Genoese is part of the Ligurian group of Romance dialects spoken by about 1.9 million people in the northwest of Italy, particularly in Liguria. These dialects are also spoken in the Italian regions of Tuscany, Piedmont, Emilia-Romagna, in the towns of Carloforte and Calasetta in Sardinia, in southern France, parts of Corsica, and in Monaco, where the language is official and known as Monégasque or Munegascu. There are also Ligurian speakers in such countries as Argentina, Uruguay, Australia, Canada and the USA.
Genoese is spoken mainly in Genoa (Zena), though neighbouring varieties of the Ligurian language are similar. Belonging to the Gallo-Italian family, Genoese and Ligurian in general have more similarities with French, Piedmontese, Occitan and Catalan than with Italian. The majority of Genoese speakers are now elderly.
There has been literature in Genoese since the 13th century, though the spelling was not standardised until recently. In 2008 the Académia Ligùstica do Brénno published an official orthography (Grafîa ofiçiâ) for Genoese based on the speech of the Portoria area, and this is now being taught in a number of schools.
| A a | Æ æ | B b | C c | Ç ç | D d | E e | Eu eu | F f | G g | H h | I i | J j |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| L l | M m | N n | O o | P p | Q q | R r | S s | T t | U u | V v | X x | Z z |
Tytti i ommi nàscian libberi e yguâli in dignitæ e drîti. Sun dutæ de raxun e de cunscensa e dêvan agî i-yn versu i-âtri inte'n spirritu de fraternitæ.
Official orthography
Tutti i òmmi nascian liberi e egoali in dignitæ e
driti. Son dotæ de raxon e de coscensa e devan agî
i ùn verso i atri int'un spirito de fraternitæ.
All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights. They
are endowed with reason and conscience and should act towards one another
in a spirit of brotherhood.
(Article 1 of the Universal Declaration of Human Rights)
Information about the Genoese language
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Genoese_dialect
http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=lij
Académia Ligùstica Do Brénno (in Genoese)
http://www.zeneize.net
Official Orthography and Alphabet (in Genoese)
http://www.zeneize.net/grafia/arfabeto.htm
A Compagna - Sito ufficiale dell'associazione genovese (in Italian)
http://www.acompagna.org
Parlare in genovese / Parlâ zeneize / Speak genoese
http://www.facebook.com/pages/Parlare-in-genovese-Parla-zeneize-Speak-genoese-Parler-genois/103494059687738
Genoese phonology
http://www.zeneize.net/ziardua/funulugiamp3/suoniitaNS.html
Ligurian - English - Ligurian free dictionary
http://www.freelang.net/dictionary/ligurian.php
Recordings of Genoese and other Ligurian dialects
http://www2.hu-berlin.de/Vivaldi/index.php?id=m3348⟨=it
Genovés.com.ar: Bilingual website in Spanish and Genoese, with resources to learn Genoese, Ligurian literature with Spanish version, texts, photos, etc. http://www.genoves.com.ar
O scîto do Paolìn (in Italian)
http://digilander.libero.it/paolore2/genovese2.html
Asterix speaks Genoese
http://www.asterix-obelix.nl/manylanguages/ital-genova.htm
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