Paleo-Sardinian language
Encyclopedia
Paleo-Sardinian or Paleo-Sardo (Paleosardo), also known as Nuragic, is the pre-Indo-European
language (or perhaps languages) of Sardinia
and Corsica
, which is thought to have left traces in the modern Sardinian language
. By the third century, Latin had become the language of Sardinia, and the old language(s) survive mainly in toponyms, which appear to preserve grammatical suffixes, and in a few names of plants. There is toponymic evidence that it may have had connection to Basque
or to the pre-Indo-European Iberian language
of Spain (Blasco Ferrer, 2010), or maybe to the ancient languages of Sicily
.
Archeologist Giovanni Ugas suggested that the three Nuragic peoples may have had separate origins and thus spoke different languages: The Balari from the Balearic Islands
and possibly of Iberian
origin, the Corsi
from the north and possibly of Ligurian origin, and the Iolei / Iliensi from the south and possible Numidian (or perhaps Sicani
) origin. The three modern dialects of Gallurese, Logudorese, and Campidanese might reflect that multilingual substratum.
Bertoldi & Terracini propose that the common suffix -ara (with stress on the antepenult) was a plural marker, and indicated a connection to Iberian or to the Paleo-Sicilian languages. Terracini claims a similar connection for the suffix -ànarV, -ànnarV, -énnarV, -ònnarV, as in the personal name Bonnànnaro. A suffix -ini also seems to be characteristic, as in the personal name Barùmini. A suffix or suffixes -arr-, -err-, -orr-, -urr- have been claimed to correspond to Numidia
(Terracini), to Iberia
(specifically Basque, Blasco Ferrer), to the south of Italy
and Gascony
(presumably Basque, Rohlfs), and to Basque (Wagner, Hubschmid).
The non-Latin suffixes -ài, -éi, -òi, -ùi survive in modern place names based on Latin roots. Terracini sees connections to Berber. Bertoldi sees an Anatolian
connection in the endings -ài, -asài (similar claims have been made of the Elymians
of Sicily). A suffix -aiko is also common in Iberia and may have a Celtic
origin. The tribal suffix -itani, -etani, as in the Sulcitani, has also been identified as Paleosardinian.
Pre-Indo-European
Old Europe is a term coined by archaeologist Marija Gimbutas to describe what she perceives as a relatively homogeneous and widespread pre-Indo-European Neolithic culture in Europe, particularly in Malta and the Balkans....
language (or perhaps languages) of Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
and Corsica
Corsica
Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean Sea. It is located west of Italy, southeast of the French mainland, and north of the island of Sardinia....
, which is thought to have left traces in the modern Sardinian language
Sardinian language
Sardinian is a Romance language spoken and written on most of the island of Sardinia . It is considered the most conservative of the Romance languages in terms of phonology and is noted for its Paleosardinian substratum....
. By the third century, Latin had become the language of Sardinia, and the old language(s) survive mainly in toponyms, which appear to preserve grammatical suffixes, and in a few names of plants. There is toponymic evidence that it may have had connection to Basque
Basque language
Basque is the ancestral language of the Basque people, who inhabit the Basque Country, a region spanning an area in northeastern Spain and southwestern France. It is spoken by 25.7% of Basques in all territories...
or to the pre-Indo-European Iberian language
Iberian language
The Iberian language was the language of a people identified by Greek and Roman sources who lived in the eastern and southeastern regions of the Iberian peninsula. The ancient Iberians can be identified as a rather nebulous local culture between the 7th and 1st century BC...
of Spain (Blasco Ferrer, 2010), or maybe to the ancient languages of Sicily
Sicily
Sicily is a region of Italy, and is the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea. Along with the surrounding minor islands, it constitutes an autonomous region of Italy, the Regione Autonoma Siciliana Sicily has a rich and unique culture, especially with regard to the arts, music, literature,...
.
Archeologist Giovanni Ugas suggested that the three Nuragic peoples may have had separate origins and thus spoke different languages: The Balari from the Balearic Islands
Balearic Islands
The Balearic Islands are an archipelago of Spain in the western Mediterranean Sea, near the eastern coast of the Iberian Peninsula.The four largest islands are: Majorca, Minorca, Ibiza and Formentera. The archipelago forms an autonomous community and a province of Spain with Palma as the capital...
and possibly of Iberian
Iberian language
The Iberian language was the language of a people identified by Greek and Roman sources who lived in the eastern and southeastern regions of the Iberian peninsula. The ancient Iberians can be identified as a rather nebulous local culture between the 7th and 1st century BC...
origin, the Corsi
Corsi
The Corsi were an ancient people of Sardinia, noted by Ptolemy . They dwelt at the extreme north of the island, near the Tibulati and immediately north of the Coracenses. The Corsi gave their name to the island of Corsica.-References:*...
from the north and possibly of Ligurian origin, and the Iolei / Iliensi from the south and possible Numidian (or perhaps Sicani
Sicani
The Sicani or Sicanians were one of three ancient peoples of Sicily present at the time of Phoenician and Greek colonization.-History:The Sicani are thought to be the oldest inhabitants of Sicily with a recorded name...
) origin. The three modern dialects of Gallurese, Logudorese, and Campidanese might reflect that multilingual substratum.
Bertoldi & Terracini propose that the common suffix -ara (with stress on the antepenult) was a plural marker, and indicated a connection to Iberian or to the Paleo-Sicilian languages. Terracini claims a similar connection for the suffix -ànarV, -ànnarV, -énnarV, -ònnarV, as in the personal name Bonnànnaro. A suffix -ini also seems to be characteristic, as in the personal name Barùmini. A suffix or suffixes -arr-, -err-, -orr-, -urr- have been claimed to correspond to Numidia
Numidia
Numidia was an ancient Berber kingdom in part of present-day Eastern Algeria and Western Tunisia in North Africa. It is known today as the Chawi-land, the land of the Chawi people , the direct descendants of the historical Numidians or the Massyles The kingdom began as a sovereign state and later...
(Terracini), to Iberia
Iberia
The name Iberia refers to three historical regions of the old world:* Iberian Peninsula, in Southwest Europe, location of modern-day Portugal and Spain** Prehistoric Iberia...
(specifically Basque, Blasco Ferrer), to the south of Italy
Italy
Italy , officially the Italian Republic languages]] under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. In each of these, Italy's official name is as follows:;;;;;;;;), is a unitary parliamentary republic in South-Central Europe. To the north it borders France, Switzerland, Austria and...
and Gascony
Gascony
Gascony is an area of southwest France that was part of the "Province of Guyenne and Gascony" prior to the French Revolution. The region is vaguely defined and the distinction between Guyenne and Gascony is unclear; sometimes they are considered to overlap, and sometimes Gascony is considered a...
(presumably Basque, Rohlfs), and to Basque (Wagner, Hubschmid).
The non-Latin suffixes -ài, -éi, -òi, -ùi survive in modern place names based on Latin roots. Terracini sees connections to Berber. Bertoldi sees an Anatolian
Anatolian languages
The Anatolian languages comprise a group of extinct Indo-European languages that were spoken in Asia Minor, the best attested of them being the Hittite language.-Origins:...
connection in the endings -ài, -asài (similar claims have been made of the Elymians
Elymians
The Elymians were an ancient people who inhabited the western part of Sicily during the Bronze Age and Classical antiquity.-Origins:...
of Sicily). A suffix -aiko is also common in Iberia and may have a Celtic
Celtic languages
The Celtic languages are descended from Proto-Celtic, or "Common Celtic"; a branch of the greater Indo-European language family...
origin. The tribal suffix -itani, -etani, as in the Sulcitani, has also been identified as Paleosardinian.
See also
- The three ancient languages of Sicily: SicelSicel languageSicel was an ancient language spoken by the Sicels , one of the three indigenous tribes of Sicily; the Elymians and the Sicani were the other two. According to some authors the speakers of Sicel entered Sicily from the Italian mainland, and the language is quite likely of Indo-European origin...
, ElymianElymian languageThe Elymian language is the extinct language of the ancient Elymian people of western Sicily. It is not known whether Elymian was an Indo-European tongue...
, and Sicanian - Prehistory of CorsicaPrehistory of CorsicaThe prehistory of Corsica is analogous to the prehistories of the other islands in the Mediterranean Sea, such as Sicily, Sardinia, Malta and Cyprus, which could only be accessed by boat and featured cultures that were to some degree insular; that is, modified from the traditional Palaeolithic,...