Here is another language, and yes it is a Romance language of course. The number of speakers is hard to estimate, but estimates of 2-10 million are common. However, many of those are not full speakers. Many people who live in the area where this language is spoken do not speak the language, but probably some of the old people still do. The language has state support as an official language in two of the countries where it is spoken but not in the principle country where it is spoken, where a war has been waged on it and all of the non-official tongues for 200 years or so.
Actually this is clearly more than one language. It is easily six major languages, and if going on intelligibility grounds, it is probably up to 20 languages. An attempt has been to mingle all of these languages together into a written and spoken koine which is now taught to children at a variety of private schools in the region. This koine has not gone over very well. There have been a number of proposals for an official writing system, including one popular one created over 100 years ago, but I am not sure if the community has agreed on any one system. The speaker community consists mostly of fanatics who spend most of their time arguing and fighting among themselves.
Interestingly, I think the section of text below is about Bigfoot!
Au vilatge, venián d’aprene que lo professor Engarran de Fontarecha, dins son pargue dau Sèrre dels Bessons, s’èra fach manjar per son lion. N’aviá pas laissat que lo capèl e las lunetas. E la bèstia fèra aviá escapat, corrissiá las garrigas. Los caçaires avián apreparat sas balas e sos carrelets de las batudas als singlars, dins l’espèra de campejar lo lion.
Era tròp polit. Ricard encambèt sa bicicleta e seguiguèt Marquet cap al vilatge per ne saupre mai. Aval, l’embolh èra pas de dire. Tot lo mond per carrièras a discutir e a bracejar. Los òmes, faròts dins sos vestits de caça, se disián que se deviá avançar l’obertura de quinze jorns. Aquela obertura que començava de se far languir.
Finit d’aliscar lo fusilh sus la taula de la cosina en somiant de las lèbres e dels perdigalhs: i aviá una gròssa bèstia, que quitament los singlars a costat èra pas res de tot. Los fusilhs lusissián. Quau arrapariá una tèsta de lion au mur de son ostau? La pus fabulosa istòria de caça dempuòi lo bèstiari dau Gavaudan anava se debanar aquí, dins la garriga…E d’abòrd caliá venjar aquel malurós monsur de Fontarecha, tan brave qu’èra, lo paure el, darrièr sas lunetas espessas…
