Champenois is a Romance language dialect spoken by a minority of people in Champagne and Île-de-France provinces in France and in Wallonia in Belgium. In Belgium'Champenois' is only native spoken in one municipality called Vresse-Sur-Semois, the town is small (around 3000 inhabitants).It is one of the langues d'oïl. It is classified as a regional language of France, and has the recognized status of a regional language of Wallonia.
The language of Chrétien de Troyes is marked by Champenois traits, but the earliest literature to survive consciously written in Champenois is noted from the end of the 16th century. Le Bontemps de Carnaval de Chaumont was updated and republished in 1660 - the language used contrasts the French spoken by the king's messengers with the Champenois of the local inhabitants. A feature of 18th century Champenois literature was the noëls (Christmas chants) which wove contemporary and local references into pious texts.
