Padanian Language: an overview

The Padanian language consists in a homogeneous linguistic system made up by the Rhaeto-Romances and Cisalpine varieties. The former include Romansh, dolomitic Ladin and Friulan, the latter the Venetan and the so (improperly) called Gallo-Italic dialects. For this group, the highly inaccurate naming "northern Italian dialects" is also in use, sometimes extended to include Friulan and Dolomitic Ladin: this is a residual issue of politicised linguistics, affected by the Italian risorgimento bias and should be avoided when carrying out scientific research, see e.g. Haiman and Benincà (1992, 7), Hull (1989, 8). Padanian could be rightly named Ladin or Lombard too, but these terms are now restricted in use to particular subset of the whole system.

Due to dialect fragmentation, Padanian can be locally known as Emilian, Friulan, Istrian, Ligurian, Ladin, Lombard, Piedmontese, Romagnol, Romansh, Venetan or, at an even more local scale, it can happen to be named with the gentilic of on of the places where a Padanian dialect is spoken. The lack of socio-linguistic awareness in most of the involved populations is high, with the remarkable exceptions of the Ladin, Friulan and the Romansh.

All the above linguistic varieties display common characteristics setting them apart from the dialects of Peninsular and Insular Italy and allying them closely to those of Northern France, Occitania and Catalonia (Hull, 1982, XL). In the framework of von Wartburg's bipartition (1950), Padanian belongs to the western-Romance group and has developed from Latin in an independent way from Italian, which is an eastern Romance language instead, together with the Romanian language.

The Ladin, Gallo-Italic and Venetian dialects constitute an essentially homogeneous linguistic system displaying common characteristics that set them apart from the dialects of Peninsular and Insular Italy and ally them closely to those of Northern France, Occitania and Catalonia (Hull, 1982, XL).

[...] the Romance vernaculars of Northern Italy and Rhaetia have conserved, and in many cases have developed further, their original Gallo-Roman structure, and the superficial Italic [...] influences on certain of them are insufficient to warrant a classification of all or part of the Rhaeto-Cisalpine zone as "Italo-Romance" in the strictly linguistic sense of the term. The "Padanian" dialects, although heteronomous today, are essentially uniform and therefore unifiable, and constitute with Franco-Burgundian (= French + "Franco-Provençal") and Occitano-Catalan a living branch of the Gallo-Romance linguistic tradition (Hull, 1982, 660).


Im Rätoromanische treten uns schließlich Mundarten entgegen, die -was die grudlegenden Sprachzüge betrifft- von solchen Überlagerungen nahezu frei sind und in der echsten Form noch heute einen rein westromainschen Typus (eigener Prägung) darstellen.
Jene Merkmale, die das Rätoromanische mit oberitalienische (Rand-) Gebieten teilt gehören fast ausnahmslos dem gemeinsamen westromanischen Charakter Grundstock an, der ja gerade den unitalienischen Charakter all dieser Mundarten ausmacht (Schmid, 1956, 79-80).

A la fois novateur et archaïsant par rapport au gallo-italien, le réto-friulan doit être de toute façon intégré l'ensemble gallo-roman [...] cisalpin, dont il constitue [...] une aire 'marginale et conservatrice. [...] vue en diachronie, une certaine unité peut être assurée, surtout entre Raetoromania et Cisalpinia (Bec, 1970, vol.II, 316).

The above statements easily dismiss some untenable statements often issuing from the Italian establishment.

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Sometimes Padanian, or some of its variants, in particular the so called Gallo-Italic dialects, are mistaken for a group of Italian dialects, or even dialects of Italian, a conclusion still driven by unscientific criteria inherited by the Italian Risorgimento political bias. Of course this conclusion is 'absurd', see e.g. Haiman and Benincà [1992, 7], Hull [1989, 8].
Also, [Leclerc, 2010] (accessed on 2010-04-12), well elucidates the extent to which the above statement is misguided by a scientific point of view:

A partir de l'unification de l'Italie, ces langues ont été qualifiées de 'dialectes italiens' (dialetti italiani) auxquels ont été associées des connotations dépréciatives, c'est-à-dire des 'parlers inférieurs', indignes d'être employés et transmis par une grande nation comme l'Italie.

Dialect fragmentation is chiefly due to socio-linguistic issues, but:
a) it is not subdomain based, i.e., each Padanian dialect shows the same variation of the whole diasystem, see e.g. Haiman and Benincà [1992]
b) these dialects, although heteronomous today, are essentially uniform, Hull [1982, 660].

The term "Rhaeto-Cisalpine" is common scientific usage too and explicitely refers to the two main components of the Padanian language, the Rhaetian and Cisalpine ones. "Padanian" is the natural adjective referring to the "Po" (outcome of Latin "Padus") river.

To get a list of works available on the internet, as well as an extended bibliography on Padanian and its dialects, please see the lens "Scientific research about the Padanian language" (links open in new windows).

Languages are affected by different kinds of variation (e.g. geographical and sociological); a dialect is just one of the variants of a language. Reciprocally, languages are groups of dialects (with or without a standard form).
The reader could have been taught (especially if she/he has been alphabetised in Italian) that a dialect would be a corrupted form of a language instead. This is meaningless by a scientific point of view.
For instance, the dialects of Padanian are as worthwhile as the Padanian language meant as a whole, or as its standardised form.
Also, the reader could have been taught that hes/hir Padanian dialect would be a dialect of the Italian language. (Or even a corrupted one).
The latter is a political statement, making a mala fide use of linguistic issues, and will not be discussed here; the former is scientifically groundless, and its reductio ad absurdum is straightforward: simply , it would prove such an oddity as French to be an Italian dialect, Schmid [1956, 79-80].
Both statements are in fact politically biased, and they are aimed at forcing people to abandon their Padanian dialects: as such, this idea should be fought against on political grounds. This is not the goal of this note.

Within the Rhaeto-Cisalpine domain three main local standards are today in place: Rumantsch Grischun, Ladin Dolomitan (both initially developed by H. Schmid [1982, 1994]) and Standard Friulian, developed by the philological Friulian association, (Osservatori 2002a, 2002b]).
Some koiné facts do appear elsewhere too: the Piedmontese linguistic domain has to some extents a koiné (Clivio 1973); there exists a Swiss-Lombard koiné, the so called koiné da la feruvia, 'Railway Koiné', (Petrini 1989), in Tessin and part of Graubünden (Switzerland); a Ligurian koiné is envisaged in Toso [1997]. Finally, according to Trumper [1977] an urban koiné is in use in the Venetan and Lombard domains.
An interesting account of contact phenomena between Lombard and Romansh varieties can be found in Moretti, Picenoni & Stavridou [2001]. Various forms of written koiné arose in the past in the Rhaeto-Cisalpine domain, see e.g. Hull [1982].

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In the following sections, we propose a few ancient literatury texts (here listed in aphabetical order), to which SPO, standard Padanian orthography) [Meneghin 2010] is inspired.

• Anonimous, early 14th century:
Canzon d'Auliver ll. 11-20 (Cisalpine Koiné/Venetian, Hull [1982 p. 36])
• Anonimous, (2nd half of 15th century)
Recomendaciones di Saluzzo.
• Anonimous, (approx 1150):
Subalpine Sermons, XXI, 132-42 (Cisalpine Koiné/ Piedmontese, Hull [1982 p. 36]);
• Vivaldo Belcalzer:
De proprietatibus rerum of Bartolomeo Anglico (ante 1309, Cisalpine Koiné or Mantuan, Hull [1982 p. 36]).

Anonimous, (approx 1150):
Subalpine Sermons, XXI, 132-42 (Cisalpine Koiné/ Piedmontese, Hull [1982 p. 36]).

Original: Zo fo a dir: e' non ài mia zo fait, mas tu qui me donest la femena. Or dis nostre Seignor: "Tu di' que eu t'ai fait pequer, e eu troverai art e engeig per que tu seies delivré del pecá. Or t'en tornerás lá dun e' te fis, car ben est dreit e iustisia que zo que e' fis abia la penitencia e espeneissa zo que e' contradis." Or seignor frere, vardem que noi no siam engignai, sí cum to lo nostre premer pare Adam; mas sí prenem isemple del segunt Adam, zo est nostre seignor Ihesu Christ, qui venqué lo diavol.

SPO transcription: Ço fo à dir: e' non hay mia ço fait, mas tu qui me donest la fémena. Or dis nostre Seinyor: "Tu di' que eu t'hay fait pequer, e eu troveray art e engeig per que tu seyes delivré del pecá. Or t'en torneras là dun e' te fis, car ben est dreit e justisia que zo que e' fis abia la penitentia e espeneiça ço que e' contradis." Or Seinyor frere, vardem que noi no siam engignay, sí cum to lo nostre premer pare Adam; mas sí prenem ixemple del segunt Adam, ço est nostre Seinyor Jesus Christ, qui venqué lo diavol.

Anonimous, (2nd half of 15th century)
Recomendaciones di Saluzzo (Cisalpine Koiné/ Piedmontese, [Gasca Queirazza 2003, 113]).

Original:La posança del Pare nos confort;
la sapiença del Figliol si nos ameystre;
la gracia e la bontà del spirit Saynt si alumy gli nostre cor.

SPO transcription: La posança del Pare nos confort;
la sapiença del Filyol si nos ameystre;
la gracia e la bontà del spirit Saynt si alumy ly nostre cor.

Anonimous, early 14th century
Canzon d'Auliver ll. 11-20 (Cisalpine Koiné/Venetian, Hull [1982 p. 36])

Original
Tut el servir pert e 'l son fait desconça
chi serf Amor, con' quel ch'in pred(a) çàpega;
plu sotilment che quel che vend ad onça
inganna 'l math infin tant che lo tràpega;
el son calur, ch'ard plu che viva bronça,
con' l'om plù 'l sent, et adès in su ràpega;
tut altrui fait e plaisir li par nuglia.
Con' ven de dred, fais aisì c'on che truglia,
ch'in leu del pes prend serp ch'el pò percoder:
a mi par van chi cred d'Amor çoi scoder.

SPO transcription
Tut el servir pert e 'l son fait desconça
qui serv Amor, con quel que in pred(a) çàpega;
plu sotilment que quel que vend ad onça
inganna 'l math infin tant que lo tràpega;
el son calur, ch'ard plu que viva bronça,
con' l'om plù 'l sent, et adès in su ràpega;
tut altruy fait e plaisir li par nulya.
Con' ven de dred, fais aisì c'on que trulya,
que in leu del pes prend serp qu'el pò percoder:
a mi par van chi cred d'Amor çoi scoder.

Vivaldo Belcalzer
from the translation of the De proprietatibus rerum of Bartolomeo Anglico (ante 1309, Cisalpine Koiné or Mantuan, Hull [1982 p. 36]).

Original: Talpa è la topina fata a similituden de soreg et è çega e senza ocl e ha un musel a mod de porçel e con quel cava la tera et à in odiy la lus e 'l sol, né po longament durar sovra tera; sot tera habita, e manza le ragis ch'ela atrova sot tera et ha la pel pelosa, negra e molla, le gambe curte e y pè lad et ha partid ie did a mod de man. Aristotel dis: ongnunca animal inzenerant altr animal a sì simel ha ocl, aster la topina chi no ha ocl chi appara. Ma chi yi taia lo cor setilment atrovarà alguna significanza dey ocl ila topina, et è molt chi dis che quand la topina mor ela avre i ocl per angoscia dela mort.

SPO transcription: Talpa est la topina fata a similitúden de sóretg et est cega e sença ogl et ha un musel a mod de porcel e con quel cava la tera et ha in ody la lux e 'l sol, né po longament durar sovra tera; sot tera habita, e manja les ragis ch'ela atrova sot tera et ha la pel pelosa, negra e molla, les gambes curtes e y pè lads et ha partid ie did a mod de man. Aristotel dis: ongnunca animal ingenerant altre animal a sì simel ha ogl, aster la topina qui no ha ogl qui apara. Ma qui yi taia lo cor setilment atrovarà alguna significança dey ogl ila topina, et est molt qui dis che quand la topina mor ela avre i ogl per angoixa de la mort.

In the following sections, we propose a few contemporary Padanian texts.

In the following sections, you will be able to learn about some aspects of the geography of the Padanian linguistic domain.

PLACE
 

COUNTY or
CANTON

COUNTRY
 

LANGUAGE(S)
 

LANGUAGE USE

Aurigeno

Ticino

Switzerland

Lombard

Street names

Cadenazzo
 

Ticino
 

Switzerland
 

Lombard and Italian

Street names
 

Silvaplana

Grisons

Switzerland

Romansh

Official language

Maggia
 

Ticino
 

Switzerland
 

Lombard and Italian

Street names
 

Champfer

Grisons

Switzerland

Romansh

Official language

Enneberg - Marebbe

SüdTirol
 

Italy
 

Dolomitic Ladin and German

Co-official with Italian

Wolkenstein in Gröden

SüdTirol
 

Italy
 

Dolomitic Ladin and German

Co-official with Italian

Origlio
 

Ticino
 

Switzerland
 

Lombard and Italian

Street names
 

Camorino

Ticino

Switzerland

Lombard

Street names

Montecarasso

Ticino

Switzerland

Lombard

Street names

One of the variants of Padanian is an official language: Romansh, in the Swiss canton of the Grisons. Ligurian is taught in the schools in Monaco (Ethnologue, 2009); Friulian and Dolomitic Ladin are "protected" in Italy (Italian law 482/99, see Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 297 [1999]).

Bec, Pierre Manuel pratique de philologie romane. A. & J. Picard, Paris, 1970.
Clivio, Gianrenzo Storia linguistica e dialettologica piemontese, Ca dë Studi Piemontèis, Turin, 1973
Ethnologue Ethnologue reports for Emilian/Romagnol, Friulan, Istriot, Ligurian, Ladin, Lombard, Piedmontese, Romansh, Venetan (2009, available at the URL's:
http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=eml
http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=fur
http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ist
http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=lij
http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=lld
http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=lmo
http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=pms
http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=roh
http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=vec )
Gasca Queirazza, G.; Clivio, G. P. & Passero, D. La letteratura Piemontese, dalle origini al Settecento Ca dë studi Piemontèis, Turin, 2003
Gazzetta Ufficiale Norme in materia di tutela delle minoranze linguistiche storiche, Gazzetta Ufficiale della Repubblica Italiana n. 297, Roma, 1999
Haiman, John Haiman and Benincà, Paola The Rhaeto-Romance Languages (Romance Linguistics S.). Routledge (Taylor & Francis), London, 1992.
Hull, Geoffrey The linguistic unity of northern Italy and Rhaetia. PhD thesis, University of Sydney, 1982.
Hull, Geoffrey Polyglot Italy. Cis Educational, Melbourne, 1989.
Jaber, K.; Jud, J. Sprach und Sachatlas Italiens und der Südschweiz Zofingen: Ringier & Co. (1933)
Jacques Leclerc. Italie, dans l'aménagement linguistique dans le monde , Québec, TLFQ, Université Laval, April 2010.
Clifford S. Jr. Leonard. Proto-Rhaeto-Romance and French. Language, 40(l):23-32,1964.
Meneghin, Claudi Rebuilding the rhaeto-cisalpine written language: guidelines and criteria, part 1: Ors-orthography. Ianua, 7, 2007.
Meneghin, Claudi Rebuilding the rhaeto-cisalpine written language: guidelines and criteria, part 2. morphology 1: noun, article and personal pronoun. Ianua, 8, 2008.
Meneghin, Claudi Rebuilding the rhaeto-cisalpine written language: guidelines and criteria, part 3. morphology, 2: adjectives, pronouns, invariables. Ianua, 9, 2009.
Meneghin, Claudi Rebuilding the rhaeto-cisalpine written language: guidelines and criteria, part 4. morphology, 3: the verb. Ianua, 10, 2010.
Meneghin, Claudi Rhaeto-cisalpine at a glance, vol. 1 (LINCOM Studies in Romance Linguistics 65), Lincom Europa, München, 2010 ISBN-13 978-3895862083
Meneghin, Claudi Rhaeto-cisalpine at a glance, vol. 2 (LINCOM Studies in Romance Linguistics 68), Lincom Europa, München, 2011 ISBN-13 978-3862880676
Moretti, Bruno; Picenoni, Mathias & Stavridou, Marianthe Ricostruire il continuum romanzo nella realtà quotidiana; come comunicano i bregagliotti con i romanci sul confine linguistico in: Italica Raetica Gallica, Studia linguarum litterarum artiumque in honorem Ricarda Liver, P.Wunderli, I. Werlen & M Grünert (editors), Basel, Francke, 2001
Osservatori. Osservatori Regjonâl de Lenghe e de Culture Furlanis, 2002, La grafie uficiâl de lenghe furlane, 2002a
Osservatori. Osservatori Regjonâl de Lenghe e de Culture Furlanis, 2002, Formis gramaticâls, 2002b
Petrini, Dario La koinè Ticinese, Bern, Francke, 1988
Schmid, Heinrich Über randgebiete und Sprachgrenzen,. Vox Romanica, XV, 1956.
Schmid, Heinrich Richtlinien für die Gestaltung einer gesamtbünderromanischer Schriftsprache Rumantsch Grischun, Cuira, Lia Rumantscha, 1982
Schmid, Heinrich Wegleitung für den Aufbau einer gemeinsamen Schriftsprache der Dolomitenladiner, Istitut Cultural Ladin "Micurá de Rü", Istitut Cultural Ladin "Majon di Fashegn", 1994
Toso, Fiorenzo Grammatica del genovese - Varietà urbana e di koiné, Recco, Le Mani - Microart's edizioni, 1997
Trumper, John Ricostruzione nell'Italia settentrionale. sistemi consonantici. Considerazioni sociolinguistiche nellea diacronia, in Problemi della ricostruzione in linguistica, atti del convegno internazionale di studi, Raffaele Simone e Ugo Vignazzi editors, Rome, Bulzoni, 1977
von Wartburg, Walther Die Ausgliederung der romanischen Sprachräume. Bern, Francke, 1950.

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