Chipilo Venetian dialect
Encyclopedia
Chipilo Venetian or Chipileño is a diaspora language
currently spoken by the descendants of some five hundred Venetian
19th century immigrants to Mexico
. The Venetians
settled in the State of Puebla
, founding the city of Chipilo
. This Venetian variety is also spoken in other communities in Veracruz
and Querétaro
, places where the chipileños settled as well.
Although the city of Puebla has grown so far as to almost absorb it, the town of Chipilo
remained isolated for much of the 20th century. Thus, the Cipiłàn/chipileños, unlike other European immigrants that came to Mexico, did not blend into the Mexican culture and retained most of their traditions and their language. To this day, most of the people in Chipilo speak the venet or Venetian
of their great-grandparents. The variant of the Venet language spoken by the Cipiłàn/chipileños is the northern Traixàn-Fheltrìn-Bełumàt. Surprisingly, it has been barely altered by Spanish
, as compared to how the dialect of the northern Venetland-Veneto
has been altered by Italian
. Given the number of speakers of Venet, and even though the state government has not done so, the Venet language has to be considered a minority language in the State of Puebla
.
There have been several attempts to establish a writing system for the Venetian form spoken in Chipilo. One such system was created by Carolyn McKay, an American linguist who conducted postgraduate research at the Universidad de las Américas. Her proposed system, entirely based on the Italian
alphabet, was published in a book entitled Il dialetto veneto di Segusino e Chipilo. This system has been used in some publications made by Cipiłàn/chipileños, but it has not received wide acceptance, because of the striking differences between Venet and Italian phonemes. Most of the speakers use the Spanish
system they learn at school, even though it does not have letters for specific sounds such as the voiced-S (written [x] in modern Venet), or the [θ] (written [th] in modern Venet), and [ð] (written [dh] in modern Venet). Nevertheless, Eduardo Montagner has suggested the standardization of a writing system based on the Spanish
alphabet.
Diaspora language
The term diaspora language, coined in the 1980s, is a sociolinguistic idea referring to a variety of language spoken in a place of migration. For example, the great number of Hindi speakers in the United Kingdom has produced a strain of the language unlike that spoken on the Indian subcontinent...
currently spoken by the descendants of some five hundred Venetian
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
19th century immigrants to Mexico
Mexico
The United Mexican States , commonly known as Mexico , is a federal constitutional republic in North America. It is bordered on the north by the United States; on the south and west by the Pacific Ocean; on the southeast by Guatemala, Belize, and the Caribbean Sea; and on the east by the Gulf of...
. The Venetians
Venice
Venice is a city in northern Italy which is renowned for the beauty of its setting, its architecture and its artworks. It is the capital of the Veneto region...
settled in the State of Puebla
Puebla
Puebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
, founding the city of Chipilo
Chipilo
Chipilo is a small city in the state of Puebla, Mexico. It is located twelve kilometers south of the state capital Puebla, Puebla, at a height of 2,150 meters above sea level. Its official name is Chipilo de Francisco Javier Mina...
. This Venetian variety is also spoken in other communities in Veracruz
Veracruz
Veracruz, formally Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Veracruz de Ignacio de la Llave , is one of the 31 states that, along with the Federal District, comprise the 32 federative entities of Mexico. It is divided in 212 municipalities and its capital city is...
and Querétaro
Querétaro
Querétaro officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Querétaro de Arteaga is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided into 18 municipalities and its capital city is Santiago de Querétaro....
, places where the chipileños settled as well.
Although the city of Puebla has grown so far as to almost absorb it, the town of Chipilo
Chipilo
Chipilo is a small city in the state of Puebla, Mexico. It is located twelve kilometers south of the state capital Puebla, Puebla, at a height of 2,150 meters above sea level. Its official name is Chipilo de Francisco Javier Mina...
remained isolated for much of the 20th century. Thus, the Cipiłàn/chipileños, unlike other European immigrants that came to Mexico, did not blend into the Mexican culture and retained most of their traditions and their language. To this day, most of the people in Chipilo speak the venet or Venetian
Venetian language
Venetian or Venetan is a Romance language spoken as a native language by over two million people, mostly in the Veneto region of Italy, where of five million inhabitants almost all can understand it. It is sometimes spoken and often well understood outside Veneto, in Trentino, Friuli, Venezia...
of their great-grandparents. The variant of the Venet language spoken by the Cipiłàn/chipileños is the northern Traixàn-Fheltrìn-Bełumàt. Surprisingly, it has been barely altered by Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
, as compared to how the dialect of the northern Venetland-Veneto
Veneto
Veneto is one of the 20 regions of Italy. Its population is about 5 million, ranking 5th in Italy.Veneto had been for more than a millennium an independent state, the Republic of Venice, until it was eventually annexed by Italy in 1866 after brief Austrian and French rule...
has been altered by Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
. Given the number of speakers of Venet, and even though the state government has not done so, the Venet language has to be considered a minority language in the State of Puebla
Puebla
Puebla officially Estado Libre y Soberano de Puebla is one of the 31 states which, with the Federal District, comprise the 32 Federal Entities of Mexico. It is divided in 217 municipalities and its capital city is Puebla....
.
There have been several attempts to establish a writing system for the Venetian form spoken in Chipilo. One such system was created by Carolyn McKay, an American linguist who conducted postgraduate research at the Universidad de las Américas. Her proposed system, entirely based on the Italian
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
alphabet, was published in a book entitled Il dialetto veneto di Segusino e Chipilo. This system has been used in some publications made by Cipiłàn/chipileños, but it has not received wide acceptance, because of the striking differences between Venet and Italian phonemes. Most of the speakers use the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
system they learn at school, even though it does not have letters for specific sounds such as the voiced-S (written [x] in modern Venet), or the [θ] (written [th] in modern Venet), and [ð] (written [dh] in modern Venet). Nevertheless, Eduardo Montagner has suggested the standardization of a writing system based on the Spanish
Spanish language
Spanish , also known as Castilian , is a Romance language in the Ibero-Romance group that evolved from several languages and dialects in central-northern Iberia around the 9th century and gradually spread with the expansion of the Kingdom of Castile into central and southern Iberia during the...
alphabet.