Ligurian

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A language of Italy

ISO 639-3
lij
Alternate Names
Ligure, Zenéize
Population

500,000 in Italy (2002). Population total all countries: 505,100.

Location

North, Liguria, east and west of Genoa along the Riviera and mountain hinterland; Saint Pietro and Saint Antioch islands off Sardinia southwest coast; Sardinia, Carloforte and Calasetta cities. Also in France, Monaco.

Language Maps
Language Status

5 (Developing).

Classification
Indo-European, Italic, Romance, Italo-Western, Western, Gallo-Iberian, Gallo-Romance, Gallo-Italian
Dialects

Genoese (Genoan, Genovese). Ligurian is more similar to Piemontese [pms], Lombard [lmo], and French [fra] than to standard Italian [ita].

Language Use

Also use Italian [ita].

Language Development
Newspapers. Dictionary. Grammar. Bible portions: 1860.
Language Resources
OLAC resources in and about Ligurian
Writing
Latin script.
Other Comments

Ligurian has had a literature since the 1200s and the Genoese variant was widely used alongside the Mediterranean because of the commercial and nautical importance of the Republic of Genoa. That is why Zenéize (meaning Genoese) is one of its alternate names.

Also spoken in:

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