Romance language spoken in Croatia
The Istriot language (Lèngua Eîstriota) is a Romance language of the Italo-Dalmatian branch spoken by about 400 people in the southwestern part of the Istrian peninsula in Croatia, particularly in Rovinj and Vodnjan. It should not be confused with the Istrian dialect of the Venetian language or the more distantly related Istro-Romanian, a variety of Eastern Romance.
Classification
Rovinj (
Rovigno), the historical capital of the Istriots
Austrian census of 1910, classifying
Istriots as
Italians and showing the majority populations in reddish colors. Istriotic areas begin south of the
Leme (Lim) channelIstriot is a Romance language currently only found in Istria.
Its classification has remained mostly unclear, various proposals for its affinity exist:
When Istria was a region of the Kingdom of Italy, Istriot was considered by the authorities as a subdialect of Venetian.[6]
Historically, its speakers never referred to it as "Istriot"; it had six names after the six towns where it was spoken. In Vodnjan it was named "Bumbaro", in Bale "Valìʃe", in Rovinj "Ruvignìʃ", in Šišan "Siʃanìʃ", in Fažana "Faʃanìʃ" and in Galižana "Galiʃaneʃ". The term Istriot was coined by the 19th-century Italian linguist Graziadio Isaia Ascoli.
This language is still spoken by some people in the Istriot communities in Fertilia and Maristella, in Sardinia.
There are about 400 speakers left, making it an endangered language.
Vocabulary
Below is a comparison of Istriot with several closely related Romance languages and Latin:
| Latin |
Italian |
Istriot (Rovignìʃ) |
Venetian |
Bisiacco Venetian |
English
|
| clave(m)
|
chiave
|
ciàve
|
ciave
|
ciave
|
key
|
| nocte(m)
|
notte
|
nuòto
|
note/not
|
note
|
night
|
| cantare
|
cantare
|
cantà
|
caŋtar
|
caŋtar
|
to sing
|
| capra(m)
|
capra
|
càpra, càvara
|
càvara
|
cavra
|
goat
|
| lingua(m)
|
lingua
|
lèngua
|
lengua
|
lengua
|
language
|
| platea(m)
|
piazza
|
piàsa
|
pia-sa
|
pia-sa
|
square
|
| ponte(m)
|
ponte
|
pònto
|
poŋte/poŋt
|
poŋt
|
bridge
|
| ecclesia(m)
|
chiesa
|
cièʃa
|
cexa
|
cesa
|
church
|
| hospitale(m)
|
ospedale
|
uspadàl
|
ospedal
|
ospedal
|
hospital
|
caseu(m)
lat.vulg.formaticu(m)
|
formaggio/cacio
|
furmàio
|
formajo
|
formai
|
cheese
|
Phonology
The phonology of the Istriot language:[7]
Consonants
- Sounds /j, w/ can also be noted as [i̯ u̯] among different dialects.
- [ŋ] occurs as a result of a nasal consonant preceding a velar stop.
- [ʎ] can occur as a result of Italian loanwords.
Vowels
Orthography
The Istriot alphabet is the following:
| Letter
|
Pronunciation (IPA)
|
Notes
|
| A, a
|
/a/
|
à
|
| B, b
|
/b/
|
–
|
| C, c
|
/k/, /tʃ/
|
/k/ when followed by "a", "o", "u" or a consonant; /tʃ/ when followed by "e" or "i"
|
| Ch, ch
|
/k/
|
When followed by "e" or "i"
|
| Ci, ci
|
/tʃ/
|
When followed by "a", "o", "u"
|
| D, d
|
/d/
|
–
|
| Dz, dz
|
/dz/
|
–
|
| E, e
|
/ɛ/, /e/
|
è, é
|
| F, f
|
/f/
|
–
|
| G, g
|
/ɡ/, /dʒ/
|
/ɡ/ before "a", "o", "u" or a consonant, /dʒ/ before "e" and "i"
|
| Gh, gh
|
/ɡ/
|
When followed by "e" or "i"
|
| Gi, gi
|
/dʒ/
|
When followed by "a", "o", "u"
|
| H, h
|
–
|
Used in [ch] and [gh]
|
| I, i
|
/i/, /j/
|
í, î
|
| J, j
|
/j/
|
–
|
| L, l
|
/l/
|
–
|
| M, m
|
/m/
|
–
|
| N, n
|
/n/
|
–
|
| Nj, nj / Gn, gn
|
/ɲ/
|
|
| O, o
|
/ɔ/, /o/
|
ò, ó
|
| P, p
|
/p/
|
–
|
| R, r
|
/r/
|
–
|
| S, s
|
/s/
|
–
|
| T, t
|
/t/
|
–
|
| Ts, ts
|
/ts/
|
–
|
| U, u
|
/u/, /w/
|
ú, û
|
| V, v
|
/v/
|
–
|
| Z, z
|
/z/
|
–
|
Example
This is a poem called "Grièbani" by Ligio Zanini[8] in the dialect of Rovinj-Rovigno.
| Istriot |
Italian
|
La nostra zì oûna longa cal da griebani:
i spironi da Monto inda uò salvà,
e 'l brasso da Vistro uò rastà scuio
pei grutoni pioûn alti del mar,
ca ruzaghia sta tiera viecia-stara.
Da senpro i signemo pissi sensa nom,
ca da sui sa prucoûra 'l bucon
par guodi la veîta leîbara del cucal,
pastadi dala piova da Punente a da Livante
e cume i uleîi mai incalmadi.
Fra ste carme zì stà la nostra salvissa,
cume i riboni a sa salva dal dulfeîn
fra i scagni del sico da San Damian;
el nostro pan, nato gra li gruote, zi stà inbinideî
cul sudur sula iera zbruventa da Paloû...
e i vemo caminà par oûna longa cal da griebani,
c'ancui la riesta lissada dali nostre urme.
|
La nostra è una lunga strada irta di sassi:
gli speroni di Monto ci hanno salvato,
ed il braccio di Vistro è rimasto scoglio
per le grotte poste più in alto del mare,
che erode questa antica terra.
Da sempre siamo pesciolini
che da soli si procurano il boccone
per godere la libera vita del gabbiano,
oppressi dalla pioggia di Ponente e di Levante
come olivi senza innesti.
Fra queste insenature è stata la nostra salvezza,
come i pagelli si salvano dal delfino
fra le tane della secca di San Damiano;
il nostro pane, nato tra le grotte, è stato benedetto
col sudore nell'aia ribollente di Palù...
ed abbiamo camminato per una lunga strada dissestata,
che oggi rimane spianate dai nostri passi.
|
