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
31 core words in Corsican
Water
acqua
/akwa/
Fire
focu
/fɔku/
Sun
sole
/sɔle/
Moon
luna
/luna/
Star
stella
/ˈstella/
Mother
mamma
/mamma/
Father
babbu
/babːu/
I
eiu
/ˈɛju/
You
tù
/tu/
Name
nome
/ˈnome/
Eye
ochju
/ɔcu/
Hand
manu
/manu/
Heart
core
/kɔre/
Love
amore
/amɔre/
Tree
arburu
/arburu/
House
casa
/kaza/
Dog
cane
/kane/
Cat
ghjattu
/ɟattu/
Eat
manghjà
/manɟa/
Drink
beie
/beje/
One
unu
/unu/
Two
dui
/ˈdui/
Hello
salute
/salute/
Thank you
grazie
/ɡratsje/
Good
bonu
/bɔnu/
Cuckoo
cuccu
/ˈkukku/
Computer
urdinatore
/urdinaˈtore/
Sushi
sushi
/ˈsuʃi/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Romance (Italo-Dalmatian) languages
| Meaning | Corsican | Interlingua | Sicilian | Sardinian | Venetian | Old Italian (Dantesque) | Neapolitan |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | acqua /akwa/ | aqua /akwa/ | acqua /akkwa/ | abba /abba/ | aqua /akwa/ | acqua /ˈakːwa/ | acqua /akkwə/ |
| Fire | focu /fɔku/ | foco /fɔko/ | focu /fɔku/ | fogu /foɣu/ | fogo /foɡo/ | foco /ˈfɔko/ | fuoco /fwɔkə/ |
| Sun | sole /sɔle/ | sol /sɔl/ | suli /suli/ | sole /sole/ | sol /sol/ | sole /ˈsole/ | sole /solə/ |
| Moon | luna /luna/ | luna /luna/ | luna /luna/ | luna /luna/ | łuna /ɫuna/ | luna /ˈluna/ | luna /lunə/ |
| Star | stella /ˈstella/ | stella /ˈstɛla/ | stidda /ˈstɪɖːa/ | istella /isˈtɛlːa/ | stela /ˈstela/ | stella /ˈstella/ | stella /ˈstellə/ |
| Mother | mamma /mamma/ | matre /matre/ | matri /matri/ | mama /mama/ | mare /mare/ | madre /ˈmaːdre/ | mamma /mammə/ |
| Father | babbu /babːu/ | patre /patre/ | patri /patri/ | babbu /babbu/ | pare /pare/ | padre /ˈpaːdre/ | pate /patə/ |
| I | eiu /ˈɛju/ | io /ˈio/ | iu /ˈju/ | deo /ˈdɛo/ | mi /mi/ | io /ˈio/ | io /ˈiːə/ |
| You | tù /tu/ | tu /tu/ | tu /ˈtu/ | tue /ˈtue/ | ti /ti/ | tu /ˈtu/ | tu /tu/ |
| Name | nome /ˈnome/ | nomine /ˈnomine/ | nomu /ˈnɔmu/ | nòmine /ˈnɔmine/ | nome /ˈnome/ | nome /ˈnoːme/ | nomme /ˈnommə/ |
| Eye | ochju /ɔcu/ | oculo /okulo/ | occhiu /ɔkkju/ | ogru /ˈoɣru/ | ocio /ɔtʃo/ | occhio /ˈɔkːjo/ | uocchio /wɔkkjə/ |
| Hand | manu /manu/ | mano /mano/ | manu /manu/ | manu /manu/ | man /man/ | mano /ˈmano/ | mano /manə/ |
| Heart | core /kɔre/ | corde /kɔrde/ | cori /kɔri/ | core /kore/ | cor /kɔr/ | core /ˈkɔre/ | core /korə/ |
| Love | amore /amɔre/ | amor /amor/ | amuri /amuri/ | amore /amore/ | amor /amor/ | amore /aˈmore/ | ammore /ammorə/ |
| Tree | arburu /arburu/ | arbore /arbore/ | àrbulu /arbulu/ | àrbure /ˈarbure/ | àrboro /arboro/ | albero /ˈalbero/ | àrvero /arvərə/ |
| House | casa /kaza/ | casa /kasa/ | casa /kasa/ | domo /domo/ | caxa /ˈkaza/ | casa /ˈkasa/ | casa /kasə/ |
| Dog | cane /kane/ | can /kan/ | cani /kani/ | cane /kane/ | can /kan/ | cane /ˈkane/ | cane /kanə/ |
| Cat | ghjattu /ɟattu/ | catto /katto/ | jattu /jattu/ | gattu /ɡattu/ | gato /ɡato/ | gatto /ˈɡatːo/ | jatto /jattə/ |
| Eat | manghjà /manɟa/ | manducar /mandukar/ | manciari /mantʃari/ | mandigare /mandiɡare/ | magnàr /maˈɲar/ | mangiare /manˈdʒare/ | mangià /mandʒa/ |
| Drink | beie /beje/ | biber /biber/ | vìviri /viviri/ | bìere /ˈbiere/ | bévar /ˈbevar/ | bevere /ˈbevere/ | vevere /vevərə/ |
| One | unu /unu/ | un /un/ | unu /unu/ | unu /unu/ | un /un/ | uno /ˈuno/ | uno /unə/ |
| Two | dui /ˈdui/ | duo /ˈduo/ | dui /ˈduɪ/ | duos /ˈduɔs/ | do /do/ | due /ˈduːe/ | duje /ˈduːjə/ |
| Hello | salute /salute/ | salute /salute/ | salutamu /salutamu/ | salude /salude/ | ciao /tʃao/ | salute /saˈlute/ | uè /wɛ/ |
| Thank you | grazie /ɡratsje/ | gratias /ɡratias/ | grazii /ɡrattsii/ | gràtzias /ˈɡrattsjas/ | grassie /ɡrasje/ | mercede /merˈtʃede/ | grazie /ɡratsjə/ |
| Good | bonu /bɔnu/ | bon /bon/ | bonu /bɔnu/ | bonu /bonu/ | bon /bon/ | buono /ˈbwɔno/ | buono /bwɔnə/ |
| Cuckoo | cuccu /ˈkukku/ | cucu /ˈkuku/ | cuccu /ˈkukku/ | cucu /ˈkuku/ | cucù /kuˈku/ | cucco /ˈkukko/ | cucù /kuˈku/ |
| Computer | urdinatore /urdinaˈtore/ | computator /komputaˈtor/ | computer /komˈpjuter/ | computer /komˈpjuter/ | computer /komˈpjuter/ | abbaco /abˈbaːko/ | computer /komˈpjutə/ |
| Sushi | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | tonnina /tonˈniːna/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ |
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