Algherese dialect#Phonology

Algherese is a regional dialect spoken by anywhere from 20,000 to 30,000 individuals, most of whom reside in the town of Alghero, located in the northwest of Sardinia.{{Cite book |last=Salminen |first=Tapani |title=Encyclopedia of the World's Endangered Languages |date=2007 |publisher=Routledge |isbn=978-0-7007-1197-0 |editor-last=Moseley |editor-first=Christopher |location=London |pages=235 |language=en |chapter=Europe and North Asia}}{{Cite web|url=http://endangeredlanguages.com/lang/944|title=Did you know Algherese Catalan is vulnerable?|website=Endangered Languages|language=en|access-date=9 March 2017}} The language, though distinct, is initially derived from, and thus considered a variant of, the Catalan language. The origins of the language can be traced back to 1372, when Catalan invaders repopulated the city of Alghero after exiling the indigenous populations in Sardinia. Despite the city's increasing Italianisation, the use of this Catalan dialect remained widespread until at least the 1970s.{{cite news |last1=Minder |first1=Raphael |title=Italy's Last Bastion of Catalan Language Struggles to Keep It Alive |url=https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/21/world/europe/catalan-italy-alghero.html |work=The New York Times |date=21 November 2016 |language=en}}

As a result of the city's extensive Italianisation, Italian is now the predominant language in Alghero,{{Cite web|url=http://prosodia.upf.edu/coalgueres/en/algueres.html|title=Corpus Oral de l'Alguerès|website=prosodia.upf.edu|access-date=9 March 2017}} being estimated by a 2004 survey to be first language of close to 60% of those surveyed.{{harvp|Generalitat de Catalunya, Secretaria de Política Lingüística|2004|p=24}} The use of the dialect in schools and media, to name a few, remains sparse. Teaching of the dialect in school is also rare. However, in an attempt to reverse the trend, the Regional Council of Sardinia officially recognised "Algherese Catalan" as a separate language in 1997, in order to promote its use and circulation. According to the 2004 survey, Algherese was used by approximately 14% of the population for daily interactions.{{harvp|Generalitat de Catalunya, Secretaria de Política Lingüística|2004|p=25}} The dialect is mostly a local language, often used to supplement Italian and/or Sardinian in relatively small circles.{{harvp|Argenter|2008}}

The following figures were obtained from the Enquesta d'usos lingüístics a l'Alguer ("Survey of linguistic usage in Alghero", EULAL) of 2004{{Cite report |url=http://llengua.gencat.cat/web/.content/documents/dadesestudis/altres/arxius/eula2004.pdf |title=Enquesta d'usos lingüístics a l'Alguer |last=Generalitat de Catalunya, Secretaria de Política Lingüística |date=2004 |publisher=Generalitat de Catalunya, Secretaria de Política Lingüística |language=ca |trans-title=Survey of linguistic usage in Alghero}} and the Els usos lingüístics a l'Alguer of 2015 (EULA 2015),{{cite report |date=2017 |title=Els usos lingüístics a l'Alguer, 2015 |trans-title=Linguistic usage in Alghero, 2015 |language=ca |url=http://llengua.gencat.cat/web/.content/documents/publicacions/btpl/arxius/20_Usos_linguistics_Alguer_2015.pdf |publisher=Generalitat de Catalunya }} both of which were studies conducted in the town of Alghero about the general use of Algherese in several media.

In 1999, Catalan and Sardinian were among the twelve minority languages officially recognised as Italy's "historical linguistic minorities" by the Italian State under Law No. 482/1999.Law No. 482 of 15 December 1999. "Rules on the protection of historical linguistic minorities". Article 2. Gazzetta Ufficiale n. 297. 20 December 1999 Prior to this, the Regional Council of Sardinia had passed the Regional Law No. 26 of 15 October 1997 which, aside from promoting the equality in dignity of the Sardinian language with the Italian language throughout the island, provided that the other languages of smaller scope be afforded the same treatment as the aforementioned languages, among which Catalan is cited, in the city of Alghero.[http://www.regione.sardegna.it/j/v/86?v=9&c=72&file=1997026 Regional Law No. 26 of 15 October 1997. "Promozione e valorizzazione della culture e della lingua della Sardegna"] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20210226213750/http://www.regione.sardegna.it/j/v/86?v=9&c=72&file=1997026 |date=26 February 2021 }}. Articles 2.1 and 2.4 . Consiglio Regionale della Sardegna The city council, for its part, promulgated its protection and standardisation in its city statute.[http://www.ciutatdelalguer.it/statuto.pdf Communal Statute] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722030108/http://www.ciutatdelalguer.it/statuto.pdf |date=22 July 2011 }}. Article 9. City of Alghero.

{{See also|Catalan phonology|Help:IPA/Insular Catalan}}

;Vowels

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:Notes:

:* The close-mid and mid-close vowels {{IPA|/ɛ, e/}} and {{IPA|/ɔ, o/}} merge into mid vowels ({{IPAblink|e̞}} and {{IPAblink|o̞}}, here transcribed without diacritics) in Modern Alguerese.

:* Coalescing of unstressed vowels {{IPA|/a/}}, ({{IPA|/ɛ/}}) and {{IPA|/e/}} to [{{IPAlink|ä}} ~ {{IPAlink|ɐ}}] (transcribed as {{IPA|/a/}}) unlike the rest of Eastern Catalan, which uses {{IPAblink|ə}} or even {{IPAblink|ɐ}} (transcribed as {{IPA|/ə/}}): aura ('aura') {{IPA|[ˈawɾə]}} (Eastern Standard), {{IPA|[ˈawɾa]}} (Algherese).

:* Unstressed {{IPA|/o/}} ({{IPA|/ɔ, o/}}) reduces to {{IPA|[u]}} like most Eastern Catalan dialects.

;Consonants

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:Notes:

:* Algherese preserves {{IPA|/v/}} as a distinct phoneme from {{IPA|/b/}}, like Balearic and most of Valencian: viu ('he/she lives') {{IPA|[viw]}} (Algherese).

:* Mutation of intervocalic {{IPA|/d/}} and {{IPA|/l/}} to {{IPAblink|ɾ}}: Barceloneta {{IPA|[bəɾsəluˈnɛtə]}} (Eastern Standard), {{IPA|[balsaɾuˈneta]}} (Algherese) 'Barcelonette'; and vila ('town') and vida ('life') are homophones in Algherese {{IPA|[ˈviɾa]}}.

:* Mutation of syllable final {{IPA|/r/}} (or {{IPA|[ɾ]}}) to lateral {{IPAblink|l}}, and the possible resulting group {{IPA|/r/}} + consonant is further simplified to {{IPAblink|l}}: forn {{IPA|[ˈfoɾn]}} (Eastern Standard), {{IPA|[ˈfol]}} (Algherese) 'oven'.

:* Depalatalisation of syllable final sonorants: lateral {{IPA|/ʎ/}} to {{IPAblink|l}}, nasal {{IPA|/ɲ/}} to {{IPAblink|n}}: ball {{IPA|[ˈbaʎ]}} (Eastern Standard), {{IPA|[ˈbal]}} (Algherese) 'dance'; any {{IPA|[ˈaɲ]}} (Eastern Standard), {{IPA|[ˈan]}} (Algherese) 'year'.

• The simple past is replaced by the present perfect (present of haver "to have" + past participle), possibly by Italian influence.
• The imperfect past preserves etymological -v- in all conjugations: 1st -ava, 2nd -iva, 3rd -iva unlike modern Eastern and Western Standard Catalan, which use 1st -ava, 2nd -ia, 3rd -ia, a feature shared with the Ribagorçan dialect.
• Large-scale lexical borrowing and calques from Sardinian, Spanish and Italian: nearly half of the vocabulary is not from Catalan.{{Cite book |title=Caracterització del lèxic alguerès |last=Corbera Pou |first=Jaume |publisher=University of the Balearic Islands |year=2000 |location=Palma (Balears) |oclc=807849256}}

The Algherese variant is Eastern Catalan, but it has many differences from Central Catalan, with some of the most obvious ones as follows:

File:Unitat de la llengua Alghero.jpg

The following abbreviations are used: m. (masculine), f. (feminine), pl. (plural), f. pl. (feminine plural), inf. (informal), f. (formal).

The following phrases were gathered from a Catalan translation set, but the common phrases in Algherese are similar:{{Cite web|url=http://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/catalan.php|title=Useful Catalan phrases|website=www.omniglot.com|access-date=25 April 2017}}

File:Poster for Premi Rafael Sari 2008.jpg

The Premi Rafael Sari, organised by the Obra Cultural de l'Alguer,{{Cite web |url=http://www.obracultural.cat/qui-sem/ |title=Qui sem – Obra Cultural de l'Alguer |website=Obra Cultural de l'Alguer |language=ca-ES |access-date=1 September 2018}} is a series of prizes awarded in September each year to the best literary works of poetry and prose written in Algherese Catalan.

Notable poets include Rafael Sari, Pasquale Scanu and Maria Chessa Lai. There is also a long tradition of writing and performing songs in Algherese Catalan and the Premi Pino Piras{{Cite news|url=http://notizie.alguer.it/n?id=20324 |title=Al Civico di Alghero il "Premio Pino Piras" |date=23 October 2008 |website=Alguer.it Notizie |language=it}} is awarded for new songs written in the language. Notable singer-songwriters include Pino Piras and Franca Masu.

In 2015 Carla Valentino published an Algherese translation of Antoine de Saint-Exupéry's The Little Prince.{{cite web |title=Little Prince nr. PP-3547 / Catalan Algherese |url=http://www.petit-prince-collection.com/lang/show_livre.php?lang=en&id=3547 |website=www.petit-prince-collection.com}}

• Catalan dialects and varieties
• Balearic
• Valencian
• Central Catalan
• Northern Catalan

{{Notelist}}

{{Reflist}}

{{refbegin}}

• {{Cite book |url=http://library.brown.edu/record=b3625192 |archive-url=https://archive.today/20070705064908/http://library.brown.edu/record=b3625192 |url-status=dead |archive-date=5 July 2007 |title=Diccionari català de l'Alguer |last=Sanna |first=Josep |date=1988 |publisher=Fundació del II Congrés de la Llengua Catalana |isbn=8471293919 |edition=1st |location=L'Alguer}}
• {{Cite thesis |last=Marongiu |first=Antonietta Maria |title=Language Maintenance and Shift in Sardinia: A Case Study of Sardinian and Italian in Cagliari |date=2007 |degree=PhD |publisher=University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign |hdl=2142/86151 |language=en}}
• {{Cite book |title=Caracterització del lèxic alguerès |last=Corbera Pou |first=Jaume |date=2000 |publisher=Universitat de les Illes Balears |location=Palma (Balears)}}
• {{Cite book |title=Català de l'Alguer. Criteris de llengua escrita |last=Scala |first=Luca |date=2003 |publisher=Publicacions de l'Abadia de Montserrat |isbn=978-84-8415-463-1 |edition=1st |location=Barcelona}}
• Ballone, Francesc (2008). [http://prosodia.upf.edu/coalgueres/en/algueres.html L'Alguer and Alguerese Catalan]. Corpus Oral de l'Algueres
• {{Cite journal |last=Argenter |first=Joan A. |date=2008 |title=L'Alguer (Alghero), a Catalan Linguistic Enclave in Sardinia |url=https://www.academia.edu/5492085 |journal=International Journal of the Sociology of Language |language=en |issue=193/194 |doi=10.1515/IJSL.2008.056|s2cid=145104205 }}
• {{Cite book |last=Perea |first=Maria-Pilar |chapter-url=https://www.abdn.ac.uk/pfrlsu/documents/Perea,%20The%20Dialect%20of%20%20Alghero.pdf |title=Marginal Dialects: Scotland, Ireland and Beyond |publisher=Forum for Research on the Languages of Scotland and Ireland |date=2010 |isbn=978-0-9566549-0-8 |editor-last=Millar |editor-first=Robert McColl |location=Aberdeen |pages=131–149 |chapter=The Dialect of Alghero: Continuity and Change}}
• {{Cite journal |last1=Perea |first1=Maria-Pilar |last2=Sifre |first2=Manel |date=2013 |title=Dialectal Variation in a Nineteenth-Century Catalan Grammar Corpus |journal=Procedia - Social and Behavioral Sciences |volume=95 |pages=409–417 |doi=10.1016/j.sbspro.2013.10.663|doi-access=free }}
• {{Cite journal |last=Tufi |first=Stefania |date=2013 |title=Language Ideology and Language Maintenance: The Case of Sardinia |journal=International Journal of the Sociology of Language |issue=219 |pages=145–160 |doi=10.1515/ijsl-2013-0009|s2cid=143748495 }}
• Cabrera-Callis, Maria (2015). [http://stel.ub.edu/gevad/sites/default/files/publicacio/arxius/1439044854CABRERA_article_LSRL.pdf Morphologically Conditioned Intervocalic Rhotacism in Algherese Catalan]. Variations within and Across Romance Languages
• Moseley, Christopher (2016). [http://unesdoc.unesco.org/images/0018/001870/187026e.pdf Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger]. United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation
• Hammarstrom, Harald & Forkel, Robert & Haspelmath, Martin & Bank, Sebastian (2017). [http://glottolog.org/resource/languoid/id/algh1238 Dialect: Algherese]. Glottolog
• Ager, Simon (1998–2017). [http://www.omniglot.com/language/phrases/catalan.php Useful Catalan Phrases]. Omniglot.
• Various Sources (2017). [http://endangeredlanguages.com/lang/944 Algherese Catalan]. The Endangered Languages Project
• {{Cite thesis |last=Chessa |first=Enrico |title=Another Case of Language Death? The Intergenerational Transmission of Catalan in Alghero |date=2011 |degree=PhD |publisher=Queen Mary, University of London |url=https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/jspui/bitstream/123456789/2502/1/CHESSAAnotherCase2012.pdf |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20131021032001/https://qmro.qmul.ac.uk/jspui/bitstream/123456789/2502/1/CHESSAAnotherCase2012.pdf |archive-date=21 October 2013 |language=en}}

{{refend}}

• [http://www.algueres.net/inscripcio.aspx Diccionari d'alguerés]
• [https://salvemlallengua.wordpress.com/ Associació per a la Salvaguarda del Patrimoni Historico-cultural de l'Alguer]
• [http://prosodia.upf.edu/iari/enquestes/catalan/alguer/index.html Interactive Atlas of Romance Intonation, Catalan Alguerese]
• [https://www.nytimes.com/2016/11/21/world/europe/catalan-italy-alghero.html Italy's Last Bastion of Catalan Languages Struggles to Keep It Alive], New York Times, 21 November 2016.

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