Cilentan language
Encyclopedia
- "Cilentan" redirects here: For the region, see CilentoCilentoCilento is an Italian geographical region of Campania in the central and southern part of the Province of Salerno and an important tourist area of southern Italy.-Geography:...
. For the coast, see Cilentan CoastCilentan CoastThe Cilento Coast is an Italian stretch of coastline of Cilento, on the southern side of the Province of Salerno...
.
The Cilentan language (in 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...
: Cilentano, in Cilentan: Celendano or Cilindanu) is a dialect
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,...
spoken in the area of Cilento
Cilento
Cilento is an Italian geographical region of Campania in the central and southern part of the Province of Salerno and an important tourist area of southern Italy.-Geography:...
, located in the southern part of the Province of Salerno
Province of Salerno
The Province of Salerno is a province in the Campania region of Italy.-Geography:The largest towns in the province are: Salerno, the capital, which has a population of 139,579; Cava de' Tirreni with a population of 53,488; Battipaglia with a population of 51,115; and Nocera Inferiore which has a...
, Campania
Campania
Campania is a region in southern Italy. The region has a population of around 5.8 million people, making it the second-most-populous region of Italy; its total area of 13,590 km² makes it the most densely populated region in the country...
, 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...
.
Influences
The principal influence on Cilentan, especially in southern Cilento, is the SicilianSicilian language
Sicilian is a Romance language. Its dialects make up the Extreme-Southern Italian language group, which are spoken on the island of Sicily and its satellite islands; in southern and central Calabria ; in the southern parts of Apulia, the Salento ; and Campania, on the Italian mainland, where it is...
family of dialects, to which it is sometimes considered to belong. Another influence, especially in the Vallo di Diano
Vallo di Diano
The Vallo di Diano is an italian valley of the south-eastern side of Campania, in the Province of Salerno.-Geography:...
and in central Cilento, is the Lucanian dialect, as spoken in Potenza
Potenza
-Transportation:Potenza is a rail junction on the main line from Salerno to Taranto, managed by FS Trenitalia; it has also a connection to Altamura, served by the Ferrovie Appulo Lucane regional company...
and part of its province
Province of Potenza
The Province of Potenza is a province in the Basilicata region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Potenza.-Geography:It has an area of 6,545 km² and a total population of 387,107 . There are 100 comuni in the province .-History:In 272 B.C. the province was conquered by the Greek army...
. In the towns of northern Cilento close to the urban area of Salerno
Salerno
Salerno is a city and comune in Campania and is the capital of the province of the same name. It is located on the Gulf of Salerno on the Tyrrhenian Sea....
(for example Agropoli
Agropoli
Agropoli is a town and comune located in the Cilento area of the province of Salerno, Campania, Italy. It is situated at the start of the Cilento coast, on the Tyrrhenian Sea. Its population is 21.251.-Pre-medieval period:...
, Capaccio
Capaccio
Capaccio is a town and comune in the province of Salerno in the Campania region of south-western Italy. The ruins of the ancient city of Paestum lie within borders of the comune.-Airport:...
and Paestum
Paestum
Paestum is the classical Roman name of a major Graeco-Roman city in the Campania region of Italy. It is located in the north of Cilento, near the coast about 85 km SE of Naples in the province of Salerno, and belongs to the commune of Capaccio, officially also named...
) the language is mainly influenced by Neapolitan
Neapolitan language
Neapolitan is the language of the city and region of Naples , and Campania. On October 14, 2008 a law by the Region of Campania stated that the Neapolitan language had to be protected....
, more specifically by the Salernitan dialect.
Variants
The variety of this dialect could be mainly subdivided in:- Northern Cilentan : Mainly influenced by Neapolitan and partly by Lucanian dialects.
- Southern Cilentan : Mainly influenced by Sicilian and considered a dialect of this language.
See also
- LucaniaLucaniaLucania was an ancient district of southern Italy, extending from the Tyrrhenian Sea to the Gulf of Taranto. To the north it adjoined Campania, Samnium and Apulia, and to the south it was separated by a narrow isthmus from the district of Bruttium...
- CilentoCilentoCilento is an Italian geographical region of Campania in the central and southern part of the Province of Salerno and an important tourist area of southern Italy.-Geography:...
- Vallo di DianoVallo di DianoThe Vallo di Diano is an italian valley of the south-eastern side of Campania, in the Province of Salerno.-Geography:...
- Cilentan CoastCilentan CoastThe Cilento Coast is an Italian stretch of coastline of Cilento, on the southern side of the Province of Salerno...
- Cilento National ParkCilento and Vallo di Diano National ParkThe Cilento and Vallo di Diano National Park is an Italian national park founded in 1991...
- Province of SalernoProvince of SalernoThe Province of Salerno is a province in the Campania region of Italy.-Geography:The largest towns in the province are: Salerno, the capital, which has a population of 139,579; Cava de' Tirreni with a population of 53,488; Battipaglia with a population of 51,115; and Nocera Inferiore which has a...