Tabarchin
Tabarchino
Indo-European (Romance → Italo-Western → Gallo-Italic → Ligurian → Tabarchino)
Tabarchino is a Genoese Ligurian variety carried by 16th-century coral fishers from Pegli to the Tunisian island of Tabarka (1542), then resettled on Sardinia's Isola di San Pietro in 1738. It preserves Early Modern Genoese features lost on the mainland and shows a distinctive palatal [ɲ] in lugna "moon". One of Europe's clearest cases of a maritime language transplant.
Where it is spoken
31 core words in Tabarchino
Water
ægua
/ˈɛɡwa/
Fire
feûgu
/ˈføɡu/
Sun
su
/ˈsu/
Moon
lugna
/ˈlyɲa/
Star
stella
/ˈstɛlːa/
Mother
maire
/ˈmajre/
Father
paire
/ˈpajre/
I
mi
/mi/
You
ti
/ti/
Name
nomme
/ˈnɔmːe/
Eye
öggiu
/ˈødʒu/
Hand
mòn
/mɔŋ/
Heart
chêu
/kø/
Love
amù
/aˈmu/
Tree
âbu
/ˈaːbu/
House
cà
/ka/
Dog
can
/kaŋ/
Cat
gatu
/ˈɡatu/
Eat
mangià
/manˈdʒa/
Drink
beive
/ˈbejve/
One
un
/uŋ/
Two
dui
/ˈdui/
Hello
ciau
/tʃaw/
Thank you
graçie
/ˈɡrasje/
Good
bon
/buŋ/
Computer
computer
/komˈpjuter/
Sushi
sushi
/ˈsuʃi/
Sources
- Toso, Fiorenzo (2003) Il tabarchino. Strutture, evoluzione storica, aspetti sociolinguistici. In: Le minoranze linguistiche storiche, Roma.
- Toso, Fiorenzo (2004) Vocabolario tabarchino–italiano. Recco: Le Mani.
- Vallebona, Giuseppe (1975) Dizionario Tabarchino-Italiano. Genova: Compagnia dei Librai.
- Glottolog: Tabarchino
Words compared
Compared with related Indo-European (Romance → Italo-Western → Gallo-Italic → Ligurian → Tabarchino) languages
| Meaning | Tabarchino | Piedmontese | Ligurian | Lombard | Friulian | Italian | Venetian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | ægua /ˈɛɡwa/ | eva /ˈeva/ | ægoa /ɛɡwa/ | aqua /ˈaːkwa/ | aghe /ˈaɡe/ | acqua /ˈakkwa/ | aqua /akwa/ |
| Fire | feûgu /ˈføɡu/ | feu /føː/ | fêugo /føɡu/ | fœg /føːk/ | fûc /fuːk/ | fuoco /ˈfwɔːko/ | fogo /foɡo/ |
| Sun | su /ˈsu/ | sol /sol/ | sô /suː/ | sô /soː/ | soreli /soˈreːli/ | sole /ˈsoːle/ | sol /sol/ |
| Moon | lugna /ˈlyɲa/ | lun-a /ˈlyŋa/ | lùn-a /lyna/ | lüna /ˈlyna/ | lune /ˈlune/ | luna /ˈluːna/ | łuna /ɫuna/ |
| Star | stella /ˈstɛlːa/ | stèila /ˈstɛjla/ | stella /ˈstelːa/ | stella /ˈstɛla/ | stele /ˈstɛle/ | stella /ˈstɛlla/ | stela /ˈstela/ |
| Mother | maire /ˈmajre/ | mare /ˈmare/ | moæ /mwɛ/ | mader /ˈmaːder/ | mari /ˈmaːri/ | madre /ˈmaːdre/ | mare /mare/ |
| Father | paire /ˈpajre/ | pare /ˈpare/ | poæ /pwɛ/ | pader /ˈpaːder/ | pari /ˈpaːri/ | padre /ˈpaːdre/ | pare /pare/ |
| I | mi /mi/ | mi /mi/ | mi /mi/ | mì /mi/ | jo /jɔ/ | io /ˈio/ | mi /mi/ |
| You | ti /ti/ | ti /ti/ | ti /ti/ | tì /ti/ | tu /tu/ | tu /tu/ | ti /ti/ |
| Name | nomme /ˈnɔmːe/ | nòm /nɔm/ | nomme /ˈnomme/ | nòmm /nɔm/ | non /non/ | nome /ˈnome/ | nome /ˈnome/ |
| Eye | öggiu /ˈødʒu/ | euj /øj/ | euggio /ødʒu/ | öcc /øtʃ/ | voli /ˈvoli/ | occhio /ˈɔkkjo/ | ocio /ɔtʃo/ |
| Hand | mòn /mɔŋ/ | man /maŋ/ | man /maŋ/ | man /maŋ/ | man /maŋ/ | mano /ˈmaːno/ | man /man/ |
| Heart | chêu /kø/ | cheur /kør/ | chêu /køː/ | cör /kør/ | cûr /kuːr/ | cuore /ˈkwɔːre/ | cor /kɔr/ |
| Love | amù /aˈmu/ | amor /aˈmur/ | amô /amuː/ | amor /aˈmuːr/ | amôr /aˈmoːr/ | amore /aˈmoːre/ | amor /amor/ |
| Tree | âbu /ˈaːbu/ | àrbol /ˈarbol/ | ærbo /ɛrbu/ | albar /ˈalbar/ | arbul /ˈarbul/ | albero /ˈalbero/ | àrboro /arboro/ |
| House | cà /ka/ | ca /ka/ | câza /kaːza/ | cà /kaː/ | cjase /ˈcaːse/ | casa /ˈkaːsa/ | caxa /ˈkaza/ |
| Dog | can /kaŋ/ | can /kaŋ/ | can /kaŋ/ | can /kan/ | cjan /caŋ/ | cane /ˈkaːne/ | can /kan/ |
| Cat | gatu /ˈɡatu/ | gat /ɡat/ | gatto /ɡatu/ | gat /ɡat/ | gjat /ɟat/ | gatto /ˈɡatto/ | gato /ɡato/ |
| Eat | mangià /manˈdʒa/ | mangé /maɲˈdʒe/ | mangiâ /mandʒaː/ | mangià /maɲˈdʒaː/ | mangjâ /manˈɲaː/ | mangiare /manˈdʒaːre/ | magnàr /maˈɲar/ |
| Drink | beive /ˈbejve/ | bèive /ˈbɛive/ | béive /bejve/ | bev /bev/ | bevi /ˈbeːvi/ | bere /ˈbeːre/ | bévar /ˈbevar/ |
| One | un /uŋ/ | un /yŋ/ | un /uŋ/ | vün /vyŋ/ | un /uŋ/ | uno /ˈuːno/ | un /un/ |
| Two | dui /ˈdui/ | doi /dui/ | dôi /ˈdui/ | duu /dy/ | doi /doj/ | due /ˈdue/ | do /do/ |
| Hello | ciau /tʃaw/ | ciao /tʃao/ | ciâo /tʃaː/ | ciao /ˈtʃaːo/ | mandi /ˈmandi/ | ciao /ˈtʃaːo/ | ciao /tʃao/ |
| Thank you | graçie /ˈɡrasje/ | gràssie /ˈɡrasːie/ | graçie /ɡrasje/ | gràzie /ˈɡrasje/ | graziis /ˈɡraːtsjis/ | grazie /ˈɡrattsje/ | grassie /ɡrasje/ |
| Good | bon /buŋ/ | bon /buŋ/ | bon /buŋ/ | bun /buŋ/ | bon /boŋ/ | buono /ˈbwɔːno/ | bon /bon/ |
| Computer | computer /komˈpjuter/ | computer /komˈpjuter/ | computer /komˈpjuter/ | computer /komˈpjuter/ | computer /komˈpjuter/ | computer /komˈpju.ter/ | computer /komˈpjuter/ |
| Sushi | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃ.ʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ |
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