There are many local words in the South of France, mostly linked in a loose linguistic group called 'patois', (litellary 'lingo'), heavily influenced by Spanish, but generally accepted as a language in its own right. Occitan is just one of the variants, you also get Gascon, Gersois and so on. There are not many people who can converse in these languges, except maybe deep in the country or on the border regions ith Spain, where Catalan is of importance. 'Boudiou' means 'Bon Dieu' ; you also get neat words like 'moulte' as in 'multitude' but most important of all is what seems to be the French for 'farewell' (Adieu) used as a greeting: 'Adiou' means 'hello' , I think it may have something to do with 'A Dieu', +/- implying 'one with God'. Frequently used, this has obviously lost its religious connotation. Many words have been adopted in other French regions, passing into slang French.

Sometimes, when you are in Toulouse, you can be surprised to not understand very well what people from this city are telling you. Don't worry!!!<BR> In France, each area's got special vocabulary transmited by the history . In Provence, we say words from the Provençal in a French conversation. In Toulouse, the strange words you can hear are from the Occitan. So, for "Oh my God!", you'll hear "Boudu" (and not "Mon Dieu!"). A fall become a "rèche", and not a "chute" in French. Feel free to ask the person with who you're talking to explain...