Corsican language - Wikipedia
Jump to content
From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia
Italo-Dalmatian language
Corsican
corsu
lingua corsa
Pronunciation
[ˈkorsu]
Native to
France
Italy
Region
Corsica
Sardinia
Northern
Ethnicity
Corsicans
Native speakers
150,000 in
Corsica
(2013)
Language family
Indo-European
Italic
Latino-Faliscan
Latin
Romance
Italo-Western
Italo-Dalmatian
Italo-Romance
Tuscan
Corsican
Dialects
Northern Corsican
Southern Corsican
Gallurese
Sassarese
Central Corsican
Capraiese (semi-Corsican dialect)
citation needed
Castellanese
Writing system
Latin script
Corsican alphabet
Official status
Recognised minority
language in
Corsica
Regulated by
No official regulation
Language codes
ISO 639-1
co
ISO 639-2
cos
ISO 639-3
cos
– Corsican
Glottolog
cors1241
Corsican
sass1235
Sassarese Sardinian
ELP
Corsican
Linguasphere
51-AAA-p
Spread of Corsican dialects
Corsican is classified as Definitely Endangered by the
UNESCO
Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
This article contains
IPA
phonetic symbols.
Without proper
rendering support
, you may see
question marks, boxes, or other symbols
instead of
Unicode
characters. For an introductory guide on IPA symbols, see
Help:IPA
Corsican
corsu
pronounced
[ˈkorsu]
, or
lingua corsa
pronounced
[ˈliŋɡwa
ˈɡorsa]
) is a
Romance language
which consists of a
continuum
of
Tuscan dialects
spoken on the
Mediterranean
island of
Corsica
, a
territory of France
, and in the northern regions of the island of
Sardinia
, an
autonomous region of Italy
. It is closely related to, and mutually intelligible with,
Standard Italian
which is based on its sister
Florentine dialect
Corsica is situated approximately 123.9 km (77.0 miles; 66
nautical miles
) off the western coast of
Tuscany
; and with historical connections, the Corsican language is considered a part of
Tuscan varieties
, from that part of the
Italian peninsula
, and thus is closely related to
Florentine
-based
standard Italian
Under the long-standing influence of Tuscany's
Pisa
, and the historic
Republic of Genoa
, over Corsica, the Corsican language once filled the role of a
vernacular
, with Italian functioning as the island's official language until France acquired the island from the Republic of Genoa (1768); by 1859, French had replaced Italian as Corsica's first language so much so that, by the time of the
Liberation of France
(1945), nearly every islander had at least a working-knowledge of French. The 20th century saw a vast
language shift
, with the islanders adapting and changing their communications to the extent that there were no
monolingual
Corsican-speakers left by the 1960s. By 1995, an estimated 65% of islanders had some degree of proficiency in Corsican,
and a minority of around 10% used Corsican as a first language.
Classification
edit
Chart of Romance languages based on structural and comparative criteria.
Corsican is classed as a regional language under French law. It is almost universally agreed that Corsican is typologically and traditionally
Italo-Romance
but its specific position therein is more controversial. Some scholars argue that Corsican belongs to the Centro-Southern Italian dialects,
while others are of the opinion that it is closely related to, or as part of, Italy's
Tuscan dialect
varieties.
Italian and the dialects of Corsican (especially Northern Corsican) are in fact very
mutually intelligible
. Southern Corsican, in spite of the geographical proximity, has as its closest linguistic neighbour not
Sardinian
(a separate group with which it is not mutually intelligible), but rather the
Extreme Southern Italian
dialects like
Siculo
Calabrian
It has been theorised, on the other hand, that a Sardinian variety, or a variety very similar to Sardo-Romance, might have been originally spoken in Corsica prior to the island's Tuscanisation under Pisan and Genoese rule.
10
11
12
13
The matter is controversial in light of the historical, cultural and particularly strong linguistic bonds that Corsica had traditionally formed with the Italian Mainland from the Middle Ages until the 19th century: in contrast to the neighbouring
Sardinia
14
Corsica's installment into a
diglossic system
with Italian as the island's
prestige language
ran so deep that both Corsican and Italian might be even, and in fact were, perceived as two sociolinguistic levels of a single language.
15
16
Corsican and Italian traditionally existed on a spectrum, and the dividing lines between them were blurred enough that the locals needed little else but a change of
to communicate in an official setting. "Tuscanising" their tongue, or as the Corsican elites would have once said,
parlà in crusca
("speaking in
crusca
", from the name of the
Academy
dedicated to the standardisation of the Italian language),
17
allowed for a practice not of
code-switching
, but rather of
code-mixing
which is quite typical of the Mainland Italian dialects.
18
Italian was perceived as different from Corsican, but not as much as the differences between the two main isoglosses of Northern and Southern Corsican, as spoken by their respective native speakers.
19
When
Pasquale Paoli
found himself exiled in London, he replied to
Samuel Johnson
's query on the peculiar existence of a "rustic language" very different from Italian that such a language existed only in Sardinia; in fact, the existence of Corsican as the island's native
vernacular
did not take anything away from Paoli's claims that Corsica's official language was Italian.
17
Today's Corsican is the result of these historical vicissitudes, which have morphed the language to an idiom that bears a strong resemblance to the medieval Tuscan once spoken at the time of
Dante
and
Boccaccio
, and still existing in peripheral Tuscany (
Lucca
Garfagnana
Elba
Capraia
).
20
The correspondence of modern Corsican to ancient Tuscan can be seen from almost any aspect of the language, ranging from the phonetics, morphology, lexicon to the syntax.
20
One of the characteristics of standard Italian is the retention of the -
re
infinitive ending, as in Latin
mittere
"send"; such infinitival ending is lost in Tuscan as well as Corsican, resulting in the outcome
mette
metta
, "to put". Whereas the relative pronoun in Italian for "who" is
chi
and "what" is
che
(che) cosa
, it is an uninflected
chì
in Corsican. The only unifying, as well as distinctive, feature which separates the Corsican dialects from the mainland Tuscan ones, with the exception of Amiatino, Pitiglianese, and Capraiese, is the retention of word-final
21
For example, the Italian demonstrative pronouns
questo
"this" and
quello
"that" become in Corsican
questu
or
quistu
and
quellu
or
quiddu
: this feature was also typical of the early Italian texts during the Middle Ages.
Even after the acquisition of Corsica by
Louis XV
, Italian continued to be the island's language of education, literature, religion and local affairs. The affluent youth still went to Italy to pursue higher studies. (It has been estimated that Corsican presence in
Pisa
amounted to a fourth of the
University
's total student body in 1830.) Local civil registers continued to be written in Italian until 1855; it was on 9 May 1859, that Italian was replaced by French as the island's official language,
22
although the latter would start to take root among the islanders from 1882 onwards, through the
Jules Ferry
laws aimed at spreading literacy across the French provinces.
23
Even so, a specifically homegrown Corsican (rather than Italian) literature in Corsica only developed belatedly and, in its earliest phase, there were no autonomous cultural instances;
24
Corsican writers, such as Salvatore Viale, even prided themselves on their affiliation to the broader Italian sphere, considering Corsican "one of the lowest, impure dialects of Italy".
25
It was the
Italian Fascist
aggressive claims to the island
in the 20th century, followed by
their invasion
, that provoked a popular backlash, estranging the native islanders from standard Italian and, if anything, only accelerated their
shifting
to the French even further.
26
By the
Liberation of France
, any previously existing link between the two linguistic varieties and with Italy altogether had been severed; any promotion of Corsican, which had been politicized by the local collaborators with the regime, would be met with popular criticism and even suspicion of potentially harboring
irredentist
sentiments.
27
From then on, Corsican would grow independently of Italian to become, later in the 1970s, a centerpiece of the
Riacquistu
("reacquisition") movement for the rediscovery of Corsican culture.
Nationalist
calls for Corsican to be put on the same footing as French led the French National Assembly, in 1974, to extend the 1951 Deixonne Law, which initially recognized only a few languages (
Breton
Basque
Catalan
and
Occitan
),
28
to including Corsican as well, among others, not as a dialect of Italian, but as one of France's full-fledged regional languages. (See
governmental support
.)
Origins
edit
See also:
Paleo-Corsican language
and
Tuscan dialect
The common relationship between Corsica and
central Italy
can be traced from as far back as the
Etruscans
, who asserted their presence on the island in as early as 500 BC.
29
In 40 AD, the natives of Corsica reportedly did not speak Latin. The Roman exile,
Seneca the Younger
, reported that both coast and interior were occupied by natives
whose language
he was not able to understand. More specifically, Seneca claimed that the island's population was the result of the stratification of different ethnic groups, such as the
Greeks
, the
Ligures
(see
the Ligurian hypothesis
) and the Iberians, whose language had long since stopped being recognizable among the population due to the intermixing of the other two groups.
30
The occupation of the island by the
Vandals
around the year 469 marked the end of authoritative influence by Latin speakers. (See
Medieval Corsica
.) If the natives of that time spoke
Latin
, they must have acquired it during the late empire.
citation needed
Modern Corsican has been influenced by the languages of the major powers taking an interest in Corsican affairs; earlier by those of the medieval Italian powers, such as the
Papal States
(828–1077), the
Republic of Pisa
(1077–1282) and the
Republic of Genoa
(1282–1768), and finally by France which, since 1859, has promulgated the official Parisian French. The term "
gallicised
Corsican" refers to the evolution of Corsican starting from about the year 1950, whereas "distanciated Corsican" refers to an idealized variety of Corsican following
linguistic purism
, by means of removing any French-derived elements.
31
Dialects
edit
Corsica
edit
The two most widely spoken forms of the Corsican language are the groups spoken in the
Bastia
and
Corte
area (generally throughout the northern half of the island, known as
Haute-Corse
Cismonte
or
Corsica suprana
), and the groups spoken around
Sartène
and
Porto-Vecchio
(generally throughout the southern half of the island, known as
Corse-du-Sud
Pumonti
or
Corsica suttana
). The dialect of
Ajaccio
has been described as in transition. The dialects spoken at
Calvi
and
Bonifacio
Bonifacino
) are dialects of the
Ligurian language
This division along the Girolata-Porto Vecchio line was due to the massive immigration from Tuscany which took place in Corsica during the lower Middle Ages: as a result, the northern Corsican dialects became very close to a central Italian dialect like Tuscan, while the southern Corsican varieties could keep the original characteristics of the language which make it much more similar to
Sicilian
and, only to some extent,
Sardinian
Northern Corsican
edit
The Northern Corsican macro variety (
Supranacciu
Supranu
Cismuntincu
or
Cismontano
) is the most widespread on the island and standardised as well, and is spoken in North-West Corsica around the districts of Bastia and Corte. The dialects of Bastia and
Cap Corse
belong to the Western Tuscan dialects; they being, with the exception of
Florentine
, the closest to standard Italian. All the dialects presenting, in addition to what has already been stated, the conditional formed in
-ebbe
(e.g.
(ella) amarebbe
"she would love") are generally considered
Cismontani
dialects, situated north of a line uniting the villages of
Piana
Vico
Vizzavona
Ghisoni
and
Ghisonaccia
, and also covering the subgroups from the Cap Corse (which, unlike the rest of the island and similarly to Italian, uses
lu
li
la
le
as definite articles), Bastia (besides i > e and a > e, u > o:
ottanta
momentu
toccà
continentale
; a > o:
oliva
orechja
ocellu
), Balagna, Niolo and Corte (which retain the general Corsican traits:
distinu
ghjinnaghju
sicondu
billezza
apartu
farru
marcuri
cantaraghju
uttanta
mumentu
tuccà
cuntinentale
aliva
arechja
acellu
).
Transitional area
edit
Across the Northern and Southern borders of the line separating the Northern dialects from the Southern ones, there is a transitional area picking up linguistic phenomena associated with either of the two groups, with some local peculiarities. Along the Northern line are the dialects around
Piana
and
Calcatoggio
, from Cinarca with
Vizzavona
(which form the conditional as in the South), and
Fiumorbo
through Ghisonaccia and Ghisoni, which have the retroflex
[ɖ]
sound (written
-dd-
) for historical
-ll-
; along the Southern line, the dialects of Ajaccio (retroflex
-dd-
, realized as -
ghj
-, feminine plurals ending in
, some Northern words like
cane
and
accattà
instead of
ghjacaru
and
cumprà
, as well as
ellu
ella
and not
eddu
edda
; minor variations:
sabbatu
sabbitu
u li dà
ghi lu dà
; final syllables often stressed and truncated:
marinari
marinà
panatteri
panattè
castellu
castè
cuchjari
cuchjà
), the
Gravona
area,
Bastelica
(which would be classified as Southern, but is also noted for its typical rhotacism:
Basterga
) and Solenzara, which did not preserve the Latin short vowels:
seccu
peru
rossu
croci
pozzu
Southern Corsican
edit
See also:
Paleo-Corsican language
The distribution of Corsican dialects in Corsica and Sardinia.
The Southern Corsican macro variety (
Suttanacciu
Suttanu
Pumuntincu
or
Oltramontano
) is the most archaic and conservative group, spoken in the districts of Sartène and Porto-Vecchio. Unlike the Northern varieties and similarly to Sardinian, the group retains the distinction of the Latin short vowels
and
(e.g.
pilu
bucca
). It is also strongly marked by the presence of the
voiced retroflex stop
, like Sicilian (e.g.
aceddu
beddu
quiddu
ziteddu
famidda
), and the conditional mood formed in
-ìa
(e.g.
(idda) amarìa
"she would love"). All the
Oltramontani
dialects are from an area located to the South of Porticcio,
Bastelica
, Col di Verde and Solenzara. Notable dialects are those from around
Taravo
(retroflex -
dd
- only for historical
-ll-
frateddu
suredda
beddu
; preservation of the
palatal lateral approximant
piglià
famiglia
figliolu
vogliu
; does not preserve the Latin short vowels:
seccu
peru
rossu
croci
pozzu
), Sartène (preserving the Latin short vowels:
siccu
piru
russu
cruci
puzzu
; changing historical
-rn-
to
-rr-
forru
carri
corru
; substituting the stop for the palatal lateral approximant:
piddà
famidda
fiddolu
voddu
; imperfect tense like
cantàvami
cantàvani
; masculine plurals ending in
l'ochja
i poma
; having
eddu/edda/eddi
as personal pronouns), the Alta Rocca (the most conservative area in Corsica, being very close to the varieties spoken in Northern Sardinia), and the Southern region located between the hinterlands of Porto-Vecchio and Bonifacio (masculine singulars always ending in
fiumu
paesu
patronu
; masculine plurals always ending in
i letta
i solda
i ponta
i foca
i mura
i loca
i balcona
; imperfect tense like
cantàiami
cantàiani
).
Sardinia
edit
Main articles:
Gallurese
and
Sassarese language
Languages in northern Sardinia
Sassarese derives from the Italian language and, more precisely, from ancient Tuscan, which by the 12th century had slowly grown to become the parlance of the commoners, at a time when the bourgeois and nobles still spoke Logudorese Sardinian. During the age of the Free Commune (1294–1323), the Sassarese dialect was nothing more than a contaminated Pisan, to which Sardinian, Corsican and Spanish expressions had been added; it is therefore not an indigenous dialect, but rather a continental one and, to be more specific, a mixed Tuscan dialect with its own peculiarities, and different from the Corsican-imported Gallurese.
— Mario Pompeo Coradduzza,
Il sistema del dialetto
, 2004, Introduzione
Some Italo-Romance languages that might have originated from Southern Corsican, but are also heavily influenced by the
Sardinian language
, are spoken in the neighbouring island of
Sardinia
Gallurese is spoken in the extreme north of the island, including the region of
Gallura
, while
Sassarese
is spoken in
Sassari
and in its neighbourhood, in the northwest of
Sardinia
. Their geographical position in Sardinia has been theorised to be the result of different migration waves from the already tuscanized Corsicans and the Tuscans, who then proceeded to settle in Sardinia and slowly displace the indigenous
Logudorese Sardinian
varieties spoken therein (at present,
Luras
is the only town in the middle of Gallura that has retained the original language).
On the
Maddalena archipelago
, which was culturally Corsican but had been annexed to the
Savoyard
Kingdom of Sardinia
a short while before Corsica was ceded by
Genoa
to France in 1767,
32
the local dialect (called
isulanu
or
maddaleninu
) was brought by fishermen and shepherds from Bonifacio over a long period of immigration in the 17th and 18th centuries. Though influenced by Gallurese, it has maintained the original characteristics of Southern Corsican. In the dialect of
maddalenino
, as it is known in Italian, there are also numerous words of
Genoese
and
Ponzese
origin.
Although Gallurese and Sassarese both belong to
Italo-Dalmatian
, which is a group typologically different from Sardinian, it has long been a subject of debate whether the two should be included as dialects either of Corsican or of Sardinian or, in light of their historical development, even considered languages of their own.
33
It has been argued that all these varieties should be placed in a single category,
Southern Romance
, but such classification has not garnered universal support among linguists.
On 14 October 1997, Article 2 Item 4 of Law Number 26 of the Autonomous Region of Sardinia granted "the Sassarese and Gallurese dialects" («
al dialetto sassarese e a quello gallurese
») equal legal status with the other languages indigenous to
Sardinia
. Thus, even though they would technically not be covered by the national law pertaining to the historical linguistic minorities, among which is Sardinian, Sassarese and Gallurese are nonetheless recognized by the Sardinian government on a regional level.
34
Examples of the main Corsican varieties compared with standard Italian and Elba's Tuscan dialect
edit
Language
Example
Standard Italian: I passatempi
Sono nato in Corsica e vi ho passato gli anni migliori della mia giovinezza. Ricordo, quando eravamo ragazzi, che le nostre mamme ci mandavano da soli a fare il bagno. Allora la spiaggia era piena di sabbia, senza scogli né rocce e si stava in mare delle ore fino a quando, paonazzi dal freddo poi ci andavamo a rotolare in quella sabbia bollente dal sole. Poi l'ultimo tuffo per levarci la sabbia attaccata alla pelle e ritornavamo a casa che il sole era già calato, all'ora di cena. Quando faceva buio noi ragazzi ci mandavano a fare granchi, con la luce, che serviva per mettere l'esca agli ami per pescare. Ne raccoglievamo in quantità poi in casa li mettevamo in un sacchetto chiuso in cucina. Una mattina in cui ci eravamo alzati che era ancora buio, quando siamo andati a prendere il sacchetto era vuoto e i granchi giravano per tutte le camere e c'è voluta più di mezz'ora per raccoglierli tutti.
Western Elban: I passatempi
Sò nato in Corsica e c'hajo passato li méglio anni de la mi' giovinezza. Mi mentovo quand'èremo bàmboli che le nosse ma' ci mandàveno da ssoli a fa' 'l bagno. Allora la piaggia era piena di rena, senza scogli né greppe e stàvemo in mare fino a quando ingrozzichiti c'andàvemo a rivorta' 'n chidda rena bollente dal sole. Poi l'urtimo ciutto pe' levacci la rena attaccata a la pella e tornàvemo 'n casa che 'l sole era già ciuttato, a l'ora di cena. Quando veniva buio a no' bàmboli ci mandàveno a fa' granchi, colla luce, che ci voléveno pe' mette' l'ami pe' pescà. Ne aricogliévemo a guaro, po' 'n casa li mettévemo in de 'n sacchetto chiuso 'n cucina. Una matina che c'èremo levati ch'era sempre buio, quando simo andati a piglià 'l sacchetto era voto e li granchi giràveno pe' ttutte le càmmere e c'è voluto più di mezz'ora ad aricoglieli tutti.
Capraiese: I passatempi
Sigghi natu in Corsica e g'hagghi passatu li mégghiu anni di la me ghiuvinézza. Ricordu quandu èrami zitèlli chi le nosse ma' ci mandèvani da ssòli a fa' u bagnu. Allora la piagghia ère piena di réna, senza scógghi né rocce e ci stève in mare dill'òre finu a quandu paunazzi da u freddu po' ci andèvami a rivòrtule in quella réna bullènte da u sole. Po' l'urtimu ciuttu pe' levacci la réna attaccata a la pella e riturnèvamì in casa chi u sole ère ghià calatu, a l'ora di cena. Quandu fève bugghiu a no'zitèlli ci mandèvani a fa' granchi, cu la lusa, chi ci vulèvani pe' annésche l'ami pe' pèsche. Ne ricugghièvami a mandilate piene po' in casa li mettivami in de un sacchéttu chiòsu in cusina. Una matìna chi c'èrami orzati chi ère sempre bugghiu, quandu simmi andati a pigghie u sacchéttu ère vòtu e li granchi ghirèvani pe' ttutte le càmmare e c'è vulutu più di mezz'ora a ricugghiàli tutti.
Northern Corsican: I passatempi
Sò natu in Corsica è c'aghju passatu i più belli anni di a mio giuventù. M'arricordu quand'èramu zitelli chì e nostre mamme ci mandavanu soli à fà u bagnu. Tandu a piaghja era piena di rena, senza scogli né cotule é ci ne stàvamu in mare per ore fin'à quandu, viola per u freddu, dopu ci n'andavamu a vultulàcci in quella rena bullente da u sole. Po' l'ultima capiciuttata per levacci a rena attaccata à a pelle è vultavamu in casa chì u sole era digià calatu, à ora di cena. Quand'ellu facìa bughju à noi zitèlli ci mandàvanu à fà granchi, cù u lume, chì ci vulìa per innescà l'ami per a pesca. N'arricuglìamu à mandilate piene po' in casa i punìamu nu un sacchéttu chjosu in cucina. Una mane chì c'èramu arritti ch'èra sempre bughju, quandu simu andati à piglià u sacchettu ellu èra biotu è i granchi giravanu per tutte e camere è ci hè vulsuta più di méz'ora à ricoglieli tutti.
I passatempi
Sòcu natu in Còrsica e v'agghju passatu i mèddu anni di a me ghjuvintù. M'ammentu quand'érami zitéddi chì i nosci mammi ci mandàiani da par no' a fàcci u bagnu. Tandu a piaghja ghjéra piena di rèna, senza scódda né ròcchi è si staghjìa in mari ori fin'a quandu, viola da u fritu andàghjìami a vultulàcci in quidda rèna buddènti da u soli. Dapo', l'ultima capuzzina pa' livàcci a réna attaccata a à péddi e turràiami in casa chì u soli era ghjà calatu, à l'ora di cena. Quandu facìa bughju à no' zitéddi ci mandàiani à fà granci, cù a luci, chi ci vulìa par inniscà l'ami pà piscà. N'arricuglivàmi à mandili pieni è dapoi in casa i mittìami drent'à un sacchettu chjusu in cucina. Una matìna chì ci n'érami pisàti chi ghjéra sempri bughju, quandu sèmu andati à piddà u sacchéttu iddu éra biotu è i granci ghjiràiani pà tutti i càmari e ci hè vuluta più di méz'ora pà ricapizzulàlli tutti.
Tavarese: I passatempi
Socu natu in Corsica è v'aghju passatu i megliu anni di a me ghjuvantù. Mi rammentu quand'erami ziteddi chì i nosci mammi ci mandaiani da par no à fàcci u bagnu. Tandu a piaghja era piena di rena, senza scogli nè rocchi è si staia in mari ori fin'à quandu, viola da u fretu andaiami à vultugliàcci in quidda rena buddenti da u soli. Dapoi, l'ultima capuzzina pà livàcci a rena attaccata à a peddi è turraiami in casa chì u soli era ghjà calatu, à l'ora di cena. Quandu facìa bughju à no ziteddi ci mandaiani à fà granci, cù a luci, chì ci vulìa par inniscà l'ami pà piscà. N'arricugliìami à mandigli pieni è dopu in casa i mittìami drent'à un sacchettu chjusu in cucina. Una matina chì ci n'erami pisati chì era sempri bughju, quandu semu andati à piglià u sacchettu era biotu è i granci ghjiraiani pà tutti i cammari e ci hè vulsuta più d'una mez'ora pà ricapizzulà li tutti.
Gallurese: Li passatempi
Sòcu natu in Còssiga e v'agghju passatu li mèddu anni di la mè ciuintù. M'ammentu candu érami stéddi chi li nostri mammi ci mandàani da pal noi a fàcci lu bagnu. Tandu la piaghja éra piena di rèna, senza scóddi e né ròcchi e si stagghjìa in mari ori fin'a candu, biaìtti da lu fritu andaghjìami a vultulàcci in chidda rèna buddènti da lu soli. Dapoi, l'ultima capuzzina pa' bucàcci la réna attaccata a la péddi e turràami in casa chi lu soli éra ghjà calatu, a l'ora di cena. Candu facìa bugghju a noi stéddi ci mandàani a fa' granchi, cù la luci, chi vi vulìa pa' accindì(attivà) l'ami pa' piscà. N'accapitàami a mandili pieni e dapoi in casa li mittìami indrent'a un sacchéddu chjusu in cucina. Una matìna chi ci n'érami pisàti chi éra sempri lu bugghju, candu sèmu andati a piddà lu sacchéddu iddu éra bòitu e li granchi ghjràani pa' tutti li càmbari e v'è vuluta più di mez'ora pa' accapitàlli tutti.
Castellanese: Li passatempi
Soggu naddu in Còssiga e v'agghju passaddu li megli'anni di la mè ghjuivintù. M'ammentu cand'èrami piccinni chi li nosthri mammi ci mandavani da pal noi a fàcci lu bagnu . Tandu la spiagghja era piena di rena, senza scogli né rocchi e si sthaggia ori finz'a candu, biàtti da lu freddu andagiami a vultulacci in chidda rena buddendi da lu soli. Dabboi l'ultima cabucina pà buggacci la rena attaccadda a la pèddi e turravami in casa chi lu soli era ghjà caladdu, a l'ora di cena. Candu fagia bughju à noi piccinni ci mandavani a fà ganci, cù la lugi chi vi vulia pà inniscà l'àmi pà piscà. Ni pigliavami assai e daboi in casa li mittìami drent'a un saccheddu sarraddu in cucina. Un mangianu chi ci n'erami pisaddi chi era sempri bugghju, candu semmu andaddi à piglià lu sacchettu era boiddu é li ganci ghjiràvani pàl tutti li càmmari è v'é vuludda più di mezz'ora pà accuglinnili tutti.
Sassarese:
Li passatempi
Soggu naddu in Còssiga e v'aggiu passaddu l'anni più beddi di la pitzinnìa mea. M'ammentu, cand'érami minori, chi li mammi nosthri tzi mandàbani a fatzi lu bagnu a la sora. Tandu l'ippiaggia era piena di rena, chena ischogliu né rocca e si isthazìa a mogliu ori fintz'a candu, biaìtti da lu freddu, andàziami a rudduratzi in chidda rena buddendi da lu sori. A dabboi l'ùlthimu cabutzoni pa bugganni la rena attaccadda a la peddi e turràbami a casa chi lu sori era già caraddu, a l'ora di tzinà. Candu si fazìa buggiu a noi pitzinni tzi mandàbani a piglià granchi, cu' la luzi chi vi vurìa pa innischà l'amu pa pischà. Ni pigliàbami unbè e dabboi in casa li punìami drentu a un sacchettu sarraddu i' la cuzina. Un manzanu chi tzi n'érami pisaddi chi era ancora buggiu, candu semmu andaddi a piglià lu sacchettu eddu era bioddu e li granchi giràbani pa tutti l'appusenti, e v'è vurudda più di mez'ora pa accuglinniri tutti.
Number of speakers
edit
The situation of Corsican with regard to French as the country's
national language
is analogous to that of many other French regions and provinces, which have or used to have a traditional language of their own, even though the islanders' switch from their local idiom to
regional French
has happened relatively later and the presence of Corsican, albeit declining, is still strongly felt among the population.
35
In 1980, about 70 percent of the island's population "had some command of the Corsican language."
36
In 1990, out of a total population of about 254,000, the percentage had declined to 50 percent, with 10 percent of the island's residents using it as a first language.
The language appeared to be in serious decline when the French government reversed its unsupportive stand and initiated some strong measures to save it.
The January 2007 estimated population of Corsica was 281,000, whereas the figure for the March 1999 census, when most of the studies—though not the linguistic survey work referenced in this article—were performed, was about 261,000. Only a fraction of the population at either time spoke Corsican with any fluency.
According to an official survey run on behalf of the
Territorial Collectivity of Corsica
which took place in April 2013, in Corsica, the Corsican language had a number of speakers between 86,800 and 130,200, out of a total population amounting to 309,693 inhabitants.
37
28% of the overall population was able to speak Corsican well, while an additional 14% had a capacity to speak it "quite well." The percentage of those who had a solid oral understanding of the language varies between a minimum of 25 percent in the 25–34 age group and the maximum of 65 percent in the over-65 age group: almost a quarter of the former age group reported that they were not able to understand Corsican, while only a small minority of the older people did not understand it.
37
While 32 percent of the population of Northern Corsica was reported to speak Corsican quite well, this percentage dropped to 22 percent for Southern Corsica.
37
Moreover, 10 percent of the population of Corsica spoke only French, while 62 percent
code-switched
between French and at least some Corsican.
37
8 percent of the Corsicans knew how to write correctly in Corsican, while about 60 percent of the population did not know how to write in Corsican.
37
While 90 percent of the population was in favor of a Corsican-French bilingualism, 3 percent would have liked to have only Corsican as the official language in the island, and 7 percent would have preferred French to have this role.
37
UNESCO
classifies Corsican as a "definitely endangered language."
38
The Corsican language is a key vehicle for Corsican culture, which is notably rich in
proverbs
and in
polyphonic
song.
Governmental support
edit
Bilingual road-signs, with the official (
IGN
) names (often with their roots in Italian) being crossed out by some
local nationalists
When the French Assembly passed the Deixonne Law in 1951, which made it possible for regional languages to be taught at school,
Alsatian
Flemish
and Corsican were not included on the ground of being classified as
dialectes allogènes
of German, Dutch and Italian respectively,
39
i.e. dialects of foreign languages and not languages in themselves.
40
Only in 1974 were they too politically recognized as regional languages for their teaching on a voluntary basis.
The 1991 Joxe Statute, in setting up the Collectivité Territoriale de Corse, also provided for the
Corsican Assembly
, and charged it with developing a plan for the optional teaching of Corsican. The
University of Corsica Pasquale Paoli
at
Corte, Haute-Corse
took a central role in the planning.
41
At the primary school level Corsican is taught up to a fixed number of hours per week (three in the year 2000) and is a voluntary subject at the secondary school level,
42
but is required at the University of Corsica. It is available through adult education. It can be spoken in court or in the conduct of other government business if the officials concerned speak it. The Cultural Council of the Corsican Assembly advocates for its use, for example, on public signs.
In 2023, in a judgement initiated by local prefect and going in opposite direction of recent trends, usage of the Corsican language in French public offices and the regional parliament was legally banned, the existence of the "Corsican people" was also deemed unconstitutional.
43
Literature
edit
According to the anthropologist Dumenica Verdoni, writing new literature in modern Corsican, known as the
Riacquistu
, is an integral part of affirming Corsican identity.
44
Some individuals have returned from careers in continental France to write in Corsican, including Dumenicu Togniotti, director of the
Teatru Paisanu
, which produced polyphonic musicals, 1973–1982, followed in 1980 by Michel Raffaelli's
Teatru di a Testa Mora
, and Saveriu Valentini's
Teatru Cupabbia
in 1984.
45
Modern prose writers include Alanu di Meglio, Ghjacumu Fusina, Lucia Santucci, and Marcu Biancarelli.
46
There were writers working in Corsican in the 1700s and 1800s.
47
Ferdinand Gregorovius
, a 19th-century traveller and enthusiast of Corsican culture, reported that the preferred form of the literary tradition of his time was the
vocero
, a type of polyphonic ballad originating from funeral obsequies. These laments were similar in form to the chorales of Greek drama except that the leader could improvise. Some performers were noted at this, such as the 1700s Mariola della Piazzole and Clorinda Franseschi.
48
However, the trail of written popular literature of known date in Corsican currently goes no further back than the 17th century.
49
An undated corpus of proverbs from communes may well precede it (see under
External links
below). Corsican has also left a trail of legal documents ending in the late 12th century. At that time the monasteries held considerable land on Corsica and many of the churchmen were
notaries
Between 1200 and 1425 the monastery of
Gorgona
, which belonged to the
Order of Saint Benedict
for much of that time and was in the territory of
Pisa
, acquired about 40 legal papers of various sorts related to Corsica. As the church was replacing Pisan prelates with Corsican ones there, the legal language shows a transition from entirely Latin through partially Latin and partially Corsican to entirely Corsican. The first known surviving document containing some Corsican is a bill of sale from
Patrimonio
dated to 1220.
50
These documents were moved to Pisa before the monastery closed its doors and were published there. Research into earlier evidence of Corsican is ongoing.
Alphabet and spelling
edit
Funerary Inscription in Corsican language at the cemetery of Erbaggio (
Nocario
Main article:
Corsican alphabet
Corsican is written in the standard
Latin script
, using 21 of the letters for native words, like in Italian. The letters j, k, w, x, and y are found only in foreign names, still like in Italian, but also in French vocabulary. The digraphs and trigraphs
chj
ghj
sc
and
sg
are also defined as "letters" of the alphabet in its modern scholarly form (compare the presence of
ch
or
ll
in the old Spanish alphabet) and appear respectively after
and
The primary diacritic used is the
grave accent
, indicating word stress when it is not
penultimate
. In scholarly contexts,
disyllables
may be distinguished from
diphthongs
by use of the
diaeresis
on the former vowel (as in Italian and distinct from French and English). In older writing, the
acute accent
is sometimes found on stressed
⟨e⟩
, the
circumflex
on stressed
⟨o⟩
, indicating respectively (
/e/
) and (
/o/
) phonemes.
Corsican has been regarded as a dialect of Italian historically, similar to the Romance lects developed on the Italian peninsula, and in writing, it also resembles Italian (with the generalised substitution of -
for final -
and the articles
and
for
il/lo
and
la
respectively; however, both the dialect of
Cap Corse
and Gallurese retain the original articles
lu
and
la
). On the other hand, the phonemes of the modern Corsican dialects have undergone complex and sometimes irregular phenomena depending on phonological context, so the pronunciation of the language for foreigners familiar with other Romance languages is not straightforward.
Phonology
edit
Vowels
edit
As in Italian, the grapheme
⟨i⟩
appears in some
digraphs
and
trigraphs
in which it does not represent the phonemic vowel. All vowels are pronounced except in a few well-defined instances.
⟨i⟩
is not pronounced between
⟨sc/sg/c/g⟩
and
⟨a/o/u⟩
sciarpa
[ˈʃarpa]
; or initially in some words:
istu
[ˈstu]
51
Vowels may be nasalized before
⟨n⟩
(which is assimilated to
⟨m⟩
before
⟨p⟩
or
⟨b⟩
) and the palatal nasal consonant represented by
⟨gn⟩
. The nasal vowels are represented by the vowel plus
⟨n⟩
⟨m⟩
or
⟨gn⟩
. The combination is a digraph or trigraph indicating the nasalized vowel. The consonant is pronounced in weakened form. The same combination of letters might not be the digraph or trigraph but might be just the non-nasal vowel followed by the consonant at full weight. The speaker must know the difference. Example of nasal:
⟨pane⟩
is pronounced
[ˈpãnɛ]
and not
[ˈpanɛ]
The Northern and central dialects in the vicinity of the
Taravo
river adopt the Italian seven-vowel system (the Italo-Western type and a unique type where the short high vowels of Latin are uniquely reflected as mid-low vowels), whereas all the Southern ones around the so-called "archaic zone" with its centre being the town of Sartène (including the
Gallurese
dialect spoken in Northern Sardinia) resort to a five-vowel system without length differentiation, like
Sardinian
52
The vowel inventory, or collection of phonemic vowels (and the major allophones), transcribed in
IPA
symbols, is:
53
54
Description
Grapheme
Minuscule
Phoneme
Phone
or
Allophones
Usage
Example
Open front unrounded
Near open
/a/
[a]
[æ]
Occasional northern
casa
[ˈkaza]
house
carta
[ˈkærta]
card
Close-mid front unrounded
Open-mid
Near-open
Open
/e/
[e]
[ɛ]
[æ]
[a]
Inherited as
open or close
Occasional northern
Occasional southern
u celu
[uˈd͡ʒelu]
the sky
ci hè
[ˈt͡ʃɛ]
there is
mercuri
['mærkuri]
wednesday
terra
[ˈtarra]
land
Close front unrounded
/i/
[i]
[j]
1st sound,
diphthong

['di]
say
fiume
[ˈfjumɛ]
river
Close-mid back rounded
Open-mid
/o/
[o]
[ɔ]
Inherited as
open or close
locu
[ˈloɡu]
place
notte
[ˈnɔtɛ]
night
Close back rounded
/u/
[u]
[w]
[ɥ]
1st sound,
diphthong
malu
[ˈmalu]
bad
quassù
[kwaˈsu]
up there
què
[ˈkɥɛ]
that
Consonants
edit
Bilabial
Labio-
dental
Alveolar
Dental
Palato-
alveolar
Palatal
Velar
plain
labial.
Nasal
Plosive
voiceless

voiced
ɡʷ
Affricate
voiceless
t͡s
t͡ʃ
voiced
d͡z
d͡ʒ
Fricative
voiceless
voiced
Approximant
median
lateral
Trill
Sample text
edit
Article 1 of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
in Corsican:
Nascinu tutti l'omi libari è pari di dignità è di diritti. Pussedinu a raghjoni è a cuscenza è li tocca ad agiscia trà elli di modu fraternu.
55
Article 1 of the
Universal Declaration of Human Rights
in English:
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another in a spirit of brotherhood.
See also
edit
Corsican Wikipedia
Gallurese dialect
Languages of France
Paleo-Corsican language
Sassarese language
Notes
edit
Gallurese and Sassarese are sometimes considered separate languages spoken by minority groups with distinct identity.
"Il sassarese deriva dalla lingua italiana e, più precisamente, dal toscano antico, poi trasformatosi lentamente in dialetto popolare fin dal secolo XII, quando ancora i borghesi e i nobili parlavano in sardo logudorese. Durante l'età del Libero Comune (1294–1323), il dialetto sassarese non-era altro che un pisano contaminato, al quale si aggiungevano espressioni sarde, corse e spagnole; non è quindi un dialetto autoctono, ma continentale e, meglio determinandolo, un sotto – dialetto toscano misto, con caratteri propri, diverso dal gallurese di importazione corsa.
For more information, see
de Martino 1996
Words beginning with the "gi-" groups (like
già
girà
, etc.) can be pronounced in a iotic way too, i.e. substituting the 'g' with a 'j' (
ja
jirà
...). Original note text: "Le parole che iniziano con il gruppo "gi-" (come
già
girà
, ecc.) possono essere anche pronunciate in maniera iotica, ossia sostituendo la 'g' con una 'j' (
ja
jirà
...)"
References
edit
Corsican
at
Ethnologue
(23rd ed., 2020)
"UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in danger"
. UNESCO. Archived from
the original
on 11 October 2017
. Retrieved
18 March
2018
"Corsican in France"
. Euromosaic
. Retrieved
13 June
2008
To access the data, click on List by languages, Corsican, Corsican in France, then scroll to
Geographical and language background
Dalbera-Stefanaggi 2002
, p. 3.
Guarnerio 1902
, pp. 491–516.
Multiple sources:
Biondelli, Bernardino (1856).
Studi linguistici
. Milano: Giuseppe Bernardoni. p. 186.
"Corsica"
Encyclopedia Britannica
. 9 November 2023.
"Distribution of the Romance languages in Europe"
Encyclopedia Britannica
Cortelazzo 1988
, p. 452.
Tagliavini 1972
, p. 395.
Fusina & Ettori 1981
, p. 12: "Au sud, on sera peut-être surpris de constater que la plus proche parenté n'est pas avec le sarde, pourtant si proche dans l'espace, mais avec les dialectes de l'Italie méridionale, notamment le calabrais. Un Corse du Sud parlant corse en toscane sera identifié comme calabrais; un corse du nord parlant corse en Sardaigne centrale sera identifié comme italien; quand à un sarde parlant sarde dans la péninsule, il ne sera pas compris." ["To the South, it may come as a surprise that the closest [linguistic] neighbor is not Sardinian, even if it is so close geographically. The closest neighbor is to be found in the Southern Italian dialects, especially in Calabrian. A Southern Corsican who speaks Corsican in Tuscany will be identified as Calabrian; a Northern Corsican who speaks Corsican in inner Sardinia will be identified as Italian; and, finally, a Sardinian-speaking Sardinian in the [Italian] peninsula will not be understood at all."]
Harris & Vincent 2000
, p. 315: "Evidence from early manuscripts suggests that the language spoken throughout Sardinia, and indeed Corsica, at the end of the Dark Ages was fairly uniform and not very different from the dialects spoken today in the central (Nuorese) areas."
Renzi & Andreose 2009
, p. 56: "Originariamente le varietà corse presentavano numerose affinità col sardo, ma hanno subito l'influenza toscana nel corso dei secoli a causa della forte penetrazione pisana soprattutto nel centro-nord dell'isola."
Lubello 2016
, p. 141: "Malgrado la maggior durata della dominazione ligure, prolungatasi fino al XVIII secolo, le varietà romanze locali (specie quelle settentrionali) sono state influenzate soprattutto dalle parlate toscane, a tal punto che i dialetti còrsi, originariamente non dissimili dal sardo, costituiscono oggi il gruppo romanzo linguisticamente più affine al sistema dei dialetti toscani."
Posner, Rebecca; Sala, Marius.
"Sardinian language"
Encyclopedia Britannica
Toso 2003
, p. 79: "Il rapporto di diglossia che si instaura tra corso e toscano, soprattutto a partire dal Cinquecento, non pare sostanzialmente diverso da quello che normalmente prevale nelle altre regioni italiane e che vede nella vicina Sardegna il livello alto occupato piuttosto dal catalano o dal castigliano."
Fusina & Ettori 1981
, p. 81: "Pendant des siècles, toscan et corse ont formé un couple perçu par les locuteurs comme deux niveaux de la même langue."
Dalbera-Stefanaggi 2000
, pp. 250–251: "C'est une province de langue italienne qui rejoint l'ensemble français en 1768. De langue italienne aux deux sens du mot langue : langue véhiculaire – officielle – et langue vernaculaire. Le lien génétique qui unit les deux systèmes linguistiques est en effet très étroit si bien que les deux variétés peuvent fonctionner comme les deux niveaux d'une même langue. Encore convient-il de regarder de plus près en quoi consiste l'italianité dialectale de la Corse : plus complexe, mais sans doute aussi plus fondamentale et plus ancienne que l'italianité " officielle ", c'est elle qui inscrit véritablement notre île au cœur de l'espace italo-roman."
Jaffe 1999
, p. 72.
Arrighi 2002
, p. 51.
Dalbera-Stefanaggi 2000
, p. 269: "L'italien, bien sûr, c'est différent du corse, mais guère plus que le corse du nord pour les gens du sud et inversement : l'italien, on l'a vu, c'est toujours l'autre, mais l'autre si proche."
Dalbera-Stefanaggi 2002
, p. 11.
Ledgeway, Adam; Maiden, Martin, eds. (2016).
The Oxford guide to the Romance languages
. Oxford: Oxford University Press. p. 208.
ISBN
978-0-19-967710-8
Abalain 2007
, p. 113.
Jaffe 1999
, p. 71.
Toso 2003
, p. 79: "A differenza che in altre regioni d'Italia non nasce quindi in Corsica, se non tardivamente, una letteratura dialettale riflessa secondo la nota categorizzazione crociana, ne tanto meno una letteratura regionale portatrice di autonome istanze ideologiche e culturali, come avviene invece in Liguria o in Sardegna."
Viale, Salvatore (1855).
Canti popolari corsi con note
(in Italian). Bastia: Stamperia di Cesare Fabiani. p. 4.
OCLC
83876409
Dalla lettura di queste canzoni si vedrà che i Corsi non hanno, né certo finora aver possono, altra poesia o letteratura, fuorchè l'italiana. [...] E la lingua corsa è pure italiana; ed è stata anzi finora uno dei meno impuri dialetti d'Italia.
Dalbera-Stefanaggi 2002
, p. 16.
Arrighi 2002
, pp. 73–74.
Loi n°51-46 du 11 janvier 1951 relative à l'enseignement des langues et dialectes locaux *Loi Dexonne*
(51-46). Government of France. 11 January 1951.
Jehasse, Olivier (2017). "Corsica". In Naso, Alessandro (ed.).
Etruscology
. pp.
1641–
1652.
doi
10.1515/9781934078495-083
ISBN
978-1-934078-48-8
Seneca.
"Ad Helviam matrem de consolatione"
(in Latin) – via The Latin Library.
Haec ipsa insula saepe iam cultores mutauit. Vt antiquiora, quae uetustas obduxit, transeam, Phocide relicta Graii qui nunc Massiliam incolunt prius in hac insula consederunt [...] Transierunt deinde Ligures in eam, transierunt et Hispani, quod ex similitudine ritus apparet; eadem enim tegmenta capitum idemque genus calciamenti quod Cantabris est, et uerba quaedam; nam totus sermo conuersatione Graecorum Ligurumque a patrio desciuit.
, VII
Blackwood, Robert J. (August 2004). "Corsican distanciation strategies: Language purification or misguided attempts to reverse the gallicisation process?".
Multilingua – Journal of Cross-Cultural and Interlanguage Communication
23
(3):
233–
255.
doi
10.1515/mult.2004.011
Sotgiu, Giovanna.
"La Maddalena nella storia"
Official website of the Maddalena Commune
. Archived from
the original
on 20 October 2020.
"Ciurrata Internaziunali di la Linga Gadduresa"
(PDF)
(in Italian). Accademia di la Lingua Gadduresa. 6 December 2014.
Archived
(PDF)
from the original on 9 March 2016.
Legge Regionale 15 ottobre 1997, n. 26
(26, 2, paragraph 4) (in Italian). Autonomous Region of Sardinia. 15 October 1997
. Retrieved
16 June
2008
Archived
1 March 2021 at the
Wayback Machine
Dalbera-Stefanaggi 2002
, p. 17: "Dans l'ensemble, la situation est donc comparable à celle de bon nombre de provinces françaises, avec sans doute un retard dans l'application de la dernière étape, c'est-à-dire le passage du dialect au français régional: la conservation du dialecte, en Corse, est en effet un fait d'évidence, même si la régression est égalment évidente."
"Corsican language use survey"
. Euromosaic
. Retrieved
13 June
2008
To find this statement and the supporting data click on List by languages, Corsican, Corsican language use survey and look under
INTRODUCTION
"Inchiesta sociolinguistica nant'à a lingua corsa"
(in Corsican). Collectivité territoriale de Corse. Archived from
the original
on 1 April 2015
. Retrieved
4 December
2014
Moseley, Christopher, ed. (2010).
Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger
(3rd ed.). Paris: UNESCO Publishing.
Delamotte-Legrand, François & Porcher 1997
Sibille 2019
, p. 85–107.
Daftary, Farimah (October 2000).
"Insular Autonomy: A Framework for Conflict Settlement? A Comparative Study of Corsica and the Åland Islands"
(PDF)
. European Centre For Minority Issues (ECMI). pp.
10–
11. Archived from
the original
(PDF)
on 2 October 2008
. Retrieved
13 June
2008
Barat, Michel (9 September 2010).
"Dispositif académique d'enseignement de la langue corse dans le premier degré, année scolaire 2010–2011"
(in French). Academy of Corsica. Archived from
the original
on 3 July 2014.
"Corsican language ban stirs protest on French island"
The Guardian
. Agence France-Presse. 10 March 2023.
ISSN
0261-3077
. Retrieved
11 March
2023
Verdoni, Dumenica.
"Etat / identités : de la culture du conflit à la culture du projet"
InterRomania
(in French). Centru Culturale Universita di Corsica. Archived from
the original
on 11 May 2008
. Retrieved
17 June
2008
Magrini, Tullia (2003).
Music and Gender: Perspectives from the Mediterranean
. University of Chicago Press. p. 53.
ISBN
0-226-50166-3
Filippi, Paul-Michel (2008).
"Corsican Literature Today"
Transcript
(17)
. Retrieved
26 June
2008
"Auteurs"
. ADECEC. Archived from
the original
on 27 June 2008
. Retrieved
28 June
2008
Gregorovius, Ferndinand
(1855).
Corsica in Its Picturesque, Social, and Historical Aspects: the Records of a Tour in the Summer of 1852
. Russell Martineau (trans.). London: Longman, Brown, Green and Longmans. pp.
275–
312.
Chiorboli, Jean (2008).
"The Corsican Language"
Transcript
(17). Translated by Beretti, Francis
. Retrieved
29 June
2008
Scalfati, Silio P. P. (2003).
"Latin et langue vernaculaire dans les actes notariés corses XIe-XVe siècle"
La langue des actes
. XIe Congrès international de diplomatique (Troyes, 11–13 September 2003). Éditions en ligne de l'École des chartes. Archived from
the original
on 17 January 2012
. Retrieved
30 October
2011
"La prononciation des voyelles"
A Lingua Corsa
. 19 April 2008
. Retrieved
20 June
2008
Nesi, Annalisa.
"corsi, dialetti"
Enciclopedia dell'Italiano
(in Italian)
. Retrieved
18 March
2018
Fusina, Jacques (1999).
Parlons Corse
. Paris: L'Harmattan.
ISBN
978-2-7384-8209-9
"Notes sur la phonétique utilisée sur ce site"
A Lingua Corsa
. 19 April 2008
. Retrieved
20 June
2008
Diffusion Multilingue des Droits de l'Homme, France.
"DICHJARAZIONI UNIVIRSALI DI I DIRITTI DI L'OMU"
(PDF)
Office of the United Nations High Commissioner for Human Rights
(in Corsican)
. Retrieved
14 March
2026
Sources
edit
Abalain, Hervé (2007).
Le français et les langues historiques de la France
(in French). Paris: Éditions Jean-Paul Gisserot.
ISBN
978-2-87747-881-6
Arrighi, Jean-Marie (2002).
Histoire de la langue corse
. Paris: Éditions Jean-Paul Gisserot.
ISBN
978-2-87747-663-8
Cortelazzo, Manlio (1988). "Gliederung der Sprachräume/Ripartizione dialettale". In Holtus, Günter; Metzeltin, Michael; Schmitt, Christian (eds.).
Lexikon der Romanistischen Linguistik
(in German). Vol. IV: Italienisch, Korsisch, Sardisch. Tübingen: Niemeyer.
ISBN
978-3-484-50234-5
Dalbera-Stefanaggi, Marie José (2000).
Essais de linguistique corse
(in French). Ajaccio: Alain Piazzola.
ISBN
978-2-907161-73-2
Dalbera-Stefanaggi, Marie José (2002).
La langue corse
(in French). Paris: Presses universitaires de France.
ISBN
978-2-13-052946-0
de Martino, Renzo (1996).
Il dialetto maddalenino. Storia, grammatica, genovesismi. Il dialetto corso
. Cagliari: Edizioni della Torre.
ISBN
978-8873432890
Delamotte-Legrand, Régine; François, Frédéric; Porcher, Louis (1997).
Langage, éthique, éducation: Perspectives croisées
(in French). Publications de l'Université de Rouen et du Havre.
ISBN
978-2-87775-226-8
Fusina, Jacques; Ettori, Fernand (1981).
Langue corse : incertitudes et paris
(in French). Ajaccio: Scola Corsa.
Guarnerio, Pier Ennio (1902).
Il sardo e il còrso in una nuova classificazione delle lingue romanze
. Archivio glottologico italiano (AGI) (in Italian). Vol. XVI. Turin, Italy: Loescher.
Harris, Martin; Vincent, Nigel (2000).
The Romance languages
. London: Routledge.
ISBN
978-0-415-16417-7
Jaffe, Alexandra (1999).
Ideologies in Action: Language Politics on Corsica
. Walter de Gruyter.
ISBN
3-11-016445-0
Lubello, Sergio (2016).
Manuale di linguistica italiana
(in Italian). Berlin: De Gruyter.
ISBN
978-3-11-036036-3
Pellegrini, Giovanni Battista (1977).
Carta dei dialetti d'Italia
(in Italian). Pisa: Pacini.
Renzi, Lorenzo; Andreose, Alvise (2009).
Manuale di linguistica e filologia romanza
(in Italian). Bologna: Il Mulino.
ISBN
978-8815133441
Sibille, Jean (2019).
" Langues de France " et territoires : raison des choix et des dénominations"
. In Pailhé, Joël; Viaut, Alain (eds.).
Langue et espace
. Multilinguisme et langues minoritaires. Pessac: Maison des Sciences de l'Homme d'Aquitaine. pp.
85–
107.
doi
10.4000/books.msha.6495
ISBN
978-2-85892-522-3
. Retrieved
11 December
2020
Tagliavini, Carlo (1972).
Le origini delle lingue neolatine
(in Italian) (6th ed.). Bologna: Pàtron.
OCLC
801325536
Toso, Fiorenzo (2003).
"Lo spazio linguistico corso tra insularità e destino di frontiera"
Linguistica
43
(1). University of Ljubljana.
doi
10.4312/linguistica.43.1.73-92
External links
edit
Corsican edition
of
Wikipedia
, the free encyclopedia
Wikimedia Commons has media related to
Corsican language
Wikiversity has learning resources about
Corsican language
Wikivoyage has a phrasebook for
Corsican
Corsican language, alphabet and pronunciation
"INFCOR: Banca di dati di a lingua corsa"
. L'ADECEC (Association pour le Développement des Etudes Archéologiques, Historiques, linguistiques et Naturalistes du Centre-Est de la Corse)
. Retrieved
13 June
2008
"Patre Nostru"
prayer.su
. Retrieved
25 June
2008
"Traduction Corse – Latin"
. A lingua corsa
. Retrieved
13 June
2008
Languages of France
Official language
French
Meridional
Saint-Barthélemy
Regional languages
Alemannic German
Alsatian
Basque
Navarro-Lapurdian
Souletin
Berrichon
Breton
Trégorrois
Burgundian
Catalan
Northern Catalan
Champenois
Corsican
Frainc-Comtou
Franco-Provençal
Mâconês
Savoyard
Gallo
Ligurian
Brigasc
Intemelio
Royasc
Lorrain
Lorraine Franconian
Luxembourgish
Norman
Cauchois
Cotentinais
Occitan
Auvergnat
Gascon
Languedocien
Limousin
Marchois
Provençal
Niçard
Vivaro-Alpine
Mentonasc
Picard
Poitevin–Saintongeais
Poitevin
Saintongeais
Walloon
West Flemish
French Flemish
Overseas languages
Ajië
Antillean Creole
Drehu
Guianese Creole
Futunan
Kibushi
Nengone
Paicî
Réunion Creole
Shimaore
Tahitian
Wallisian
Xaracuu
Minority languages
Algerian Jewish Sign Language
Caló
Erromintxela
French Sign Language
Manuš Romani
Portuguese
Wenzhounese
Armenian
Yenish
Yiddish
See also
Guillemet
See also:
Language policy in France
Languages of Italy
Historical linguistic minorities
Albanian
Catalan
Croatian
French
Franco-Provençal
Friulian
German
Greek
Ladin
Occitan
Romani
Sardinian
Slovene
Italo-Romance
Italian
Regional Italian
Venetian
Venetian
Fiuman
Triestine
Tuscan
Florentine
Central Italian
Central-Northern Latian
Marchigiano
Marinese
Romanesco
Sabino
Intermediate Southern (Neapolitan)
Beneventano
Barese
Castelmezzanese
Cilentan
Cosentino
Irpinian
Arianese
Molisan
Southern Latian
Tarantino
Vastese
Extreme Southern
Central-Southern Calabrian
Salentino
Manduriano
Sicilian
Pantesco
Other Italo-Dalmatian
languages
Corsican
Gallurese
Sassarese
Sardinian
Sardinian
Campidanese
Logudorese
Occitano-Romance
Catalan
Algherese
Occitan
Vivaro-Alpine
Mentonasc
Niçard
Gardiol
Gallo-Romance
French
Aostan
Franco-Provençal
Faetar
Cellese
Valdôtain
Vâlsoanin
Gallo-Italic
Ligurian
Brigasc
Genoese
Intemelio
Monégasque
Royasc
Tabarchino
Lombard
Western Lombard
Brianzöö dialects
Canzés
Bustocco and Legnanese
Legnanese
Comasco-Lecchese dialects
Comasco
Laghée
Vallassinese
Lecchese
Milanese
Ticinese
Ossolano
Varesino
Southwestern Lombard
Pavese
Novarese
Cremunés
Spasell
Eastern Lombard
Bergamasque
Cremish
Emilian–Romagnol
Emilian
Bolognese
Parmigiano
Gallo-Picene
Romagnol
Forlivese
Other Gallo-Italic
languages
Gallo-Italic of Basilicata
Gallo-Italic of Sicily
Judeo-Italian
Judaeo-Piedmontese
Piedmontese
Rhaeto-Romance
Rhaeto-Romance
Friulian
Ladin
Cadorino
Fornes
Nones
Italy portal
Albanian
Arbëresh language
Arbëresh
Vaccarizzo Albanian
South Slavic
Slovenian
Brda
Gail Valley
Inner Carniolan
Istrian
Karst
Natisone Valley
Resian
Torre Valley
Serbo-Croatian
Croatian
Montenegrin
Slavomolisano
Triestine Serbian
Greek
Italiot Greek
Calabrian Greek
Griko
German
Bavarian
Cimbrian
Mòcheno
Southern Bavarian
South Tyrolean
Other German dialects
Austrian German
Walser
Yiddish
Others
Hebrew
Italian Hebrew
Italian Sign Language
Romani
Sinte Romani
Wenzhounese
Venetian is either grouped with the rest of the Italo-Dalmatian or the Gallo-Italic languages, depending on the linguist, but the major consensus among linguists is that in the dialectal landscape of northern Italy, Veneto dialects are clearly distinguished from Gallo-Italic dialects.
Romance languages
classification
Major branches
Eastern
Italo-Western
Italo-Dalmatian
Western
Southern
Eastern
Aromanian
Istro-Romanian
Megleno-Romanian
Daco-Romanian
dialects
Banat
Bukovinian
Crișana
Maramureș
Moldavian
Oltenian
Transylvanian
Wallachian
Italo-
Dalmatian
Central
Central Italian
Central Marchigiano
Ancona
Fabriano
Macerata
Central−Northern Latian
Romanesco
Sabino
Corsican
Gallurese
Italian
Italo-Australian
Maltese Italian
Regional Italian
Swiss Italian
Sassarese
Tuscan
Florentine
Southern
Extreme Southern Italian
Central−Southern Calabrian
Salentino
Manduriano
Sicilian
Pantesco
Neapolitan–Calabrese
Neapolitan
Barese
Benevento
Castelmezzano
Cilentan
Irpinian
Arianese
Molisan
Southern Latian
Tarantino
Vastese
Northern Calabrian
Others
Dalmatian Romance
Dalmatian
Istriot
Judeo-Italian
Western
Gallo-Italic
Emilian–Romagnol
Emilian
Bolognese
Ferrarese
Judeo-Mantuan
Parmigiano
Gallo-Picene
Romagnol
Forlivese
Old Romagnol
Sammarinese
Gallo-Italic of Basilicata
Gallo-Italic of Sicily
Ligurian
Brigasc
Genoese
Intemelio
Monégasque
Royasc
Tabarchino
Judeo-Italian
Lombard
Eastern
Bergamasque
Cremish
Old Lombard
Western
Brianzöö
Canzés
Bustocco–Legnanese
Legnanese
Comasco–Lecchese
Comasco
Laghée
Lecchese
Vallassinese
Milanese
Ossolano
Southwestern
Cremunés
Novarese
Pavese
Ticinese
Varesino
Piedmontese
Judeo-Piedmontese
Gallo-
Romance
Langues
d'oïl
Angevin
Berrichon
Bourbonnais
Burgundian
Champenois
Frainc-Comtou
Gallo
French
Jersey Legal
Meridional
North American dialects
Canadian
Acadian
Chiac
St. Marys Bay French
Brayon
Newfoundland
Quebec
Joual
Magoua
Franco-Ontarian
Métis
Muskrat
New England
Frenchville
Louisiana
Missouri
Creoles
Lorrain
Welche
Moselle Romance
Norman
Anglo-Norman
Auregnais
Guernésiais
Jèrriais
Sercquiais
Law French
Augeron
Cauchois
Cotentinais
Orléanais
Picard
Poitevin–Saintongeais
Poitevin
Saintongeais
Walloon
Wisconsin Walloon
Fraco-Provençal/Arpitan
Faetar–Cigliàje
Mâconês
Savoyard
Valdôtain
Vâlsoanin
Old Gallo-Romance
Ibero-
Romance
West
Iberian
Asturo–Portuguese
Asturleonese
Asturian
Eastern
Western
Cantabrian
Extremaduran
Leonese
Bercian
Paḷḷuezu
Palra
Riberan
Riunorese
Mirandese
Old Leonese
Galician–
Portuguese
Fala
Galician
Eonavian
Portuguese
dialects
African
Angolan
Asian
Brazilian
Amazofonia
Caipira
Florianopolitan
Gaúcho
Mineiro
Northeastern
Paulistano
European
Alentejan
Oliventine
Estremenho
Minderico
Northern
Uruguayan
Creoles
Portugis
Papiamento
Judeo-Portuguese
Castilian
Judeo-Spanish
Haketia
Tetuani
Spanish
dialects
Equatoguinean
Latin American
Argentinian
Bolivian
Chilean
Chilote
Colombian
Ecuadorian
Mexican
Paraguayan
Peruvian
Peruvian Ribereño
Rioplatense
Uruguayan
Venezuelan
Peninsular
Andalusian
Llanito
Castilian
Castrapo
Castúo
Murcian
Philippine
Saharan
Creoles
Old Spanish
Pyrenean–Mozarabic
Mozarabian
Navarro-Aragonese
Aragonese
Central
Eastern
Ribagorçan
Benasquese
Judeo-Aragonese
Southern
Somontanés
Navalese
Western
Aisinian
Ansó
Aragüés
Hecho
Community of Villages Aragonese
Ebro Valley Aragonese
Navarrese
Old Riojan
Valencian Aragonese
Others
Barranquenho
(mixed Portuguese–Spanish)
Caló
(mixed Romani–Ibero- and Occitano-Romance)
Occitano-
Romance
Catalan
dialects
Eastern
Algherese
Balearic
Menorcan
Central
Northern
Judeo-Catalan
Patuet
Western
Ribagorçan
Valencian
Occitan
Auvergnat
Gascon
Aranese
Béarnese
Aas whistled
Landese
Judeo-Gascon
Judeo-Provençal
Languedocien
Limousin
Provençal
Niçard
Vivaro-Alpine
Gardiol
Mentonasc
Old Occitan
Old Catalan
Rhaeto-
Romance
Friulian
Fornes
Ladin
Cadorino
Nones
Romansh
Jauer
Putèr
Surmiran
Sursilvan
Tuatschin
Sutsilvan
Vallader
Others
Franco-Italian
Mediterranean Lingua Franca
(Western Romance-based pidgin)
Venetian
(unknown further classification)
Chipilo
Fiuman
Judeo-Venetian
Paduan
Talian
Triestine
Others
British Latin
Pannonian Latin
Southern Romance
African Romance
Sardinian
Campidanese
Logudorese
Dialects of Latin
Reconstructed
Proto-Romance
Proto-Eastern Romance
Italics
indicate
extinct languages
Bold
indicates
languages with more than 5 million speakers
Languages between parentheses are
varieties
of the language on their left.
Authority control databases
International
GND
National
France
BnF data
Czech Republic
Israel
Other
Yale LUX
Retrieved from "
Categories
Corsican language
Languages of France
Languages of Sardinia
Italo-Dalmatian languages
Italo-Western languages
Hidden categories:
Language articles citing Ethnologue 23
CS1 Italian-language sources (it)
CS1 Latin-language sources (la)
Webarchive template wayback links
CS1 Corsican-language sources (co)
CS1 French-language sources (fr)
Articles with short description
Short description matches Wikidata
Use dmy dates from October 2024
Articles containing Corsican-language text
Pages with Corsican IPA
All articles with unsourced statements
Articles with unsourced statements from November 2024
Language articles with Linguasphere code
Languages which need ISO 639-3 comment
Languages with ISO 639-2 code
Languages with ISO 639-1 code
Articles with unsourced statements from December 2021
Pages with plain IPA
CS1: long volume value
CS1 German-language sources (de)
Commons category link is on Wikidata
Corsican language
Add topic