Romagnol language
Encyclopedia
Romagnol is a Romance language mostly spoken in Romagna
(Northern Italy
, part of the region Emilia-Romagna
, Italy
), Republic of San Marino
and Northern Marche
.
language; it's contemporary with Tuscan (which became, in the 13th-15th centuries, the basis of Italian language).
Vulgar Latin
s evolved through precise phonetical and morphological rules. They all had in common the disappearance of declension
.
What distinguishes Romagnol from other languages of Northern Italy is a whole of historical, geographical and cultural conditions:
Western border
West of Romagna
Emilian language is spoken. The border with Emilian land is torrent Sillaro, who runs 25 km East from Bologna
: to the west (Castel San Pietro Terme
) Emilian is spoken, to the East Imola
, the language is Romagnol.
In Emilia-Romagna
, Emilian language is spoken in all the rest of the region moving from Sillaro to the west, up to Piacenza
.
Northern border
Reno River
is the border between Romagnol and the dialect of Ferrara.
Romagnol is spoken also in some villages northwards Reno river, as Argenta
and Filo, where people of Romagnol origin are living close people of Ferrarese origin.
Ferrara
goes into Emilian language territory.
Southern border
Outside Emilia-Romagna, Romagnol is spoken in the Republic of San Marino
("sammarinese"), in the Marecchia Valley, in the Conca Valley (Montefeltro
) and in all the Pesaro e Urbino province.
, printed 1502. It's written in Italian
mixed with Romagnol.
The first Romagnol poem dates back to the end of 16th century: E Pvlon matt. Cantlena aroica (Mad Nap), a mock-heroic
poem based on "Mad Orlando" (Orlando Furioso
) and written by an anonymous author from San Vittore di Cesena. XII cantos made up the poem, of which only four first survived (1848 lines).
The first Romagnol poet to won fame was clergy
Pietro Santoni, (Fusignano
, 1736–1823). He was teacher of Vincenzo Monti
, one of the most famous Italian poet of his times.
In 1840 the first Dictionary Romagnol-Italiano was released by Antonio Morri, printed in Faenza
.
The best authors to be mentioned are:
The main living Romagnol poet is Tonino Guerra
(1920).
There is lexical and syntactic uniformity, while the pronunciation changes when moving from Po Valley
to the hills.
Romagna
Romagna is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to the east, and the rivers Reno and Sillaro to the north and west...
(Northern 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...
, part of the region Emilia-Romagna
Emilia-Romagna
Emilia–Romagna is an administrative region of Northern Italy comprising the two historic regions of Emilia and Romagna. The capital is Bologna; it has an area of and about 4.4 million inhabitants....
, 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...
), Republic of San Marino
San Marino
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino...
and Northern Marche
Marche
The population density in the region is below the national average. In 2008, it was 161.5 inhabitants per km2, compared to the national figure of 198.8. It is highest in the province of Ancona , and lowest in the province of Macerata...
.
History
Romagnol is a New LatinNew Latin
The term New Latin, or Neo-Latin, is used to describe the Latin language used in original works created between c. 1500 and c. 1900. Among other uses, Latin during this period was employed in scholarly and scientific publications...
language; it's contemporary with Tuscan (which became, in the 13th-15th centuries, the basis of Italian language).
Vulgar Latin
Vulgar Latin
Vulgar Latin is any of the nonstandard forms of Latin from which the Romance languages developed. Because of its nonstandard nature, it had no official orthography. All written works used Classical Latin, with very few exceptions...
s evolved through precise phonetical and morphological rules. They all had in common the disappearance of declension
Declension
In linguistics, declension is the inflection of nouns, pronouns, adjectives, and articles to indicate number , case , and gender...
.
What distinguishes Romagnol from other languages of Northern Italy is a whole of historical, geographical and cultural conditions:
- Greek-Byzantine heritage during 6th, 7th and 8th centuries;
- a different exposure to Germanic influence (before and after the Migration PeriodMigration PeriodThe Migration Period, also called the Barbarian Invasions , was a period of intensified human migration in Europe that occurred from c. 400 to 800 CE. This period marked the transition from Late Antiquity to the Early Middle Ages...
); - the different features of Latin spoken in the Italian peninsula north and south of the Northern ApenninesApennine mountainsThe Apennines or Apennine Mountains or Greek oros but just as often used alone as a noun. The ancient Greeks and Romans typically but not always used "mountain" in the singular to mean one or a range; thus, "the Apennine mountain" refers to the entire chain and is translated "the Apennine...
; - the existence of a "Celtic background" (according to historical linguistHistorical linguisticsHistorical linguistics is the study of language change. It has five main concerns:* to describe and account for observed changes in particular languages...
Graziadio Isaia Ascoli (19th century), spread in all tongues northwards to the Apennine Mountains (with the only notable exception being the Venetian languageVenetian languageVenetian 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...
).
Geographic distribution
West of Romagna
Romagna
Romagna is an Italian historical region that approximately corresponds to the south-eastern portion of present-day Emilia-Romagna. Traditionally, it is limited by the Apennines to the south-west, the Adriatic to the east, and the rivers Reno and Sillaro to the north and west...
Emilian language is spoken. The border with Emilian land is torrent Sillaro, who runs 25 km East from Bologna
Bologna
Bologna is the capital city of Emilia-Romagna, in the Po Valley of Northern Italy. The city lies between the Po River and the Apennine Mountains, more specifically, between the Reno River and the Savena River. Bologna is a lively and cosmopolitan Italian college city, with spectacular history,...
: to the west (Castel San Pietro Terme
Castel San Pietro Terme
Castel San Pietro Terme is a small city and comune in the province of Bologna, Emilia-Romagna, Italy, with about 20,600 inhabitants. It is located along the Roman Via Aemilia, at the foot of the Tosco-Emilian Appennines....
) Emilian is spoken, to the East Imola
Imola
thumb|250px|The Cathedral of Imola.Imola is a town and comune in the province of Bologna, located on the Santerno river, in the Emilia-Romagna region of north-central Italy...
, the language is Romagnol.
In Emilia-Romagna
Emilia-Romagna
Emilia–Romagna is an administrative region of Northern Italy comprising the two historic regions of Emilia and Romagna. The capital is Bologna; it has an area of and about 4.4 million inhabitants....
, Emilian language is spoken in all the rest of the region moving from Sillaro to the west, up to Piacenza
Piacenza
Piacenza is a city and comune in the Emilia-Romagna region of northern Italy. It is the capital of the province of Piacenza...
.
Northern border
Reno River
Reno River
The Reno is a river of Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy. It is the tenth longest river in Italy and the most important of the region apart from the Po...
is the border between Romagnol and the dialect of Ferrara.
Romagnol is spoken also in some villages northwards Reno river, as Argenta
Argenta
-Places:Canada* Argenta, British Columbia, a community in the Regional District of Central KootenayItaly* Argenta, Emilia–Romagna, a town in the Province of FerraraUnited States* Argenta, Illinois, a village in Macon County-Other uses:...
and Filo, where people of Romagnol origin are living close people of Ferrarese origin.
Ferrara
Ferrara
Ferrara is a city and comune in Emilia-Romagna, northern Italy, capital city of the Province of Ferrara. It is situated 50 km north-northeast of Bologna, on the Po di Volano, a branch channel of the main stream of the Po River, located 5 km north...
goes into Emilian language territory.
Southern border
Outside Emilia-Romagna, Romagnol is spoken in the Republic of San Marino
San Marino
San Marino, officially the Republic of San Marino , is a state situated on the Italian Peninsula on the eastern side of the Apennine Mountains. It is an enclave surrounded by Italy. Its size is just over with an estimated population of over 30,000. Its capital is the City of San Marino...
("sammarinese"), in the Marecchia Valley, in the Conca Valley (Montefeltro
Montefeltro
thumb|Coat of Arms of the Montefeltro family.Montefeltro is the name of an historical Italian family who ruled Urbino and Rimini.The family's reign began in 1267 when Buonconte I da Montefeltro was elected podestà of Urbino...
) and in all the Pesaro e Urbino province.
16th to 19th century
The first appearance of a Romagnol literary work is "Sonetto romagnolo" by Bernardino Catti, from RavennaRavenna
Ravenna is the capital city of the Province of Ravenna in the Emilia-Romagna region of Italy and the second largest comune in Italy by land area, although, at , it is little more than half the size of the largest comune, Rome...
, printed 1502. It's written 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...
mixed with Romagnol.
The first Romagnol poem dates back to the end of 16th century: E Pvlon matt. Cantlena aroica (Mad Nap), a mock-heroic
Mock-heroic
Mock-heroic, mock-epic or heroi-comic works are typically satires or parodies that mock common Classical stereotypes of heroes and heroic literature...
poem based on "Mad Orlando" (Orlando Furioso
Orlando Furioso
Orlando Furioso is an Italian epic poem by Ludovico Ariosto which has exerted a wide influence on later culture. The earliest version appeared in 1516, although the poem was not published in its complete form until 1532...
) and written by an anonymous author from San Vittore di Cesena. XII cantos made up the poem, of which only four first survived (1848 lines).
The first Romagnol poet to won fame was clergy
Clergy
Clergy is the generic term used to describe the formal religious leadership within a given religion. A clergyman, churchman or cleric is a member of the clergy, especially one who is a priest, preacher, pastor, or other religious professional....
Pietro Santoni, (Fusignano
Fusignano
Fusignano is a comune in the province of Ravenna in Italy. It is near Senio River is located near Fusignano where the Allied crossing occurred on April 9, 1945.-History:...
, 1736–1823). He was teacher of Vincenzo Monti
Vincenzo Monti
Vincenzo Monti was an Italian poet, playwright, translator, and scholar.-Biography:Monti was born in Alfonsine, Province of Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna the son of Fedele and Domenica Maria Mazzari, landowners...
, one of the most famous Italian poet of his times.
In 1840 the first Dictionary Romagnol-Italiano was released by Antonio Morri, printed in Faenza
Faenza
Faenza is an Italian city and comune, in the province of Ravenna, Emilia-Romagna, situated 50 km southeast of Bologna.Faenza is noted for its manufacture of majolica ware glazed earthenware pottery, known from the name of the town as "faience"....
.
20th century
20th century was absolutely the best for Romagnol literature. Theatre plays and poems reached top level quality.The best authors to be mentioned are:
- Olindo GuerriniOlindo GuerriniOlindo Guerrini was an Italian poet who also published under the pseudonyms Lorenzo Stecchetti and Argia Sbolenfi....
, with "Sonetti romagnoli", - Aldo Spallicci,
- Raffaello BaldiniRaffaello BaldiniRaffaello Baldini was an Italian writer and poet. His Ad nòta won the Premio Bagutta....
, who won in 1988 the «Premio Viareggio» and in 1995 the «Premio Bagutta».
The main living Romagnol poet is Tonino Guerra
Tonino Guerra
Tonino Guerra is an Italian poet, writer and screenwriter who has collaborated with some of the most prominent film directors of the world.-Biography:Guerra was born in Santarcangelo di Romagna....
(1920).
Features
Romagnol language has some features that make it different from other Gallo-Italic languages:- A strong importance of consonantConsonantIn articulatory phonetics, a consonant is a speech sound that is articulated with complete or partial closure of the vocal tract. Examples are , pronounced with the lips; , pronounced with the front of the tongue; , pronounced with the back of the tongue; , pronounced in the throat; and ,...
s in the word. Some words that in Latin were trisyllabic or tetrasyllabic (where the 'u' final is atonic) are reduced in Romagnol to monosyllables. The atonic syllable is cut off:
| Latin | Romagnol | Italian | English | |
| 1) | Genuculu | ZNOC | ginocchio | knee |
| 2) | Tepidu | TEVVD | tiepido | lukewarm |
| 3) | Oculu | OC | occhio | eye |
| 4) | Frigidu | FREDD | freddo | cold |
- A very large number of vowelVowelIn phonetics, a vowel is a sound in spoken language, such as English ah! or oh! , pronounced with an open vocal tract so that there is no build-up of air pressure at any point above the glottis. This contrasts with consonants, such as English sh! , where there is a constriction or closure at some...
s, (about 20, in comparison with ItalianItalian languageItalian 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...
vowels, which number only seven).
There is lexical and syntactic uniformity, while the pronunciation changes when moving from Po Valley
Po Valley
The Po Valley, Po Plain, Plain of the Po, or Padan Plain is a major geographical feature of Italy. It extends approximately in an east-west direction, with an area of 46,000 km² including its Venetic extension not actually related to the Po River basin; it runs from the Western Alps to the...
to the hills.