Western Lombard is a group of dialects of
Lombard, a
Romance language spoken in
Italy. It is widespread in the
Lombard provinces
of Milan,
Monza,
Varese,
Como
Como (, ; lmo, Còmm, label=Comasco , or ; lat, Novum Comum; rm, Com; french: Côme) is a city and ''comune'' in Lombardy, Italy. It is the administrative capital of the Province of Como.
Its proximity to Lake Como and to the Alps has m ...
,
Lecco
Lecco (, , ; lmo, label=Lecchese, Lècch ) is a city of 48,131 inhabitants in Lombardy, northern Italy, north of Milan. It lies at the end of the south-eastern branch of Lake Como (the branch is named ''Branch of Lecco'' / ''Ramo di Lecco''). ...
,
Sondrio
Sondrio (; lmo, Sùndri; rm, Sunder; archaic german: Sünders or ; la, Sundrium) is an Italian city and ''comune'' and Provincial Capital located in the heart of the Valtellina. , Sondrio counts approximately 21,876 inhabitants (2015) and it is ...
, a small part
of Cremona (except
Crema and its neighbours),
Lodi and
Pavia, and the
Piedmont provinces
of Novara,
Verbano-Cusio-Ossola
Verbano-Cusio-Ossola (Italian: ''Provincia del Verbano Cusio Ossola'' ) is the northernmost province in the Italian region of Piedmont. It was created in 1992 through the fusion of three geographical areas which had previously been part of the ...
, the eastern part of the
Province of Alessandria (
Tortona), a small part
of Vercelli (
Valsesia
Valsesia ( pms, Valsesia; Walser German: ''Tseschrutol''; it, Valle della Sesia) is a group of valleys in the north-east of Piedmont in the Province of Vercelli, Italy; the principal valley is that of the river Sesia.
The major towns located ...
), and
Switzerland (the Canton of
Ticino
Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ; lmo, Canton Tesin ; german: Kanton Tessin ; french: Canton du Tessin ; rm, Chantun dal Tessin . ...
and part of the Canton of
Graubünden). After the name of the region involved, land of the former
Duchy of Milan, this language is often referred to as Insubric (see
Insubria
Insubria ( Lombard: ''Insübria'') is a historical-geographical region which corresponds to the area inhabited in Classical antiquity by the Insubres; the name can also refer to the Duchy of Milan (1395–1810). For several centuries this name sto ...
and
Insubres) or Milanese, or, after Clemente Merlo, (literally "of this side of
Adda River").
Western Lombard and Italian
In Italian-speaking contexts, Western Lombard is often incorrectly called a
dialect of
Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional It ...
. Western Lombard and Standard Italian are very different.
Some speakers of Lombard varieties may have difficulty understanding one another and require a standard to communicate, but all Western Lombard varieties are mutually intelligible.
[ Western Lombard is relatively homogeneous (much more so than ]Eastern Lombard
Eastern Lombard is a group of closely related variants of Lombard, a Gallo-Italic dialect spoken in Lombardy, mainly in the provinces of Bergamo, Brescia and Mantua, in the area around Cremona and in parts of Trentino. Its main variants are B ...
), but it has a number of variations, mainly in relation to the vowels , and the development of into .
Western Lombard has no official status in Lombardy or anywhere else. The only official language in Lombardy is Italian
Italian(s) may refer to:
* Anything of, from, or related to the people of Italy over the centuries
** Italians, an ethnic group or simply a citizen of the Italian Republic or Italian Kingdom
** Italian language, a Romance language
*** Regional It ...
.
Grammar
The general lines of diachronics of Western Lombard plural declension are drawn here, with reference to Milanese orthography:
Feminine
Most feminine words end with the inflection ''-a''; the feminine plural is non-inflected (''la legora'' / ''i legor'' ; ''la cadrega'' / ''i cadregh''). The final vowel keeps its original length (non-final syllables have no difference), which is often long when it is followed by a voiced consonant and short when it is followed by a voiceless consonant. When the stem ends with a particular consonant cluster, there can be the addition of a final ''-i'' or of a schwa between consonants (for example: in Milanese sing. ''scendra'', plur. ''scendr'' > ''scender''). For adjectives, the plural form and masculine form are often the same.
Masculine
Most masculine nouns lack inflections, and the plural masculine is always non-inflected (''el tramvaj''/''i tramvaj''; ''el lett''/''i lett'' ). When the word stem ends with a particular group of consonants, both singular and plural forms can add a schwa between consonants; otherwise, a final ''-o'' (pron. /u/) is added to singular nouns, ''-i'' for plurals.
Masculine words ending in ''-in'' or, less commonly, in ''-ett'', have plurals in ''-itt'' (''fiolin''/''fiolitt''). Those ending in ''-ll'' have plurals in ''-j'', (''el sidell''/''i sidej'' ; ''el porscell''/''i porscej'' ; ''el cavall'' / ''i cavaj''). The same occurs in the determinate article: singular ''ell'' > ''el'', plural ''elli'' > ''ej'' > ''i''.
Masculine words ending in ''-a'' are invariable and are proper nouns, words from Ancient Greek or idiomatic words such as ''pirla'', a derogatory term for a person.
Varieties
Western Lombard can be divided into four main varieties: ''lombardo alpino'' (spoken in the provinces of Sondrio and of Verbania, Sopraceneri of Canton Ticino
Ticino (), sometimes Tessin (), officially the Republic and Canton of Ticino or less formally the Canton of Ticino,, informally ''Canton Ticino'' ; lmo, Canton Tesin ; german: Kanton Tessin ; french: Canton du Tessin ; rm, Chantun dal Tessin . ...
and Grigioni in Switzerland), ''lombardo-prealpino occidentale'' (spoken in the provinces of Como, Varese and Lecco, Lugano and its neighbors in Canton Ticino), ''basso-lombardo occidentale'' (Pavia and Lodi), and ''macromilanese'' (provinces of Milan, Monza, Novara and Valsesia of Vercelli). The boundaries are obviously schematic, since the political division in provinces and municipalities are usually independent from languages spoken.
Examples of Western Lombard language are:
* Milanese or Meneghin (''macromilanese'')
* Bustocco and Legnanese
* Brianzöö (''lombardo-prealpino occidentale'' - ''macromilanese'')
*Monzese
*Comasco-Lecchese
The group of dialects Comasco-Lecchese is part of the Western Lombard language and is spoken in the province of Como and province of Lecco in Italy, especially around the capital cities and north of them. In other parts of this provinces, othe ...
(''lombardo-prealpino occidentale'')
**Comasco
Comasco or Comasque is a dialect of Western Lombard language spoken in the city and suburbs of Como. It belongs to the Comasco-Lecchese group.
Characteristics
It shares similarities with Milanese
Milanese (endonym in traditional orth ...
** Laghée
**Intelvese
** Vallassinese
**Lecchese
Lecchese is a dialect of Western Lombard language spoken in the city and suburbs of Lecco (Lombardy).
Characteristics
It has the characteristic, in contrast with the other Comasco-Lecchese dialects, to be influenced by Brianzöö, Valsass ...
**Valsassinese
** Ossolano
* Varesino or Bosin (''lombardo-prealpino occidentale'')
*Alpine Lombard (''lombardo alpino'', influence from Ladin_language)
**Valtellinese
**Chiavennasco
* Ticinese (''lombardo alpino'') (influence from Ladin_language)
*Southwestern Lombard
Southwestern Lombard is a group of dialects of Western Lombard language spoken in the provinces of Pavia, Lodi, Novara, Cremona, in the south of the historic Insubria
Insubria ( Lombard: ''Insübria'') is a historical-geographical region whi ...
(''basso-lombardo occidentale'')
** Paves (influences from Emiliano-Romagnolo language
Emilian-Romagnol is a linguistic continuum part of the Gallo-Romance languages spoken in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. It is divided into two main varieties: Emilian and Romagnol.
While first registered under a single code i ...
, Piedmontese language, and Ligurian_language)
**Ludesan (influence from Emilian_dialects
Emilian ( egl, emigliàn, links=no, ; it, emiliano, links=no) is a Gallo-Italic language spoken in the historical region of Emilia, which is now in the northwestern part of Emilia-Romagna, Northern Italy. There is no standardised version ...
)
** Nuaresat (''lombardo-prealpino occidentale'' - ''macromilanese'')
** Cremunéez (influence from Emiliano-Romagnolo language
Emilian-Romagnol is a linguistic continuum part of the Gallo-Romance languages spoken in the northern Italian region of Emilia-Romagna. It is divided into two main varieties: Emilian and Romagnol.
While first registered under a single code i ...
)
*Slangs
** Spasell
Phonology
The following information is based on the Milanese dialect:
Consonants
* occurs only as a nasal sound before velar stops.
* The central approximant sounds are mainly heard as allophones of when preceding vowels.
* is not typically pronounced, and only occurs in a few words from Italian.
Vowels
* A double vowel ''aa'' is pronounced as or . may also be pronounced as .
Orthography
The most important orthography in Western Lombard literature is the Classical Milanese orthography The classical Milanese orthography is the orthography used for the Western Lombard language, in particular for the Milanese dialect, by the major poets and writers of this literature, such as Carlo Porta, Carlo Maria Maggi, Delio Tessa, etc.
It ...
.
It was used by Carlo Porta
Carlo Porta (June 15, 1775 – January 5, 1821) was an Italian poet, the most famous writer in Milanese (the prestige dialect of the Lombard language).
Biography
Porta was born in Milan to Giuseppe Porta and Violante Gottieri, a merchant famil ...
(1775–1821) and Delio Tessa
Delio Tessa (18 November 1886 – 21 September 1939) was an Italian poet from Milan.
Biography
He studied at the High school Beccaria in Milan and graduated as a lawyer in the University of Pavia. After University studies he did not like th ...
(1886–1939). It was perfected by the Circolo Filologico di Milano. Other orthographies are the Ticinese, the Comasca, the Bosina, the Nuaresat, and the Lecchese.
Literature
An extensive Western Lombard literature
The Insubric poet Caecilius Statius came from Milan, capital city of Insubres, and wrote in Latin, being one of the best Latin comedians, with Plautus and Terence.
Throughout the 13th century, the activity of Cisalpine poets in Langue d'oc contin ...
is available. Texts include various dictionaries, a few grammars, and a recent translation of the Gospels.
See also
* Languages of Italy
* Milanese
* Insubric literature
The Insubric poet Caecilius Statius came from Milan, capital city of Insubres, and wrote in Latin, being one of the best Latin comedians, with Plautus and Terence.
Throughout the 13th century, the activity of Cisalpine poets in Langue d'oc contin ...
* Romance languages
References
Bibliography
* Andrea Rognoni, ''Grammatica dei dialetti della Lombardia'', Oscar Mondadori
Arnoldo Mondadori Editore () is the biggest publishing company in Italy.
History
The company was founded in 1907 in Ostiglia by 18-year-old Arnoldo Mondadori who began his publishing career with the publication of the magazine ''Luce!''. In 1 ...
, 2005.
* AA. VV., ''Parlate e dialetti della Lombardia. Lessico comparato'', Mondadori, Milano 2003.
{{Romance languages
Western Lombard language
Endangered Romance languages