Ticinese

Infobox Language
name = Ticinese
nativename = "ticines, ticinées"
familycolor = Indo-European
states = Switzerland
speakers = 150,000
fam2 = Italic
fam3 = Romance
fam4 = Italo-Western
fam5 = Western
fam6 = Gallo-Iberian
fam7 = Gallo-Romance
fam8 = Gallo-Italic
fam9 = Lombard
fam10 = Western Lombard
iso2=roa |lc1=lmo |ld1=Lombard |ll1=Lombard language

Ticinese ("ticines", "ticinées") is a comprehensive denomination for the varieties of Western Lombard language spoken in Canton Ticino (Tessin).The term Ticinesi refers to the citizens of Ticino or speakers of the language.

The "Ticinese koiné" (Italian: "koinè ticinese") is the Western Lombard koiné used by speakers of local dialects (particularly those diverging from the "koinè" itself, as e.g. Leventinese, etc.) when communicating with speakers of other Western Lombard dialects of Ticino, the Grisons or Italian Lombardy.

Differences between Ticinese and Italian

The Ticinese dialect has adopted many terms from the French,Swiss German, and Rumantsch regions of Switzerland and often bears Swiss German spelling. Consequently, Swiss cities, regions, food and cultural icons have an Italian translation unlike many other languages not recognized by the Swiss government eg. Canton Zug is known as Zoug in French and Zugo in Italian, but remains Zug in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. Speakers of Lombard and Italian will often have trouble understanding these adopted words as they are of other linguistic origins. Many Italian native speakers of non-Ticino or Graubünden/Grisons origin often find themselves ostracized at social events as they cannot understand Ticinese. Many Ticinese speakers will use the dialect as a means to keep the message hidden.

Examples of Ticinese:

German Origins= G.O. French Origins= F.O.

Expressions and Idioms

External links

Some video and audio documents (interviews, recordings, etc. of writers from Ticino) in Ticinese varieties can be found at the following site: [http://www.rtsi.ch/scrittori/ RTSI: Acquarelli popolari] (please notice that the metalanguage of this site is Italian, and that some of the interviews are in Italian rather than in Ticinese Lombard).

Examples of Italian and Ticinese idioms with meanings: [http://www.lessico.ch/wordtexte/Luganese.htm]

Bibliography

* Centro di dialettologia e di etnografia, "LSIndash Lessico dialettale della Svizzera italiana", Bellinzona 2004.
* Comrie, Bernard, Matthews, Stephen and Polinsky, Maria: "The Atlas of Languages: The Origin and Development of Languages Throughout the World. Rev. ed.", New York 2003.
* Grimes, Barbara F. (ed.): "Ethnologue: Languages of the World. Vol. 1", 2000.
* Lurà, Franco: "Il dialetto del Mendrisiotto", Mendrisio–Chiasso 1987.
* Lurati, Ottavio: "Dialetto e italiano regionale nella Svizzera italiana", Lugano 1976.
* Petrini, Dario: "La koinè ticinese" ("Romanica Helvetica" vol. 105), Bern 1988.
* VSI – Vocabolario dei dialetti della Svizzera italiana", Lugano / Bellinzona 1952–.