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10 Monegasque words to celebrate the Menton Lemon Festival

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Parades feature floats covered in thousands of lemons. © Menton town council

How well do you know the Monegasque language? Monaco Tribune, in partnership with the Académie des Langues Dialectales, gives you a list of words and expressions to boost your vocabulary.

Menton is hosting its annual flagship event, the Lemon Festival, until March 3. “Citrus, orange, citron and especially lemon growing has been a major activity in and around Menton since the 16th century. Menton lemon, considered yellow gold, was exported throughout Europe in the 19th century. Every year, from mid February to the beginning of March, a popular festival in honour of this fabulous fruit attracts tourists from all over Europe,” says Claude Passet, President of the Academy of Dialectal Languages.

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  • Cultivation: cültivaçiun 
  • Menton: Mentun 
  • Fruit: frütu 
  • Lemon: limun 
  • Orange: çitrun, purtügalu 
  • Citron: çedrà 
  • Yellow: giaunu 
  • Gold: oru 
  • Festival: festa 
  • Tourist: turista