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
31 core words in Lombard
Water
aqua
/ˈaːkwa/
Fire
fœg
/føːk/
Sun
sô
/soː/
Moon
lüna
/ˈlyna/
Star
stella
/ˈstɛla/
Mother
mader
/ˈmaːder/
Father
pader
/ˈpaːder/
I
mì
/mi/
You
tì
/ti/
Name
nòmm
/nɔm/
Eye
öcc
/øtʃ/
Hand
man
/maŋ/
Heart
cör
/kør/
Love
amor
/aˈmuːr/
Tree
albar
/ˈalbar/
House
cà
/kaː/
Dog
can
/kan/
Cat
gat
/ɡat/
Eat
mangià
/maɲˈdʒaː/
Drink
bev
/bev/
One
vün
/vyŋ/
Two
duu
/dy/
Hello
ciao
/ˈtʃaːo/
Thank you
gràzie
/ˈɡrasje/
Good
bun
/buŋ/
Cuckoo
cùcch
/ˈkuk/
Computer
computer
/komˈpjuter/
Sushi
sushi
/ˈsuʃi/
Words compared
Compared with related Romance (Gallo-Italic) languages
| Meaning | Lombard | Piedmontese | Ligurian | Tabarchino | Friulian | Venetian | Italian |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | aqua /ˈaːkwa/ | eva /ˈeva/ | ægoa /ɛɡwa/ | ægua /ˈɛɡwa/ | aghe /ˈaɡe/ | aqua /akwa/ | acqua /ˈakkwa/ |
| Fire | fœg /føːk/ | feu /føː/ | fêugo /føɡu/ | feûgu /ˈføɡu/ | fûc /fuːk/ | fogo /foɡo/ | fuoco /ˈfwɔːko/ |
| Sun | sô /soː/ | sol /sol/ | sô /suː/ | su /ˈsu/ | soreli /soˈreːli/ | sol /sol/ | sole /ˈsoːle/ |
| Moon | lüna /ˈlyna/ | lun-a /ˈlyŋa/ | lùn-a /lyna/ | lugna /ˈlyɲa/ | lune /ˈlune/ | łuna /ɫuna/ | luna /ˈluːna/ |
| Star | stella /ˈstɛla/ | stèila /ˈstɛjla/ | stella /ˈstelːa/ | stella /ˈstɛlːa/ | stele /ˈstɛle/ | stela /ˈstela/ | stella /ˈstɛlla/ |
| Mother | mader /ˈmaːder/ | mare /ˈmare/ | moæ /mwɛ/ | maire /ˈmajre/ | mari /ˈmaːri/ | mare /mare/ | madre /ˈmaːdre/ |
| Father | pader /ˈpaːder/ | pare /ˈpare/ | poæ /pwɛ/ | paire /ˈpajre/ | pari /ˈpaːri/ | pare /pare/ | padre /ˈpaːdre/ |
| I | mì /mi/ | mi /mi/ | mi /mi/ | mi /mi/ | jo /jɔ/ | mi /mi/ | io /ˈio/ |
| You | tì /ti/ | ti /ti/ | ti /ti/ | ti /ti/ | tu /tu/ | ti /ti/ | tu /tu/ |
| Name | nòmm /nɔm/ | nòm /nɔm/ | nomme /ˈnomme/ | nomme /ˈnɔmːe/ | non /non/ | nome /ˈnome/ | nome /ˈnome/ |
| Eye | öcc /øtʃ/ | euj /øj/ | euggio /ødʒu/ | öggiu /ˈødʒu/ | voli /ˈvoli/ | ocio /ɔtʃo/ | occhio /ˈɔkkjo/ |
| Hand | man /maŋ/ | man /maŋ/ | man /maŋ/ | mòn /mɔŋ/ | man /maŋ/ | man /man/ | mano /ˈmaːno/ |
| Heart | cör /kør/ | cheur /kør/ | chêu /køː/ | chêu /kø/ | cûr /kuːr/ | cor /kɔr/ | cuore /ˈkwɔːre/ |
| Love | amor /aˈmuːr/ | amor /aˈmur/ | amô /amuː/ | amù /aˈmu/ | amôr /aˈmoːr/ | amor /amor/ | amore /aˈmoːre/ |
| Tree | albar /ˈalbar/ | àrbol /ˈarbol/ | ærbo /ɛrbu/ | âbu /ˈaːbu/ | arbul /ˈarbul/ | àrboro /arboro/ | albero /ˈalbero/ |
| House | cà /kaː/ | ca /ka/ | câza /kaːza/ | cà /ka/ | cjase /ˈcaːse/ | caxa /ˈkaza/ | casa /ˈkaːsa/ |
| Dog | can /kan/ | can /kaŋ/ | can /kaŋ/ | can /kaŋ/ | cjan /caŋ/ | can /kan/ | cane /ˈkaːne/ |
| Cat | gat /ɡat/ | gat /ɡat/ | gatto /ɡatu/ | gatu /ˈɡatu/ | gjat /ɟat/ | gato /ɡato/ | gatto /ˈɡatto/ |
| Eat | mangià /maɲˈdʒaː/ | mangé /maɲˈdʒe/ | mangiâ /mandʒaː/ | mangià /manˈdʒa/ | mangjâ /manˈɲaː/ | magnàr /maˈɲar/ | mangiare /manˈdʒaːre/ |
| Drink | bev /bev/ | bèive /ˈbɛive/ | béive /bejve/ | beive /ˈbejve/ | bevi /ˈbeːvi/ | bévar /ˈbevar/ | bere /ˈbeːre/ |
| One | vün /vyŋ/ | un /yŋ/ | un /uŋ/ | un /uŋ/ | un /uŋ/ | un /un/ | uno /ˈuːno/ |
| Two | duu /dy/ | doi /dui/ | dôi /ˈdui/ | dui /ˈdui/ | doi /doj/ | do /do/ | due /ˈdue/ |
| Hello | ciao /ˈtʃaːo/ | ciao /tʃao/ | ciâo /tʃaː/ | ciau /tʃaw/ | mandi /ˈmandi/ | ciao /tʃao/ | ciao /ˈtʃaːo/ |
| Thank you | gràzie /ˈɡrasje/ | gràssie /ˈɡrasːie/ | graçie /ɡrasje/ | graçie /ˈɡrasje/ | graziis /ˈɡraːtsjis/ | grassie /ɡrasje/ | grazie /ˈɡrattsje/ |
| Good | bun /buŋ/ | bon /buŋ/ | bon /buŋ/ | bon /buŋ/ | bon /boŋ/ | bon /bon/ | buono /ˈbwɔːno/ |
| Cuckoo | cùcch /ˈkuk/ | coco /ˈkuku/ | cùcco /ˈkuku/ | — | cuc /kuk/ | cucù /kuˈku/ | cuculo /ˈkuːkulo/ |
| Computer | computer /komˈpjuter/ | computer /komˈpjuter/ | computer /komˈpjuter/ | computer /komˈpjuter/ | computer /komˈpjuter/ | computer /komˈpjuter/ | computer /komˈpju.ter/ |
| Sushi | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃi/ | sushi /ˈsuʃ.ʃi/ |
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