Royasc is a
dialect
A dialect is a Variety (linguistics), variety of language spoken by a particular group of people. This may include dominant and standard language, standardized varieties as well as Vernacular language, vernacular, unwritten, or non-standardize ...
bridging the gap between the
Ligurian language and the
Occitan language
Occitan (; ), also known by its native speakers as (; ), sometimes also referred to as Provençal, is a Romance language spoken in Southern France, Monaco, Italy's Occitan Valleys, as well as Spain's Val d'Aran in Catalonia; collectively, ...
. It is spoken in
Italy
Italy, officially the Italian Republic, is a country in Southern Europe, Southern and Western Europe, Western Europe. It consists of Italian Peninsula, a peninsula that extends into the Mediterranean Sea, with the Alps on its northern land b ...
and
France
France, officially the French Republic, is a country located primarily in Western Europe. Overseas France, Its overseas regions and territories include French Guiana in South America, Saint Pierre and Miquelon in the Atlantic Ocean#North Atlan ...
.
Area of use
The Royasc dialect is spoken in the Upper Roya valley, at the boundary of France and Italy.
In France, it is spoken in the communes of
Breil-sur-Roya,
La Brigue,
Fontan,
Saorge,
Tende
Tende (; Italian language, Italian, Occitan language, Occitan and Royasc: ''Tenda'') is a Communes of France, commune in the Alpes-Maritimes Departments of France, department in southeastern France.
Geography
Tende is located within Mercanto ...
(
Alpes Maritimes).
In Italy, it is spoken in the province of
Imperia
Imperia (; or ) is a coastal city and ''comune'' in the Regions of Italy, region of Liguria, Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Imperia, and historically it was capital of the ''Intemelia'' district of Liguria. Benito Mussolini create ...
,
Liguria
Liguria (; ; , ) is a Regions of Italy, region of north-western Italy; its Capital city, capital is Genoa. Its territory is crossed by the Alps and the Apennine Mountains, Apennines Mountain chain, mountain range and is roughly coextensive with ...
- communes of
Olivetta San Michele and
Triora (only in the villages of Realdo and Verdeggia) and in the province of
Cuneo
Cuneo (; ; ; ) is a city and in Piedmont, Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the fourth largest of Italy’s provinces by area.
It is located at 550 metres (1,804 ft) in the south-west of Piedmont, at the confluence of the ri ...
,
Piedmont
Piedmont ( ; ; ) is one of the 20 regions of Italy, located in the northwest Italy, Northwest of the country. It borders the Liguria region to the south, the Lombardy and Emilia-Romagna regions to the east, and the Aosta Valley region to the ...
- communes of
Briga Alta and the village of
Viozene in the commune of
Ormea
Ormea is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about south of Turin and about southeast of Cuneo.
Ormea borders the following municipalities: Alto
The musical term alto, meaning "high" ...
.
The dialect of La Brigue, Briga Alta, Realdo, Viozene, and Verdeggia is also named
Brigasc.
History and position
Royasc is the mountainous adaptation of the western
Ligurian dialect. It received influence from the Occitan language as the Upper Roya valley was partly ruled by the County of Nice.
Its structure is Ligurian, but its position is discussed: some include it in the Ventimiglia dialect (intemelian) but others consider it a member of a very distinct group of Alpine Ligurian dialects, along with Pignasc and Triorasc.
Italian Royasc-speaking communes put themselves under the State Law for the protection of minorities, using the Occitan name to do so.
[Servizio Beni e attività culturali della Provincia di Torino, ''Atlante delle minoranze linguistiche storiche del Piemonte e della Provincia di Imperia'',]
Download link
on the Chambra d'Oc website)
See also
*
Intemelio
*
Ligurian language
References
External links
Presentation of Olivetta San Michele in Italian and Brigasc(called Occitan on that site)
Presentation of Triora in Italian and Brigasc(called Occitan on that site)
''A Vaštéra'' magazine website
{{Romance languages
Languages of France
Ligurian language (Romance)