PRIMARIUM IMPOSUIT RMUS DANIEL MANNIX D.D. ARCHIEPISCOPUS MELBOURNENSIS FESTO CHRISTI REGIS AN. MDCCCCXXVII	In honour of our living God In memory of our fallen comrades This foundation stone was laid by His Grace Daniel Mannix D.D. Archbishop of Melbourne on the Feast of Christ the King In the year 1927

Burke Hall[link]

Cigarette card featuring the Xavier College colours and crest, circa 1920s

In 1920, Studley Hall, a gift from T.M. Burke, a Catholic businessman, was opened in 1921 as Xavier's first preparatory school. Fr James O'Dwyer SJ, Rector of Xavier between 1908-1917, became Burke Hall's first headmaster, before the campus was renamed Burke Hall several years later in honour of its benefactor. Burke donated a classroom block in 1923 and, in 1926, Burke's wife provided funding for a construction of a chapel in memory of her deceased brother.^[9] The campus was extended in 1966 with the donation of an adjacent mansion from the estate of John Wren following his death. After renovations to the original ballroom, which in 1975 became the library, and the original hall had been converted to classrooms, a new classroom block was built in 1987. A multi-purpose hall was constructed in 1997 overlooking the main oval that was re-graded in 1998. In 2002, a co-educational Early Years Centre was opened on the Burke Hall campus for students up to grade 4.^[2] In 2011 a new classroom block, the St Mary MacKillop Building, was added and named after the first Australian-born saint.

Kostka Hall[link]

Following the request by Daniel Mannix, Archbishop of Melbourne, that the school should have a campus in the southern suburbs of the city, Fr. William Hackett SJ, Rector of Xavier, purchased 'Maritima' in Brighton in 1936 that was opened in 1937 as the Kostka Hall Junior campus with the addition of a second building, Marchwood (also known as St Johns).^[9] This was demolished in 1959 to make way for a major building project, including classrooms, tuckshop, and administrative buildings, and a chapel was built in 1967. Science rooms were added in 1969 and in the 1970s the Jesuits bought various adjoining properties to expand the campus. In 1996 a multi-purpose hall was completed with a new arts centre opened in 1998. In 2005, an Early Years Centre was opened and was based on the one at Burke Hall .

Buxton Campus[link]

In addition to the three main campuses, the school has an outdoor education facility in Buxton, near Marysville, and a rowing shed on the banks of the Yarra River. It also leases the historical mansion Billilla in Halifax Street, Brighton, from the Bayside City Council.^[18][19] In 2009, the Buxton outdoor education centre was temporarily closed due to extensive damage from the Black Saturday bushfires in Victoria.^[20]

Houses[link]

Senior Campus[link]

After existing in some form for several decades, in 1977 the system of inter-house sport and activities was restructured. Each house was assigned a housemaster and seven tutors. Boys are split up into these seven tutor groups within each house and the tutor group meets each day with the tutor acting as mentor during their four-year attendance. House meetings take place around once a week, lockers are organised according to house and several inter-house sporting events are held each year.^[21] In 1991, the houses, previously known by their colour, were given names.^[22] and in 2010, the new houses of MacKillop and Regis were added.

^† Unawarded 2001-2002.

^‡ Gonzaga and Claver shared the 2010 Old Xaverians Trophy for the Champion House, having accumulated the same number of points throughout the year.

Burke Hall[link]

The six houses of Burke Hall had existed for many years as Hodgson, Ignatius, Studley, Surbiton, Trawalla, and Waverley.^[22] In 1987, two new houses were added and with the exception of Ignatius, the houses were renamed.

^‡ Tied premierships: 1987, 2006.

Early Years Centre[link]

Upon its foundation in 2002, separate houses were created for the Early Years Centre students at Burke Hall.

Kostka Hall[link]

Awards commenced in 1971.

Curriculum[link]

Thirty-three VCE subjects and five external VET studies are offered. Xavier is one of only fifteen schools in Victoria to offer Latin and one of only two which offers Ancient Greek, which it has done continuously since 1878.

Xavier has a strong academic history. For each of the past fifteen years (excluding 2009) the Dux of the school received an ATAR score of 99.95, the highest possible. In 2008, 2010 and 2011, three students achieved this mark at Xavier out of 32 in the state.^[23]

Co-curriculum[link]

The main activities include Sport, Music, Drama, Debating, and Community Service. Students may also join specific interest groups such as the Chess Club. Outdoor Education is compulsory in Years 5 to 10, and students spend up to one week at the Outdoor Education Centre at Buxton, or an alternative venue, where they are given instruction in a variety of activities.

Community service[link]

Students are encouraged to participate in community service, and a minimum amount of completed service hours is mandated. Each Friday evening Xavier students volunteer their time at a tutoring school in housing commission apartments in Richmond, where many residents are recent migrants or refugees. This activity is completed with students from the sister school Genazzano FCJ College.^[24] Year 11 students are required to participate in an additional 35 hours while on a week-long community service placement.

Debating[link]

From Year 8 and above, students have the opportunity to participate in the Toorak division of the Debaters Association of Victoria competition. The college also takes part in the annual Jesuit Schools' Debating Carnival competing with Aloysius, Ignatius Riverview, Ignatius Adelaide and Loyola Mt Druitt.

Sport[link]

(L-R) The Memorial Chapel on top of the hill overlooking a game of Australian rules football being played on the Roche Oval, Xavier College.

Sport is compulsory for all students at Xavier,^[25] and in addition to cricket and Australian rules football, a range of sporting activities are offered including athletics, badminton, basketball, cross country, hockey, lawn bowls, martial arts, rowing, rugby union, sailing soccer, swimming, tennis, triathlon, water polo and volleyball.^[26]

Cricket is the main summer sport, and the school has won premierships in 2009/10 and 2010/11. ^[27] Two alumni who pursued careers in the sport were Percy McDonnell (1860-1896) who captained the Australian Test team in six matches, including the tour of England in 1888, and Karl Schneider (1905-1928), who is described in Cricinfo as one of "the most naturally gifted batsmen to have graced the game".^[28] While at the school, he played in the 1st XI for four years, three of which as captain. He broke the APS runs (1642) and wickets (139) records which remain unbroken,^[28] and captained Xavier to back-to-back premierships in 1923-24.^[27] Due the performances of David Seal in 1974 the school won the premiership once again after fifty years.^[29]

The school's Australian rules football eam has produced numerous VFL/AFL players, and has won twenty-nine football premierships, second of the APS schools behind Scotch (36).^[27] The Old Xaverians Football Club has also been successful in the Victorian Amateur Football Association (VAFA), winning eight premierships in the last decade.^[30]

Performing Arts[link]

Performing Arts have been part of the school's activities since 1929, with Musical Theatre/Operetta's and Dramatic Plays having a shared focus in the college's co-curricular program. The school conducts an annual Senior Musical Production with Genazzano FCJ College.^[31] The two Junior Campuses also have Performing Arts and Dramatic programs, each staging a major production every year.

Maytime Fair[link]

The Maytime Fair has been held annually in May since 1952 and is hosted by Xavier College. It raises funds for the work of the Jesuit Mission, with support from friends and benefactors connected with schools, parishes, and other communities in Victoria and beyond.^[32] The annual fairs have been assisted by traditional sister school Genazzano FCJ College, and together, the two schools have provided a number of student-run stalls such as "Go Nuts for Donuts", a Fairy Tent and face-painting, amongst others.

Each stall and attraction at the Maytime Fair donates its profit to the work of Jesuit Mission. The Maytime Fair consistently contributes over $100,000 each year for work in the developing world, including India, Cambodia, East Timor and Myanmar.^[32] In 2008 over $130,000 was raised, which was given to assist in the relief effort by Jesuit Missionaries in response to the 2008 Sichuan earthquake. In 2010, over $150,000 was raised.^[33]

Notable alumni[link]

Alumni of Xavier College are known as Old Xaverians, and all former students become members the Old Xaverians' Association (OXA).^[34]

Amongst the school's notable alumni are:

• Timothy Conigrave, best-selling author
• Will Davison and Paul Dumbrell, V8 Supercar drivers
• Paul Fitzgerald (1933–1939), Australian portrait artist
• Sir James Gobbo, the 25th Governor of Victoria
• James P. Gorman, CEO of Morgan Stanley
• The Most Reverend Denis Hart, the 8th and current Catholic Archbishop of Melbourne
• Bill Shorten, Assistant Treasurer and Member for Maribyrnong in the Australian Parliament
• Simon Whelan, Justice of the Victorian Supreme Court

In popular culture[link]

• Holding the Man, a memoir and later a play, begins at Kostka Hall and then the Senior Campus.
• Sir Les Patterson, a fictional character portrayed by Barry Humphries, "attended" Xavier College.

See also[link]

• List of schools in Victoria
• List of high schools in Victoria
• Victorian Certificate of Education

References[link]

Further reading[link]

• Schrader, H. J. T. (1926). School songs of Xavier. Xavier College. 
• Dening, Greg (1978). Xavier: a centenary portrait. Old Xaverians' Association. ISBN 0-9595926-0-1. 
• Brennan, Peter (1981). Report on the Australian Jesuit schools. Jesuit Publications Australia. 
• Hawkins, Thomas (1999). Sursum corda, "Lift up your hearts": a history of Xavier College, 1914-1928. Monash University. 
• Penrose, Helen (1999). Lifeline to India: a history of the Maytime Fair. Eldon Hogan Trust. ISBN 0-9577067-0-7. 
• Penrose, Helen (1999). Red, black and khaki: cadets at Xavier College. Eldon Hogan Trust. ISBN 0-9577067-2-3. 
• Pertzel, Barbara (1999). The Sincere gift of himself: a biography of Eldon Hogan. Eldon Hogan Trust. ISBN 0-9577067-4-X. 
• Walters, Fiona (1999). A better, gentler school: music at Xavier College. Eldon Hogan Trust. ISBN 0-9577067-3-1. 
• Waterhouse, Catherine (2001). Xaverians on active service: from South Africa to Vietnam. Eldon Hogan Trust. ISBN 0-9577067-5-8. 
• Henderson, Paul (2005). Xavier behaviour. Eldon Hogan Trust. ISBN 0-646-44662-2. 
• Murphy, Frank (2006). The vision splendid: a history of the Xavier Memorial Chapel. Eldon Hogan Trust. ISBN 0-9577067-7-4. 

External links[link]

• Xavier College website