If you’ve been wondering what language the heartbreaking main theme "Alicia" from Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is sung in: I've got you.
The soundtrack of Clair Obscur: Expedition 33 is the kind of thing that makes you stop mid-battle and just… ugly cry into the void. The main theme, "Alicia", is especially devastating. But between your violent sobbing sessions, you may have found yourself asking: wait, what language is that, anyway?
Occitan 101: A Romance Language Hiding In Plain Sight
Here’s the surprising answer: it’s not some invented fantasy tongue or gibberish. Nope – it’s Occitan, a real, historical language with roots stretching back through centuries of southern France.
Occitan (or lenga d’òc if you want to impress people at parties) is a Romance language descended from Latin. It was once widely spoken across Southern France, Monaco, parts of Italy, and even Spain’s Val d’Aran. For centuries, poets and troubadours wrote in it – in fact, it was one of medieval Europe’s great literary languages.Today, though, Occitan is considered endangered. France itself doesn’t give it official status, and most speakers are concentrated in small regions where local dialects still survive. UNESCO lists several of its branches as severely endangered. In short: hearing Occitan sung with such emotional weight in a 2025 RPG is both surprising and kind of beautiful.
Why You Can’t Translate “Alicia” (Yet)
Now, here’s where things get clever. You might have tried running Alicia’s lyrics through a translator, only to get… nothing. Most automated systems choke on Occitan, and even fluent French speakers will be left scratching their heads.
But there’s a reason for that – and it’s genius. If you dig further into the Expedition 33 soundtrack (or the game itself), you’ll notice a later song called "Maelle". It sounds almost identical to "Alicia," except the lyrics are sung in modern French.
Why the repetition? Because those lyrics contain major plot spoilers. The developers made the smart move of giving us the emotional hit of the music up front, without revealing the story too early. In other words: the Occitan version is the spoiler-free edition, and the French version comes later to tie the music directly into the narrative.
I won’t ruin the twist by translating the lyrics here – but if you’re curious, you can find them here.