Corsu
Corsican
Romance (Italo-Dalmatian)
Corsican (Corsu) is an Italo-Romance language with ~150K speakers — primary regional language of Corsica (France) plus Sardinia's northern Maddalena Archipelago and Gallura (Sassarese-related dialects). Closer to Tuscan-Italian than to Sardinian (with which it shares only geography), with three main dialects: Northern (Cismonte) closer to Tuscan, Southern (Pumonte) more conservative, and Sardinian-Corsican Gallurese as an intermediate. The 1768 sale of Corsica from Genoa to France brought a slow shift toward French; Corsican gained regional protection only in 1991 with the creation of the Collectivité Territoriale de Corse, and a co-official-language proposal failed in the French Constitutional Court 2014. UNESCO classifies as definitely endangered. Cultural revival through paghjella polyphonic singing (UNESCO heritage 2009) and Riacquistu literary movement since the 1970s.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Corsican
Water
acqua
/akwa/
Fire
focu
/fɔku/
Sun
sole
/sɔle/
Moon
luna
/luna/
Mother
mamma
/mamma/
Father
babbu
/babːu/
Eat
manghjà
/manɟa/
Drink
beie
/beje/
Love
amore
/amɔre/
Heart
core
/kɔre/
Tree
arburu
/arburu/
House
casa
/kaza/
Dog
cane
/kane/
Cat
ghjattu
/ɟattu/
Hand
manu
/manu/
Eye
ochju
/ɔcu/
Hello
salute
/salute/
Thank you
grazie
/ɡratsje/
One
unu
/unu/
Good
bonu
/bɔnu/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Romance (Italo-Dalmatian) languages
| Meaning | Corsican | Sicilian | Sardinian | Interlingua | Venetian | Old Italian (Dantesque) | Neapolitan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | acqua /akwa/ | acqua /akkwa/ | abba /abba/ | aqua /akwa/ | aqua /akwa/ | acqua /ˈakːwa/ | acqua /akkwə/ |
| Fire | focu /fɔku/ | focu /fɔku/ | fogu /foɣu/ | foco /fɔko/ | fogo /foɡo/ | foco /ˈfɔko/ | fuoco /fwɔkə/ |
| Sun | sole /sɔle/ | suli /suli/ | sole /sole/ | sol /sɔl/ | sol /sol/ | sole /ˈsole/ | sole /solə/ |
| Moon | luna /luna/ | luna /luna/ | luna /luna/ | luna /luna/ | łuna /ɫuna/ | luna /ˈluna/ | luna /lunə/ |
| Mother | mamma /mamma/ | matri /matri/ | mama /mama/ | matre /matre/ | mare /mare/ | madre /ˈmaːdre/ | mamma /mammə/ |
| Father | babbu /babːu/ | patri /patri/ | babbu /babbu/ | patre /patre/ | pare /pare/ | padre /ˈpaːdre/ | pate /patə/ |
| Eat | manghjà /manɟa/ | manciari /mantʃari/ | mandigare /mandiɡare/ | manducar /mandukar/ | magnàr /maˈɲar/ | mangiare /manˈd͡ʒare/ | mangià /mandʒa/ |
| Drink | beie /beje/ | vìviri /viviri/ | bìere /ˈbiere/ | biber /biber/ | bévar /ˈbevar/ | bevere /ˈbevere/ | vevere /vevərə/ |
| Love | amore /amɔre/ | amuri /amuri/ | amore /amore/ | amor /amor/ | amor /amor/ | amore /aˈmore/ | ammore /ammorə/ |
| Heart | core /kɔre/ | cori /kɔri/ | core /kore/ | corde /kɔrde/ | cor /kɔr/ | core /ˈkɔre/ | core /korə/ |
| Tree | arburu /arburu/ | àrbulu /arbulu/ | àrbure /ˈarbure/ | arbore /arbore/ | àrboro /arboro/ | albero /ˈalbero/ | àrvero /arvərə/ |
| House | casa /kaza/ | casa /kasa/ | domo /domo/ | casa /kasa/ | caxa /ˈkaza/ | casa /ˈkasa/ | casa /kasə/ |
| Dog | cane /kane/ | cani /kani/ | cane /kane/ | can /kan/ | can /kan/ | cane /ˈkane/ | cane /kanə/ |
| Cat | ghjattu /ɟattu/ | jattu /jattu/ | gattu /ɡattu/ | catto /katto/ | gato /ɡato/ | gatto /ˈɡatːo/ | jatto /jattə/ |
| Hand | manu /manu/ | manu /manu/ | manu /manu/ | mano /mano/ | man /man/ | mano /ˈmano/ | mano /manə/ |
| Eye | ochju /ɔcu/ | occhiu /ɔkkju/ | ogru /ˈoɣru/ | oculo /okulo/ | ocio /ɔtʃo/ | occhio /ˈɔkːjo/ | uocchio /wɔkkjə/ |
| Hello | salute /salute/ | salutamu /salutamu/ | salude /salude/ | salute /salute/ | ciao /tʃao/ | salute /saˈlute/ | uè /wɛ/ |
| Thank you | grazie /ɡratsje/ | grazii /ɡrattsii/ | gràtzias /ˈɡrattsjas/ | gratias /ɡratias/ | grassie /ɡrasje/ | mercede /merˈt͡ʃede/ | grazie /ɡratsjə/ |
| One | unu /unu/ | unu /unu/ | unu /unu/ | un /un/ | un /un/ | uno /ˈuno/ | uno /unə/ |
| Good | bonu /bɔnu/ | bonu /bɔnu/ | bonu /bonu/ | bon /bon/ | bon /bon/ | buono /ˈbwɔno/ | buono /bwɔnə/ |
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