Gardiol Language

Gardiol () is the variety of Occitan still spoken today in Guardia Piemontese, Calabria.

UNESCO classifies it as "seriously in danger" of disappearing in its Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. But on the contrary, Agostino Formica showed in 1999 that Gardiol Occitan was still surviving despite the small number of speakers. Similarly, Pietro Monteleone stressed that Gardiol remained the language in common use in family and friendly relations.

Gardiol is of origin. The population of Guardia Piemontese arrived from the Occitan Valleys of Piedmont in the 14th century, following the persecutions against the Waldensians. It is therefore related to the Vivaro-Alpine. However, Glottolog recognizes Gardiol as a distinct language within the Occitanic language family.

Population

In 2007, according to the linguist Fiorenzo Toso, there are 340 Gardiol speakers out of 1,860 inhabitants, the others using either standard Italian or Calabrian.Fiorenzo Toso, ''Le Minoranze Linguistiche in Italia'', ed. Il Mulino, 2008 pag. 141 This is different to both Christopher Moseley, which said there were around 300 speakers (2005) and Agostino Formica, which said there were around 370 speakers (1999)."Spettro di frequenze e varianti nel linguaggio di Guardia Piemontese d'oggi: sfaldamento, contaminazione o evoluzione?" (contenuto nel volume: AA.VV., Guardia Piemontese le ragioni di una civiltà. Indagine sul mondo occitanico calabrese, Gnisci, Paola, 1999, pages 53-87)

Example text

The following is a text taken from a manual by G. Ligozat.

''A La Gàrdia l’antica pòrta granda (pòrta dal sang) ilh recòrda fait brut, fòrse, en part, inventat. Un fait dei mai brut al vai sochèd ‘o 11 de junh 1561 a Montalto Uffungo aont otanta-uèch Valdés ilh van èsser massat a chavon dal schalier de la guieisa de Sant Fransisc de Paola.''

''Un testimone al vai scriu dins una letra ‘o fait brut: ‘o bòia, stachaa una faissa sus lhi uèlh dal condamnat, ab ‘o cotèll al lhi talha ‘o gargaròt, al lhi cacha la faissa, e ainan un autre.''

''‘O deman ilh van talha lhi cadàver, ilh lhi van tapa sus lhi carre e ilh lhi van empinge sus lhi arbre, per mai ò mens trenta-shèis milhe long la straa per Castrovillari. ‘O 28 de junh, sus la plaça de Cosenza, lhi autre Valdés ilh van èsser cuvèrt de piche e iars coma tòrche. Gabriele Pepe, dins Il Ponte – setembre/otróeve 1950, al a pas dóbie: « La vai èsser una crochata vèra, ab tot lhi mal de le crochate: destruccion de país entíer, fúec, massacre col·lectiu, impicajon, confiscacion, vinhe destrote. » En tot 2000 Valdés de La Gàrdia, Montalto Uffugo e San Sisto ilh van èsser massat; 1600 ilh van èsser empresonat ò mandat sus le galère.''

Translation:
In La Gàrdia, the ancient porta granda (bloody door) reminds me of a brutal fact, perhaps partly invented. An ugly fact took place on June 11, 1561 in Montalto Uffungo when eighty-eight Valdés were massacred in the chavon of the schalier of the guide of Sant Fransisc de Paola.

A witness wrote in a letter 'o fait brut: 'o boia, stachaa a faissa sus lhi èlh dal condemned, with 'o cotèll al lhi laha 'o gargaròt, al hi chacha faissa, e anan autre.

Tomorrow they cut down the corpse, covered the road and pushed the tree, at least thirty-six miles along the road for Castrovillari. On the 28th of June, in the square of Cosenza, the other Valdés were covered with pitch and torches. Gabriele Pepe, in Il Ponte - September/October 1950, in the pas dóbie: "It was a real crochet, with all the evil of crochet: destruction of an entire country, I lost, collective massacre, impicajon, confiscation, I came destroyed. » In all 2000 Valdés de La Gàrdia, Montalto Uffugo and San Sisto were massed; 1600 ilh were imprisoned or sent to the galley.

Language reform

If the Gardiols have always known that their language came from the
Vaud Valleys
of Piedmont, the Occitans of Piedmont took a long time to realize that their language was part of the whole of oc. Since the 1970s, the name Occitan has spread in the Occitan Valleys . This name was probably introduced to Guardia Piemontese by Arturo Genre, who also introduced the spelling of the Escolo dòu Po (whose principle is to note all the dialects with their local particularities). Hans-Peter Kunert, a German Romance scholar, developed the adaptation to Gardiol of the classical spelling of Occitan, which makes Gardiol readable outside Guardia despite the particularities that make spoken Gardiol difficult to understand for an Occitan from France. This has allowed the development of school materials as well as a Gardiol-Italian dictionary.''Vocabolario dell'occitano di Guardia Piemontese''

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Comparison to other languages

References

See also

* Occitan conjugation
* Baìo

{{Occitano-Romance languages and dialects

Occitan language
Languages of Calabria