Lombard
Romance (Gallo-Italic)
Lombard is a Gallo-Italic language of northern Italy and southern Switzerland, with two main groups — Western (Milanese) and Eastern (Bergamasque, Brescian) — often treated as separate languages. It uses several Germanic-influenced rounded front vowels (ö, ü) absent from standard Italian, the legacy of Lombard Germanic settlement and centuries of Alpine contact. Long suppressed by Italian standardization, Lombard retains a vibrant cabaret and dialect-poetry tradition centred on Milan.
Where it is spoken
20 core words in Lombard
Water
aqua
/ˈaːkwa/
Fire
fœg
/føːk/
Sun
sô
/soː/
Moon
lüna
/ˈlyna/
Mother
mader
/ˈmaːder/
Father
pader
/ˈpaːder/
Eat
mangià
/maɲˈdʒaː/
Drink
bev
/bev/
Love
amor
/aˈmuːr/
Heart
cör
/kør/
Tree
albar
/ˈalbar/
House
cà
/kaː/
Dog
can
/kan/
Cat
gat
/ɡat/
Hand
man
/maŋ/
Eye
öcc
/øtʃ/
Hello
ciao
/ˈtʃaːo/
Thank you
gràzie
/ˈɡrasje/
One
vün
/vyŋ/
Good
bun
/buŋ/
Words compared
Compared with related Romance (Gallo-Italic) languages
| Meaning | Lombard | Piedmontese | Emilian-Romagnol | Tabarchino | Ligurian | Friulian | Italian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | aqua /ˈaːkwa/ | eva /ˈeva/ | aqua /ˈakwa/ | ægua /ˈɛɡwa/ | ægoa /ɛɡwa/ | aghe /ˈaɡe/ | acqua /ˈakkwa/ |
| Fire | fœg /føːk/ | feu /føː/ | fôg /foːk/ | feûgu /ˈføɡu/ | fêugo /føɡu/ | fûc /fuːk/ | fuoco /ˈfwɔːko/ |
| Sun | sô /soː/ | sol /sol/ | sòul /sɔul/ | su /ˈsu/ | sô /suː/ | soreli /soˈreːli/ | sole /ˈsoːle/ |
| Moon | lüna /ˈlyna/ | lun-a /ˈlyna/ | lóna /ˈlona/ | lugna /ˈlyɲa/ | lùn-a /lyna/ | lune /ˈlune/ | luna /ˈluːna/ |
| Mother | mader /ˈmaːder/ | mare /ˈmare/ | mèder /ˈmɛder/ | maire /ˈmajre/ | moæ /mwɛ/ | mari /ˈmaːri/ | madre /ˈmaːdre/ |
| Father | pader /ˈpaːder/ | pare /ˈpare/ | pèder /ˈpɛder/ | paire /ˈpajre/ | poæ /pwɛ/ | pari /ˈpaːri/ | padre /ˈpaːdre/ |
| Eat | mangià /maɲˈdʒaː/ | mangé /maɲˈdʒe/ | magnèr /maˈɲɛːr/ | mangià /manˈdʒa/ | mangiâ /mandʒaː/ | mangjâ /manˈɲaː/ | mangiare /manˈd͡ʒaːre/ |
| Drink | bev /bev/ | bèive /ˈbɛive/ | bèvar /ˈbɛvar/ | beive /ˈbejve/ | béive /bejve/ | bevi /ˈbeːvi/ | bere /ˈbeːre/ |
| Love | amor /aˈmuːr/ | amor /aˈmur/ | amôr /aˈmoːr/ | amù /aˈmu/ | amô /amuː/ | amôr /aˈmoːr/ | amore /aˈmoːre/ |
| Heart | cör /kør/ | cheur /kør/ | côr /koːr/ | chêu /kø/ | cuô /kwoː/ | cûr /kuːr/ | cuore /ˈkwɔːre/ |
| Tree | albar /ˈalbar/ | àrbol /ˈarbol/ | àlber /ˈalber/ | âbu /ˈaːbu/ | ærbo /ɛrbu/ | arbul /ˈarbul/ | albero /ˈalbero/ |
| House | cà /kaː/ | ca /ka/ | cà /kaː/ | cà /ka/ | câza /kaːza/ | cjase /ˈcaːse/ | casa /ˈkaːsa/ |
| Dog | can /kan/ | can /kaŋ/ | chèn /kɛn/ | can /kaŋ/ | can /kaŋ/ | cjan /caŋ/ | cane /ˈkaːne/ |
| Cat | gat /ɡat/ | gat /ɡat/ | gat /ɡat/ | gatu /ˈɡatu/ | gatto /ɡatu/ | gjat /ɟat/ | gatto /ˈɡatto/ |
| Hand | man /maŋ/ | man /maŋ/ | mân /maːn/ | mòn /mɔŋ/ | man /maŋ/ | man /maŋ/ | mano /ˈmaːno/ |
| Eye | öcc /øtʃ/ | euj /øj/ | ôc /oːtʃ/ | öggiu /ˈødʒu/ | euggio /ødʒu/ | voli /ˈvoli/ | occhio /ˈɔkkjo/ |
| Hello | ciao /ˈtʃaːo/ | ciao /tʃao/ | ciao /ˈtʃao/ | ciau /tʃaw/ | ciâo /tʃaː/ | mandi /ˈmandi/ | ciao /ˈt͡ʃaːo/ |
| Thank you | gràzie /ˈɡrasje/ | gràssie /ˈɡrasːie/ | grazie /ˈɡratsje/ | graçie /ˈɡrasje/ | graçie /ɡrasje/ | graziis /ˈɡraːt͡sjis/ | grazie /ˈɡratt͡sje/ |
| One | vün /vyŋ/ | un /yŋ/ | ón /uŋ/ | un /uŋ/ | un /uŋ/ | un /uŋ/ | uno /ˈuːno/ |
| Good | bun /buŋ/ | bon /buŋ/ | bón /boŋ/ | bon /buŋ/ | bon /buŋ/ | bon /boŋ/ | buono /ˈbwɔːno/ |
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