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Resian dialect

Resian
Rozajanski langač/lengač
Native to Italy
Region Resia valley
Language codes
ISO 639-3
Glottolog resi1246

The Resian dialect (self-designation Rozajanski langač, or lengač, Slovene: rezijansko narečje, rezijanščina) is a distinct dialect of Slovene spoken in the Resia Valley, Province of Udine, Italy, close to the border with Slovenia. Because of its remote location outside of Slovenia, the dialect has phonetic properties different from standard Slovene, and from most other Slovene dialects.

Although not a regulated dialect (scholars consider it a dialect of Slovene rather than a different language), and without any official status in Italy, Resian is written with a Latin script different from that used for standard Slovene. The alphabet contains the letter ⟨w⟩, a letter that few Slavic languages use (only Polish and Upper and Lower Sorbian). This grapheme—according to the Italian linguist Bartoli—is characteristic of the Ladin language of the eastern Alps and indicates the autochthonous Neolatin population's strong influence on Resian.

Most contemporary scholars consider Resian a transitional dialect between the Carinthian and Littoral dialects of Slovene. Linguists identify three historical layers in the development of Resian. Initially, Resian was a part of the Carinthian Gail Valley dialect (spoken south of Villach, Austria, but also in the Italian municipalities of Malborghetto Valbruna and Tarvisio, and in the towns of Rateče and Kranjska Gora in Slovenia). In the 14th century, with the German and Friulian colonization of the Canale and Raccolana valleys, the connection of Resian with Carinthian dialects was interrupted. Starting from the 15th century, Resian acquired specific features of Venetian Slovenian dialects (especially the vocabulary). The third layer is represented by specific innovations and developments, which are unique to Resian and cannot be found in any other Slovene dialect.


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