Editing Languedoc-Roussillon (section)

==Culture==
[[File:Pont du Gard BLS.jpg|thumb|left|[[Pont du Gard]] aqueduct near [[Nîmes]]]]

===Language===
Prior to the 20th century, [[Occitan language|Occitan]] was the language spoken in Languedoc, and [[Catalan language|Catalan]] was the language spoken in Roussillon. Both have been under pressure from French. In 2004, research conducted by the Government of Catalonia showed that 65% of adults over the age of 15 in Roussillon could understand Catalan whereas 37% stated they were able to speak it.<ref>{{cite web |url=http://www20.gencat.cat/docs/Llengcat/Documents/Dades%20origen%20territori%20i%20poblacio/Altres/Arxius/catnord2004.pdf |title=Enquesta d'usos lingüístics a la Catalunya Nord |year=2003 |publisher=Generalitat de Catalunya, Secretaria de Política Lingüística |access-date=24 November 2012 |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130114204222/http://www20.gencat.cat/docs/Llengcat/Documents/Dades%20origen%20territori%20i%20poblacio/Altres/Arxius/catnord2004.pdf |archive-date=14 January 2013  }}</ref>

In recent years there have been attempts at reviving of both languages, including Catalan-medium schooling through the [[La Bressola]] schools.

===Literature===
[[Occitan literature]] – still sometimes called Provençal literature – is a body of texts written in Occitan in what is nowadays the South of France. It originated in the poetry of the eleventh- and twelfth-century troubadours, and inspired the rise of vernacular literature throughout medieval Europe.

===Music===
[[Aimeric de Peguilhan]], [[Giraut de Bornelh]] and [[Bertran de Born]] were major influences in [[troubadour]] composition, in the [[High Middle Ages]]. The troubadour tradition is considered to have originated in the region.

The [[Romantic music]] composer [[Déodat de Séverac]] was born in the region, and, following his schooling in Paris, returned to the region to compose. He sought to incorporate the music indigenous to the area in his compositions.

===Wine===
{{Main|Languedoc-Roussillon wine}}
The Languedoc-Roussillon region is dominated by {{convert|740300|acre|km2}} of [[vineyard]]s, three times the combined area of the vineyards in [[Bordeaux]] and the region has been an important winemaking centre for several centuries. Grapevines are said to have existed in the South of France since the [[Pliocene]] period - before the existence of ''[[Homo sapiens]]''. The first vineyards of Gaul developed around two towns: [[Béziers]] and [[Narbonne]]. The [[Mediterranean climate]] and plentiful land with soil ranging from rocky sand to thick clay was very suitable for the production of [[wine]], and it is estimated that one in ten bottles of the world's wine was produced in this region during the 20th century (Robinson 1999:395).  Despite this enormous quantity, the area's significance was often overlooked by scholarly publications and commercial journals, largely because very little of the wine being produced was classified under an [[Appellation d'origine contrôlée|appellation contrôlée]] until the 1980s (Joseph 2005:190).

Several entrepreneurs such as Robert Skalli and James Herrick drastically changed the face of the region, planting more commercially viable [[grape varieties]] and pushing for new AOC classifications.  While the AOC system has origins in the 15th century, the Languedoc-Roussillon has some appellations like the [[Cabardès AOC|Cabardès]] which have existed by law only since 1999 (Joseph 2005:190).

The region is the largest contributor to the European Union's glut (dominance of supply over demand) of wine known as the [[wine lake]].<ref>{{cite journal |last1=Parfitt |first1=Trevor |last2=Tommer |first2=Yehonathan |date=July 1978 |url= https://www.jstor.org/stable/40395057 |title=Notes of the Month |journal=The World Today |volume=34 |issue=7 |pages=245–251 |jstor=40395057 |access-date=2021-03-23}}</ref>

The Languedoc-Roussillon region has adopted a [[Brand|marque]] to help market its products, in particular, but not limited to, wine. The {{lang|fr|Sud de France}} (''[[South of France|Southern France]]'') marque was adopted in 2006<ref name="Ind1">[[The Independent]] - ''[https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/france/sud-de-france--the-brand-1061928.html Sud de France - The Brand]'' - '''6 December 2008''' (accessed 24 February 2009)</ref> to help customers abroad not familiar with the [[Appellation d'origine contrôlée|Appellation]] system to recognise those wines that originated in the L-R area,<ref name="TFrL">This French Life - ''[http://www.thisfrenchlife.com/thisfrenchlife/2008/05/sud-de-france-t.html Sud de France to highlight Languedoc Roussillon wines]'' (accessed 24 February 2009)</ref> but the marque is also used for other products, including [[cheese]]s, [[olive oil]]s and pies.<ref name="Ind2">The Independent - ''[https://www.independent.co.uk/travel/europe/france/sud-de-france-foods-1061930.html Sud de France Foods]'' - '''6 December 2008''' (accessed 24 February 2009)</ref>

===Sport===
Languedoc-Roussillon has been a major center of [[Rugby league in France]] since the sport was introduced to the country in the 1930s. The region is also home to the rugby union teams [[AS Béziers Hérault]], [[RC Narbonne]] and [[USA Perpignan]]. Since the following years of the retirement of this region, the popularity has gone down.

[[Montpellier]] is home to [[Montpellier HSC]], which was founded in 1974 and plays in the [[Ligue 1]], the French top division. It won the French Championship after the 2011/12 season. Home matches are played at the Stade La Mosson, named after the area where it is located, with a capacity of 31,250. It was built in 1998.