Castelmezzano dialect

Last updated
Castelmezzano
Native to Italy
Regionwestern Basilicata
Language codes
ISO 639-3 None (mis)
Glottolog cast1245

The dialect of Castelmezzano is a Romance variety spoken in Castelmezzano in the Province of Potenza in Italy. It constitutes a dialect of the Neapolitan language that differs from the rest (and from neighbouring imported Gallo-Italic varieties) in its treatment of Latin back vowels, showing an evolution more reminiscent of Eastern Romance: Latin /ŭ/ merges with /ū/ rather than with /ō/.

Castelmezzano is but the kernel of an area, dubbed the Vorposten ( German for 'outpost') by Lausberg, which shares the same vowel development. It includes Castronuovo di Sant'Andrea, Sant'Arcangelo, Roccanova, San Martino d'Agri, Aliano (and Alianello), Gallicchio, Missanello, Armento, Pietrapertosa, Anzi, Campomaggiore, Albano di Lucania, Trivigno, Brindisi di Montagna, Corleto Perticara and Guardia Perticara.

This type of vocalism may once have been characteristic of most of southern Italy and possibly even other areas that now have Italo-Western vowel outcomes. [1] It can be viewed as a compromise, in that it has a Sardinian-like treatment of the back vowels, as is also observed in the southern part of the Lausberg area, while also having an Italo-Western-like treatment of the front vowels (merging Latin /ĭ/ with /ē/), as found in other varieties of Neapolitan.

Comparison of vowel changes

LatinRoot formVowelCastelmezzano dialectDalmatianRomanianNotes
piper*pipum, *piprum/ɪ/pépëpepro-Romanian has got the borrowing "piper".
digitusdigitum/ɪ/[ ? ]detcodeget
fīlum-/iː/filëfilfir
cor*corum/ɔ/córëcur-
bonusbonum/ɔ/[ ? ]bunbunThe vowel was shifted from /o/ to /u/, yielding "bun" in Romanian, as part of vowel reduction.
focusfocum/ɔ/[ ? ]fucfoc
somnussomnum/ɔ/[ ? ]samnosomnThe Dalmatian result may be tied to the consonantal cluster /mn/ or to the retention of the word-final vowel.
sōlsōlem/oː/sólësaulsoareThe Dalmatian and Romanian terms are only diphthongized due to not having been followed by /u/ or /i/.
vōxvōcem/oː/[ ? ]baudboace (archaic)The Dalmatian and Romanian terms are only diphthongized due to not having been followed by /u/ or /i/. Romanian has got the neologism "voce".
bōs*bōvum/oː/[ ? ]bubou
tōtustōtum/oː/[ ? ]tut, tottotThe function as pronoun may be the reason for the Dalmatian alternative form.
furcafurcam/ʊ/fùrchëfuarcafurcă
surdussurdum/ʊ/[ ? ]suardsurd
nux*nucem, *nucum/ʊ/[ ? ]naucnuc
lūnalūnam/uː/lùnëloinalună
mūrusmūrum/uː/[ ? ]moir, mormurThe Dalmatian variant does not seem to reflect the most usual outcomes.
crūduscrūdum/uː/[ ? ]croitcrud

A comparison of vowel changes shows only limited relatability of the languages and the dialect yet Dalmatian sound changes may sometimes differ from the usual phonological development that can be ascertained.

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References

  1. Loporcaro, Michele (2011). "Phonological Processes". In Maiden; et al. (eds.). The Cambridge History of the Romance Languages: Volume 1, Structures. p. 114.