Brigasc
Encyclopedia
Brigasc is a dialect
of the Ligurian language
. It is spoken in Italy
and France
.
. Tanaro is spoken in the Italian province of Cuneo
. Argentina is spoken in the Italian province of Imperia
.
the Ligurian language
was spoken in all the territories of the Republic of Genoa
: in the western area of this republic one of its groups (spoken mainly in the area between the Principality of Monaco and Sanremo
) was called Intermelio.
The Intermelio spoken in the mountains around Briga
was called Brigasc and received some influence from the Occitan language of Savoy
.
In 1947, when France obtained Briga
and Tenda
from Italy, some French scholars wanted to catalogue Brigasc as an Occitan dialect. However, more recent scholars identify it as a Ligurian
dialect, because of lexical and phonetical characteristics.
Dialect
The term dialect is used in two distinct ways, even by linguists. One usage refers to a variety of a language that is a characteristic of a particular group of the language's speakers. The term is applied most often to regional speech patterns, but a dialect may also be defined by other factors,...
of the Ligurian language
Ligurian language (Romance)
Ligurian is a Gallo-Romance language spoken in Liguria in Northern Italy, parts of the Mediterranean coastal zone of France, Monaco and in the villages of Carloforte and Calasetta in Sardinia. Genoese , spoken in Genoa, the capital of Liguria, is its most important dialect...
. It is spoken in Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and France
France
The French Republic , The French Republic , The French Republic , (commonly known as France , is a unitary semi-presidential republic in Western Europe with several overseas territories and islands located on other continents and in the Indian, Pacific, and Atlantic oceans. Metropolitan France...
.
Area of use
The Brigasc dialects are Roya, Tanaro, and Argentina, named respectively after the rivers Roya, Tanaro and Argentina. Roya is spoken in the French department of Alpes-MaritimesAlpes-Maritimes
Alpes-Maritimes is a department in the extreme southeast corner of France.- History : was created by Octavian as a Roman military district in 14 BC, and became a full Roman province in the middle of the 1st century with its capital first at Cemenelum and subsequently at Embrun...
. Tanaro is spoken in the Italian province of Cuneo
Cuneo
Cuneo is a city and comune in Piedmont, Northern Italy, the capital of the province of Cuneo, the third largest of Italy’s provinces by area...
. Argentina is spoken in the Italian province of Imperia
Province of Imperia
The Province of Imperia is a mountainous and hilly province, in the Liguria region of Italy, situated between the Maritime Alps to the north and the Ligurian Sea, an arm of the Mediterranean Sea to the south...
.
History
During the RenaissanceRenaissance
The Renaissance was a cultural movement that spanned roughly the 14th to the 17th century, beginning in Italy in the Late Middle Ages and later spreading to the rest of Europe. The term is also used more loosely to refer to the historical era, but since the changes of the Renaissance were not...
the Ligurian language
Ligurian language
The Ligurian language was spoken in pre-Roman times and into the Roman era by an ancient people of north-western Italy and south-eastern France known as the Ligures...
was spoken in all the territories of the Republic of Genoa
Republic of Genoa
The Most Serene Republic of Genoa |Ligurian]]: Repúbrica de Zêna) was an independent state from 1005 to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast, as well as Corsica from 1347 to 1768, and numerous other territories throughout the Mediterranean....
: in the western area of this republic one of its groups (spoken mainly in the area between the Principality of Monaco and Sanremo
Sanremo
Sanremo or San Remo is a city with about 57,000 inhabitants on the Mediterranean coast of western Liguria in north-western Italy. Founded in Roman times, the city is best known as a tourist destination on the Italian Riviera. It hosts numerous cultural events, such as the Sanremo Music Festival...
) was called Intermelio.
The Intermelio spoken in the mountains around Briga
Briga
Briga can refer to:*Brig, Switzerland - Swiss city in the Brig district of the Canton of Valais*Briga Alta - Italian comune in the Province of Cuneo*Briga Novarese - Italian community in the Province of Novara...
was called Brigasc and received some influence from the Occitan language of Savoy
Savoy
Savoy is a region of France. It comprises roughly the territory of the Western Alps situated between Lake Geneva in the north and Monaco and the Mediterranean coast in the south....
.
In 1947, when France obtained Briga
Briga
Briga can refer to:*Brig, Switzerland - Swiss city in the Brig district of the Canton of Valais*Briga Alta - Italian comune in the Province of Cuneo*Briga Novarese - Italian community in the Province of Novara...
and Tenda
Tenda
Tenda may refer to:* Tende, a town in southeastern France and formerly part of Italy* Tenda, a character and tribe in the 1995 Super Nintendo roleplaying video game, EarthBound* Construtora Tenda* Shenzhen Tenda, Chinese network manufacturing company...
from Italy, some French scholars wanted to catalogue Brigasc as an Occitan dialect. However, more recent scholars identify it as a Ligurian
Ligurian language
The Ligurian language was spoken in pre-Roman times and into the Roman era by an ancient people of north-western Italy and south-eastern France known as the Ligures...
dialect, because of lexical and phonetical characteristics.
Some words in Brigasc
| Italian | Brigasc | English |
|---|---|---|
| più | ciü | more |
| piano | cian | slow |
| fiore | sciu(u) | flower |
| chiave | ciau | key |
| occhio | ögl | eye |
| ponte | pont | bridge |
| porco | porc | pig |
| muro | muru | wall |