The arrival of the Burgundians brought Germanic elements into the Gallo-Romance speech of the inhabitants.

Dialects of the south along the Saône river, such as Brionnais-Charolais, have been influenced by the Arpitan language, which is spoken mainly in a neighbouring area that approximates the heartland of the original Kingdom of Burgundy.

Louis de Courmont, nicknamed the "Botrel of the Morvan," was a chansonnier who after a career in Paris returned to his native region.

Emile Blin wrote a number of stories and monologues aimed at a tourist market; a collection was published in 1933 under the title Le Patois de Chez Nous.

More recently, Marinette Janvier published Ma grelotterie (1974) and Autour d'un teugnon (1989).