Gallurese

Gallurese
gadduresu
Pronunciation	[ɡaɖːuˈrezu]
Native to	Italy
Region	Gallura (northern Sardinia)
Ethnicity	Corsicans Sardinians
Native speakers	(100,000 cited 1999)
Language family	Indo-European Italic Latino-Faliscan Latin Romance Italo-Western Italo-Dalmatian Italo-Romance (unclassified) Corsican Gallurese
Official status
Recognised minority language in	Sardinia (Italy)
Language codes
ISO 639-3	sdn
Glottolog	gall1276
ELP	Gallurese Sardinian
Linguasphere	51-AAA-pd
Languages and dialects of Sardinia

Gallurese (gadduresu) is a Romance dialect of the Italo-Dalmatian family spoken in the region of Gallura, northeastern Sardinia. Gallurese is variously described as a distinct southern dialect of Corsican or transitional language of the dialect continuum between Corsican and Sardinian. "Gallurese International Day" (Ciurrata Internaziunali di la Linga Gadduresa) takes place each year in Palau (Sardinia) with the participation of orators from other areas, including Corsica.

Gallurese is generally considered a southern Corsican dialect, sharing close resemblance in morphology and vocabulary with the dialects of Sartene and Porto-Vecchio on Corsica, whereas its phonology and syntax are similar to those of Sardinian. One third of Gallurese vocabulary is also influenced by Logudorese Sardinian, Catalan, and Spanish.

The Sassarese dialect, spoken in the area of Sassari, shares similar transitional traits between Tuscan, Corsican and Sardinian but, in comparison with Gallurese, is definitely closer to the Logudorese dialects of Sardinian.

History

The most ancient literary sources in Gallurese date back to the early 17th century, mainly as poetry and religious odes. Some late Middle Age fragments suggest that the formation of the language could be dated to the early 15th century. The origin and the development of Gallurese are debated. Max Leopold Wagner and Maurice Le Lannou argued that successive migration waves from Southern Corsica, promoted under the Aragonese rule to repopulate an area devastated by famine and pandemics, were crucial in the formation of a transitional language.

Typical constitutional elements of Gallurese

Corsican dialects, including Gallurese.

• the plural form of nouns in -i (ghjanni or polti 'doors') are like in Corsican and Italian, and not as in -s like in Sardinian (jannas, portas), French, Spanish, Catalan, etc.
• Latin 'll' has become -dd- (like casteddu, coraddu 'castle', 'coral'), the same as in Sardinian, southern Corsican and Sicilian (but castellu, corallu in northern Corsican);
• -r- modified to -l- (poltu 'port', while portu in Corsican and Sardinian);
• -chj- and -ghj- sounds (ghjesgia 'church', occhji 'eyes'), like in Corsican, while Sardinian is cresia, ogros.
• articles lu, la, li, like in ancient Corsican dialects (u, a, i in modern Corsican, su, sa, sos, sas in Sardinian);

Relation to Corsican

Gallurese is classified by some linguists as a dialect of Corsican, and by others as a dialect of Sardinian. In any case, a great deal of similarity exists between Southern Corsican dialects and Gallurese, while there is relatively more distance from the neighbouring Sardinian varieties.

Concluding the debate speech, the Sardinian linguist Mauro Maxia stated as follows:

From a historical and geographic point of view, Gallurese might be classed either under Corsican or Sardinian, in light of its presence specific to Sardinia for the last six-seven centuries. From a linguistic point of view, Gallurese might be defined as:

• Predominantly Corsican on a phono-morphological level;
• Predominantly Sardinian on a syntactic level;
• Predominantly Corsican on a lexical level, with a lot of Sardinian, Catalan, and Spanish words, making up around 1/3 of the total vocabulary.

Gallurese is less Corsican than many scholars make it out to be. What makes Gallurese a different language from Corsican, rather than a Corsican dialect, are many grammatical features, especially related to syntax, and the significant number of Sardinian, Catalan and Spanish loanwords.

It can be therefore claimed that, from a grammatical and lexical point of view, Gallurese is a transitional language between Corsican and Sardinian.

— Mauro Maxia, Seminar on the Gallurese language, Palau 2014

The Regional Government of Sardinia has recognized Gallurese, along with Sassarese as separate languages, distinct from Sardinian.

Sample of text

An excerpt from a hymn dedicated to the Virgin Mary.

Standard Italian	Southern Corsican	Gallurese	Sassarese	Logudorese Sardinian	English translation
Tu sei nata per incanto deliziosa bellezza la migliore di Luogosanto la più bella di Gallura. Sei tanto bella che ogni cuore s'innamora di te per gli occhi miei un fiore ed è la migliore che c’è. Io sono vecchio e canuto e il mio tempo sta passando però sempre burlando come m'avevi conosciuto. Per quanta strada devo fare sempre onore a Luogosanto che è la terra dell'incanto per chiunque chi viene a visitarla. La patrona di Gallura abbiamo noi in Luogosanto incoronata di canti così bella creatura.	Tù sè nata par incantu diliziosa biddezza a meddu di Locusantu a più bedda di Gaddura. Sè bedda chì ugni cori s’innamurighja di tè pà l’ochja mei un fiori ed hè a meddu chì ci hè. Ié socu vechju canutu è socu à tempu passendu parò sempri burlendu comu m’eti cunnisciutu Quantu campu devu fà sempri anori a Locusantu ch’hè a tarra di l’incantu di quà veni à sughjurnà. A Patrona di Gaddura l’emu no' in Locusantu incurunata da u cantu cusì bedda criatura.	Tu sei nata par incantu diliziosa elmosùra la meddu di Locusantu la più bedda di Gaddura. Sei bedda chi dugna cori s’innammurigghja di te pa l’occhj mei un fiori ed è la meddu chi c’è. E socu vecchju canutu e socu a tempu passendi parò sempri burrulendi comu m’eti cunnisciutu Cantu campu decu fà sempri onori a Locusantu ch’è la tarra di l’incantu di ca veni a istragnà. La Patrona di Gaddura l’emu noi in Locusantu incurunata da lu cantu cussì bedda criatura.	Tu sei nadda pà incantu diriziosa ermosura la megliu di Loggusantu la più bedda di Gaddura. Sei bedda chi dugna cori s'innamureggia di te pà l'occi mei un fiori e sei la megliu chi v'è. E soggu vecciu canuddu e soggu a tempu passendi parò sempri buffunendi cumenti m'abeddi cunnisciddu. Cantu campu aggiu da fà sempri onori a Loggusantu chi è la terra di l'incantu di ca veni a visità. La Patrona di Gaddura l'abemmu noi in Loggusantu incurunadda da lu cantu cussì bedda criaddura.	Tue ses naschida pro incantu delitziosa ermosura sa menzus de Logusantu sa prus bella de Gallura. Ses bella gai chi dontzi coro s'innamorat de tene pro sos ogros meos unu frore e ses sa menzus chi b'est. E soe betzu e pilicanu e su tempus meu est colende pero soe semper brullende comente m'azis connotu. Pro cantu bivo apo a fàghere semper onore a Logusantu chi est sa terra de s'incantu de chie benit a la bisitare. Sa patrona de Gallura la tenimus nois in Logusantu coronada de su cantu gai bella criadura.	You were born of enchantment Delightful beauty The best of Luogosanto The most beautiful in Gallura.      You are so beautiful that every heart Falls in love with you A flower to my eyes The best one that there is. I am old and grey And my time is passing by But I am always cheering up The same way as when you met me. No matter how many fields I must till I will always honor Luogosanto For it is a land of enchantment For whoever comes to visit it.      The Patron of Gallura Is here for us in Luogosanto Crowned by hymns Such a splendid creature.

See also

• Sardinia
• Corsican language
• Sassarese
• Sardinian language

External links

• Maxia, Mauro. Studi sardo-corsi: Dialettologia e storia della lingua tra le due isole. Accademia della Lingua Gallurese; Istituto di Filologia (2010).
• Elementi di grammatica gallurese, Antoninu Rubattu
• Von Wartburg, Walther. La fragmentation linguistique de la Romania. Paris, Librairie C. Klincksieck, 1967.