Language Diversity - Language Diversity - Map of Minorities & Regional and Minority Languages of Europe for and about linguistic and cultural diversity in Europe.

Language

Ladin (Ladina)

Description

Ladin or Dolomite Ladin is the name of a group of Italic-Romance dialects, which belong together with Romansh in Graubünden (Switzerland) and Friulian in Friuli (Italy) to the Rhaetian sub-group of the Gallo-Romance language branch of the Indo-European language family.

Ladin is spoken by between 20,000 and 60,000 speakers in several Alpine valleys of North Italy, mainly in South Tyrol and in Trentino. In South Tyrol and Trentino, Ladin has the status of an (partially territorially confined) official and school language.

Ladin originates from the Latin language that was introduced by the Romans as they conquered the central part of the Alps (15 BC). The Italian national movement used to consider Ladin as an Italian dialect. First in 1972, the Ladins obtained minority rights in South Tyrol. 

Important Words

Hello - ciao

You are not alone - NE T´ÉS NIA SU/SORA

Special

The seven Ladin dialects differ so much from one another, that it has been not possible so far to create a basis for one common written language.

Language families

  1. Indo-European
  2. Italic
  3. Romance
  4. Italo-Western Romance
  5. Ladin