This paper demonstrates that the “new speaker” notion is not only descriptive, but also highly prescriptive, which postulates that minority language learners parley their linguistic market participation. “New speakers” are often indexed as speakers of “new”, “standard” or “artificial” languages that indicate youth, urbanity, modernity and middle class membership, which can be considered unwanted in minority language movements. Based on fieldwork data from an Occitan bilingual primary school in Provence, it is shown how pupils reframe the debate so as to fit within the larger picture of Occitan speakers. The traditional, monolingual speaker still carries considerable prestige amidst minority language speakers in southern France.