Piedmontese language

Italy,_Piedmontese_language,_linguistic_map_(simplified,_italian)

Piedmontese

Pronunciation
Native to
Region	Piedmont
Ethnicity
Speakers	1.6 million
Language family	Indo-European
Early forms
Writing system
Official status
Regulated by

The Piedmontese language (piemontèis) is a Romance language spoken by approximately 1.6 million people in the Piedmont region of Italy. It is part of the Gallo-Italic subgroup of the Gallo-Romance languages, which also includes Ligurian, Lombard, and Emilian-Romagnol.

History

The Piedmontese language has its roots in the Latin spoken by the Romans who colonized the region. Over the centuries, it has been influenced by various languages, including Occitan, French, and Italian. Despite these influences, Piedmontese has maintained a distinct identity and is considered a separate language rather than a dialect of Italian.

Phonology

Piedmontese phonology is characterized by a series of vowel and consonant sounds that are distinct from those in Italian. For example, Piedmontese has nasal vowels similar to those in French and a series of palatal consonants.

Grammar

Piedmontese grammar shares many features with other Romance languages but also has unique characteristics. It uses definite and indefinite articles, has a complex system of verb conjugations, and employs a subject-verb-object word order. Nouns have gender and number, and adjectives agree with the nouns they modify.

Vocabulary

The vocabulary of Piedmontese includes many words of Latin origin, as well as loanwords from French and Occitan. There are also words borrowed from Italian, especially in modern contexts.

Writing System

Piedmontese uses the Latin alphabet, with some additional diacritics to represent specific sounds. The orthography has been standardized, but variations still exist, especially in informal writing.

Current Status

Piedmontese is classified as a "definitely endangered" language by UNESCO. Efforts are being made to preserve and revitalize the language, including the publication of books, newspapers, and online content in Piedmontese. There are also courses and programs aimed at teaching the language to new generations.

Related Pages

• Romance languages
• Gallo-Romance languages
• Gallo-Italic languages
• Piedmont
• Italian language
• Occitan language
• French language

See Also

• Languages of Italy
• Endangered languages
• UNESCO

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