Sardinian

Abstract

Sardinian is documented in continuous texts from the 11th century onward, at a historical period when the Republic of Pisa, at that time a maritime power, exerted its influence (linguistic and otherwise) on the island. In earlier centuries, Sardinian gradually became differentiated from Latin under Byzantine rule, which resulted in Greek influence. Later, Catalan, Spanish, and finally Italian were the main sources of contact pressure on Sardinian qua official languages, endowed with prestige, in subsequent periods, whereas Sardinian dialects were progressively relegated to spoken and informal usage. At present, language shift toward Italian is rampant, and Sardinian, in both its main varieties (Logudorese and Campidanese), now counts as seriously endangered.

The phonology of Sardinian is markedly different from that of the rest of the Romance languages, its main peculiarity lying in the stressed vowel system, in which the outcomes of Latin /iː/ and /e/ and /oː/ and /u/, respectively, remained distinct. Another peculiarity of Sardinian phonology is the preservation of Latin word-final -/s/ and -/t/ in the verbal and nominal inflection, which contributes to shape the inflectional morphology of Sardinian. Finally, the definite article /su/ ‘the.m.sg’, an outcome of Latin ipsum rather than illum, is also characteristic for Sardinian. By contrast, the syntax of Sardinian does not exhibit on the whole similarly marked peculiarities compared to the rest of the Romance languages. The properties just mentioned demarcate Sardinian stricto sensu, consisting of Logudorese and Campidanese, from the Tuscanized varieties spoken at the northern fringe of the island, Sassarese and Gallurese.

Their origin is debated, and many scholars now believe that they are varieties imported from Corsica, a scenario that seems implausible to the present writers. Instead, we provide evidence in support of the traditional view that Sassarese and Gallurese arose by modification of originally Sardinian dialects due to Pisan-Genoese influence in the late Middle Ages, which resulted in their being reshaped. Finally, the island also hosts two Romance language enclaves: Catalan in Alghero (in the northwest) and Genoese in Carloforte and Calasetta (in the southwest).