Brigasc is a
dialect
The term dialect (from Latin , , from the Ancient Greek word , 'discourse', from , 'through' and , 'I speak') can refer to either of two distinctly different types of Linguistics, linguistic phenomena:
One usage refers to a variety (linguisti ...
of the
Ligurian language
Ligurian () or Genoese () (locally called or ) is a Gallo-Italic language spoken primarily in the territories of the former Republic of Genoa, now comprising the area of Liguria in Northern Italy, parts of the Mediterranean coastal zone of Fran ...
. It is spoken in
Italy
Italy ( it, Italia ), officially the Italian Republic, ) or the Republic of Italy, is a country in Southern Europe. It is located in the middle of the Mediterranean Sea, and its territory largely coincides with the homonymous geographical re ...
and
France
France (), officially the French Republic ( ), is a country primarily located in Western Europe. It also comprises of Overseas France, overseas regions and territories in the Americas and the Atlantic Ocean, Atlantic, Pacific Ocean, Pac ...
.
Area of use
The Brigasc dialect is spoken in
La Brigue
La Brigue (; lij, Briga; oc, La Briga; it, Briga Marittima) is a commune in the Alpes-Maritimes department in southeastern France.
La Brigue became part of France after World War II, when Italy was forced to hand it over in September 1947 ...
(France) and
Briga Alta
Briga Alta is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont.
Geography
The village is located about south of Turin and about southeast of Cuneo, on the border with France.
Briga Alta borders the followi ...
(Italy) and some villages of the communes of
Ormea
Ormea is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the Province of Cuneo in the Italian region Piedmont, located about south of Turin and about southeast of Cuneo.
Ormea borders the following municipalities: Alto, Armo, Briga Alta, Caprauna, Cosio di ...
and
Triora
Triora ( lij, Triöra) is a ''comune'' (municipality) in the province of Imperia in the Italian region Liguria, located about southwest of Genoa and about northwest of Imperia, on the border with France. As of 31 December 2004, it had a populati ...
. It is very close to
Royasc
Royasc is a dialect bridging the gap between the Ligurian language and the Occitan language. It is spoken in Italy and France.
Area of use
The Royasc dialect is spoken in the Upper Roya valley, at the boundary of France and Italy.
In France, i ...
dialect.
History
During the
Renaissance
The Renaissance ( , ) , from , with the same meanings. is a period in European history marking the transition from the Middle Ages to modernity and covering the 15th and 16th centuries, characterized by an effort to revive and surpass ideas ...
the
Ligurian language
Ligurian () or Genoese () (locally called or ) is a Gallo-Italic language spoken primarily in the territories of the former Republic of Genoa, now comprising the area of Liguria in Northern Italy, parts of the Mediterranean coastal zone of Fran ...
was spoken in all the territories of the
Republic of Genoa
The Republic of Genoa ( lij, Repúbrica de Zêna ; it, Repubblica di Genova; la, Res Publica Ianuensis) was a medieval and early modern maritime republic from the 11th century to 1797 in Liguria on the northwestern Italian coast. During the Lat ...
: in the western area of this republic one of its groups (spoken mainly in the area between the
Principality of Monaco
Monaco (; ), officially the Principality of Monaco (french: Principauté de Monaco; Ligurian: ; oc, Principat de Mónegue), is a sovereign city-state and microstate on the French Riviera a few kilometres west of the Italian region of Liguria ...
and
Sanremo
Sanremo (; lij, Sanrémmo(ro) or , ) or San Remo is a city and comune on the Mediterranean coast of Liguria, in northwestern Italy. Founded in Roman times, it has a population of 55,000, and is known as a tourist destination on the Italian Rivie ...
) was called ''Intemelio''.
The language spoken in the mountains around
Briga was called ''Brigasc'' and received some influence from the Occitan language.
[Giulia Petracco Sicardi, E. Azaretti, "Studi linguistici sull'anfizona Liguria-Provenza", in ''Dizionario Etimologico Storico Ligure'', Alessandria 1989, a pp. 11-62, di Giulia Petracco Sicardi, "Contributo alla definizione dell'anfizona Liguria-Provenza".]
Some words in Brigasc
See also
*
Mentonasque
Mentonasc (; Mentonasco in Italian, Mentonnais or Mentonasque in French) is a Romance dialect historically spoken in and around Menton, France. It is classified as a dialect of Occitan and a sub-dialect of Vivaro-Alpine, with some strong influe ...
*
Intemelio
Intemelio is a Ligurian dialect spoken historically from the Principality of Monaco to the Italian province of Imperia.
History
Since the Renaissance the Ligurian language was spoken in all the territories of the Republic of Genoa; in the we ...
*
Ligurian language
Ligurian () or Genoese () (locally called or ) is a Gallo-Italic language spoken primarily in the territories of the former Republic of Genoa, now comprising the area of Liguria in Northern Italy, parts of the Mediterranean coastal zone of Fran ...
References
Bibliography
*
Fiorenzo Toso
Fiorenzo Toso (20 February 1962 – 24 September 2022) was an Italian academic, linguist, and dialectologist.
Life and career
Toso graduated from the University of Genoa with a degree in foreign language and literature in 1988, then earned a deg ...
, ''Il brigasco e l'olivettese tra classificazione scientifica e manipolazioni politico-amministrative'', in ''Intemelion. Cultura e territorio – Quaderno annuale di studi storici dell'Accademia di cultura intemelia'', n. 14, anno 2008
website online (in Italian)
External links
*
ttp://web.tiscali.it/robertotarabella/ "Terra brigasca" website
{{Authority control
Languages of France
Ligurian language (Romance)