Mentonasc dialect
| Mentonasc | |
|---|---|
| Mentonnais, Mentonasque, Mentonasco, | |
| Native to | France, Italy |
| Region | Menton, Roquebrune |
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Native speakers
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Approximately 4,185 (2007) 2,868 in Menton & 1,317 in Roquebrune |
| Dialects | |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
Occitan: mentonasc
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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 influence from the neighbouring Intemelian Ligurian dialect spoken from Ventimiglia to San Remo.
Mentonasc is considered to be a transitional language; it is an intermediate language between Occitan and Ligurian, which is why the classification of Mentonasc is often debated. However, it is traditionally assigned to the Occitan language.
The Mentonasc dialect bears strong similarities with the common alpine dialects, such as, Royasque or Pignasque. It differs quite significantly especially in the ear from Ligurian coastal dialects (Northern Italian), like those of Ventimiglia (Intemelio dialect) or Monaco.
When the area of Menton was part of the Republic of Genoa and later of the Kingdom of Sardinia, Mentonasc was used in all of the coastal area between Monaco and Ventimiglia, and in the hinterland.
In the 19th century Mentonasc was used in the territories of the Free Cities of Menton & Roquebrune, an independent statelet created in connection with the Italian Risorgimento.
When France annexed most of the County of Nice in 1860, Mentonasc began its decline, substituted by the French language.
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Wikipedia