Lìgure
Ligurian
Romance (Gallo-Italic)
Ligurian (Lìgure / Zeneise for the Genoese variety) is an Italo-Romance language with ~500K speakers — northwestern Italy (Liguria, parts of Piemonte and Sardinia), Monaco (where it is the historic national language alongside French), and Argentina (Boca district of Buenos Aires, brought by 19th-c. Genoese sailors and the basis of Lunfardo slang). The Genoese maritime republic (11th-19th c.) spread it across the Mediterranean to Crimea (Caffa), the Aegean (Chios), and Corsica (where it underlies the Bonifacio dialect). Distinct from Italian and Piedmontese, with Gallo-Italic features (front-rounded vowels /y ø/, lenition of intervocalic consonants), and a unique nasal /ŋ/. Latin script with traditional Genoese orthography codified by the Académia Ligùstica do Brénno. UNESCO classifies as definitely endangered.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Ligurian
Water
ægoa
/ɛɡwa/
Fire
fêugo
/føɡu/
Sun
sô
/suː/
Moon
lùn-a
/lyna/
Star
stella
/ˈstelːa/
Mother
moæ
/mwɛ/
Father
poæ
/pwɛ/
I
mi
/mi/
You
ti
/ti/
Name
nomme
/ˈnomme/
Eye
euggio
/ødʒu/
Hand
man
/maŋ/
Heart
chêu
/køː/
Love
amô
/amuː/
Tree
ærbo
/ɛrbu/
House
câza
/kaːza/
Dog
can
/kaŋ/
Cat
gatto
/ɡatu/
Eat
mangiâ
/mandʒaː/
Drink
béive
/bejve/
One
un
/uŋ/
Two
dôi
/ˈdui/
Hello
ciâo
/tʃaː/
Thank you
graçie
/ɡrasje/
Good
bon
/buŋ/
Cuckoo
cùcco
/ˈkuku/
Computer
computer
/komˈpjuter/
Sushi
sushi
/ˈsuʃi/
Sources
Words compared
Compared with related Romance (Gallo-Italic) languages
| Meaning | Ligurian | Tabarchino | Lombard | Piedmontese | Venetian | Corsican | Friulian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ægoa /ɛɡwa/ | ægua /ˈɛɡwa/ | aqua /ˈaːkwa/ | eva /ˈeva/ | aqua /akwa/ | acqua /akwa/ | aghe /ˈaɡe/ |
| Fire | fêugo /føɡu/ | feûgu /ˈføɡu/ | fœg /føːk/ | feu /føː/ | fogo /foɡo/ | focu /fɔku/ | fûc /fuːk/ |
| Sun | sô /suː/ | su /ˈsu/ | sô /soː/ | sol /sol/ | sol /sol/ | sole /sɔle/ | soreli /soˈreːli/ |
| Moon | lùn-a /lyna/ | lugna /ˈlyɲa/ | lüna /ˈlyna/ | lun-a /ˈlyŋa/ | łuna /ɫuna/ | luna /luna/ | lune /ˈlune/ |
| Star | stella /ˈstelːa/ | stella /ˈstɛlːa/ | stella /ˈstɛla/ | stèila /ˈstɛjla/ | stela /ˈstela/ | stella /ˈstella/ | stele /ˈstɛle/ |
| Mother | moæ /mwɛ/ | maire /ˈmajre/ | mader /ˈmaːder/ | mare /ˈmare/ | mare /mare/ | mamma /mamma/ | mari /ˈmaːri/ |
| Father | poæ /pwɛ/ | paire /ˈpajre/ | pader /ˈpaːder/ | pare /ˈpare/ | pare /pare/ | babbu /babːu/ | pari /ˈpaːri/ |
| I | mi /mi/ | mi /mi/ | mì /mi/ | mi /mi/ | mi /mi/ | eiu /ˈɛju/ | jo /jɔ/ |
| You | ti /ti/ | ti /ti/ | tì /ti/ | ti /ti/ | ti /ti/ | tù /tu/ | tu /tu/ |
| Name | nomme /ˈnomme/ | nomme /ˈnɔmːe/ | nòmm /nɔm/ | nòm /nɔm/ | nome /ˈnome/ | nome /ˈnome/ | non /non/ |
| Eye | euggio /ødʒu/ | öggiu /ˈødʒu/ | öcc /øtʃ/ | euj /øj/ | ocio /ɔtʃo/ | ochju /ɔcu/ | voli /ˈvoli/ |
| Hand | man /maŋ/ | mòn /mɔŋ/ | man /maŋ/ | man /maŋ/ | man /man/ | manu /manu/ | man /maŋ/ |
| Heart | chêu /køː/ | chêu /kø/ | cör /kør/ | cheur /kør/ | cor /kɔr/ | core /kɔre/ | cûr /kuːr/ |
| Love | amô /amuː/ | amù /aˈmu/ | amor /aˈmuːr/ | amor /aˈmur/ | amor /amor/ | amore /amɔre/ | amôr /aˈmoːr/ |
| Tree | ærbo /ɛrbu/ | âbu /ˈaːbu/ | albar /ˈalbar/ | àrbol /ˈarbol/ | àrboro /arboro/ | arburu /arburu/ | arbul /ˈarbul/ |
| House | câza /kaːza/ | cà /ka/ | cà /kaː/ | ca /ka/ | caxa /ˈkaza/ | casa /kaza/ | cjase /ˈcaːse/ |
| Dog | can /kaŋ/ | can /kaŋ/ | can /kan/ | can /kaŋ/ | can /kan/ | cane /kane/ | cjan /caŋ/ |
| Cat | gatto /ɡatu/ | gatu /ˈɡatu/ | gat /ɡat/ | gat /ɡat/ | gato /ɡato/ | ghjattu /ɟattu/ | gjat /ɟat/ |
| Eat | mangiâ /mandʒaː/ | mangià /manˈdʒa/ | mangià /maɲˈdʒaː/ | mangé /maɲˈdʒe/ | magnàr /maˈɲar/ | manghjà /manɟa/ | mangjâ /manˈɲaː/ |
| Drink | béive /bejve/ | beive /ˈbejve/ | bev /bev/ | bèive /ˈbɛive/ | bévar /ˈbevar/ | beie /beje/ | bevi /ˈbeːvi/ |
| One | un /uŋ/ | un /uŋ/ | vün /vyŋ/ | un /yŋ/ | un /un/ | unu /unu/ | un /uŋ/ |
| Two | dôi /ˈdui/ | dui /ˈdui/ | duu /dy/ | doi /dui/ | do /do/ | dui /ˈdui/ | doi /doj/ |
| Hello | ciâo /tʃaː/ | ciau /tʃaw/ | ciao /ˈtʃaːo/ | ciao /tʃao/ | ciao /tʃao/ | salute /salute/ | mandi /ˈmandi/ |
| Thank you | graçie /ɡrasje/ | graçie /ˈɡrasje/ | gràzie /ˈɡrasje/ | gràssie /ˈɡrasːie/ | grassie /ɡrasje/ | grazie /ɡratsje/ | graziis /ˈɡraːtsjis/ |
| Good | bon /buŋ/ | bon /buŋ/ | bun /buŋ/ | bon /buŋ/ | bon /bon/ | bonu /bɔnu/ | bon /boŋ/ |
| Cuckoo | cùcco /ˈkuku/ | — | cùcch /ˈkuk/ | coco /ˈkuku/ | cucù /kuˈku/ | cuccu /ˈkukku/ | cuc /kuk/ |
| Computer | computer /komˈpjuter/ | computer /komˈpjuter/ | computer /komˈpjuter/ | computer /komˈpjuter/ | computer /komˈpjuter/ | urdinatore /urdinaˈtore/ | computer /komˈpjuter/ |
| Sushi | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ |
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