Ligurian

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A language of Italy

ISO 639-3
lij
Alternate Names
Zeneize
Autonym
Ligure
User Population

140,000 in Italy (2017 census). Total users in all countries: 148,210.

Location

Liguria region: east and west of Genoa along the Riviera and mountain hinterland; small communities near Piedmont-Liguria regional border (Garessio, Ormea, Saliceto, Seorle, Spigno, Orba valley, Scrivia valley); Piedmont region: Cuneo province; Tuscany region: Massa-Carrara province, small border areas; possible scattered settlements in Sardinia area.

Language Maps
Language Status

5* (Developing).

Classification
Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Gallo-Romance, Gallo-Italian
Dialects

Genoese (Genoan, Genovese, Zenéize). Ligurian varieties in Piedmont-Liguria border area are mutually intelligible with Piedmontese varieties. There are over 20 villages in Sicily and Basilicata regions where transitional Piedmontese [pms]-Ligurian varieties are spoken, due to a massive immigration from Piedmont during the Middle Ages (Pfister 1988).

Language Use

Also use Italian [ita].

Language Development

Newspapers. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible portions: 1860.

Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Ligurian
Writing

Latin script [Latn].

Other Comments

Ligurian has had a literature since the 1200s and the Genoese variant was widely used alongside the Mediterranean because of the commercial and nautical importance of the Republic of Genoa. That is why Zeneize (meaning Genoese) is one of its alternate names and the autonym.

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