Faliscan language
Encyclopedia
The Faliscan language, the extinct language of the ancient Falisci
, forms, together with Latin
, the group of Latino-Faliscan languages
. It seems probable that the dialect lasted on, though being gradually permeated with Latin, until at least 150 BC
.
alphabet
derived from the Etruscan, and are written from right to left, but show some traces of the influence of the Latin alphabet
. An inscription to Ceres
of c.600 BC, found in Falerii
and usually taken as the oldest example, reads left to right.
A specimen of the language appears written round the edge of a picture on a patera
, the genuineness of which is established by the fact that the words were written before the glaze was put on: "foied vino pipafo, cra carefo," i.e. in Latin hodie vinum bibam, cras carebo 'today I will drink wine; tomorrow I won't have any' (R. S. Conway, Italic Dialects, p. 312, b).
In addition to the remains found in the graves, which belong mainly to the period of Etruscan domination and give ample evidence of material prosperity and refinement, the earlier strata have yielded more primitive remains from the Italic epoch. A large number of inscriptions consisting mainly of proper names may be regarded as Etruscan
rather than Faliscan, and they have been disregarded in the account of the dialect just given. It should perhaps be mentioned that there was a town Feronia in Sardinia
, named probably after their native goddess by Faliscan settlers, from some of whom we have a votive inscription found at S. Maria di Falleri (Conway, ib. p. 335).
For further details see Conway, ib. pp. 370 ff., especially pp. 384–385, where the relation of the names Falisci, Falerii to the local hero Halaesus
(e.g. Ovid
, Fasti, iv. 73) is discussed, and where reason is given for thinking that the change of initial f (from an original bh or dh) into an initial h was a genuine mark of Faliscan dialect.
Falisci
Falisci is the ancient Roman exonym for an Italic people who lived in what was then Etruria, on the Etruscan side of the Tiber River. The region is now entirely Lazio. They spoke an Italic language, Faliscan, closely akin to Latin. Originally a sovereign state, politically and socially they...
, forms, together with Latin
Latin
Latin is an Italic language originally spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. It, along with most European languages, is a descendant of the ancient Proto-Indo-European language. Although it is considered a dead language, a number of scholars and members of the Christian clergy speak it fluently, and...
, the group of Latino-Faliscan languages
Latino-Faliscan languages
The Latino-Faliscan languages are a group of languages that belong to the Italic language family of the Indo-European languages. They were spoken in Italy. Latin and Faliscan belong to this group....
. It seems probable that the dialect lasted on, though being gradually permeated with Latin, until at least 150 BC
150 BC
Year 150 BC was a year of the pre-Julian Roman calendar. At the time it was known as the Year of the Consulship of Flamininus and Balbus...
.
Corpus
An estimated 355 inscriptions survive, mostly short and dating from the 7th to 2nd centuries BC. Some are written in a variety of the Old ItalicOld Italic alphabet
Old Italic refers to several now extinct alphabet systems used on the Italian Peninsula in ancient times for various Indo-European languages and non-Indo-European languages...
alphabet
Alphabet
An alphabet is a standard set of letters—basic written symbols or graphemes—each of which represents a phoneme in a spoken language, either as it exists now or as it was in the past. There are other systems, such as logographies, in which each character represents a word, morpheme, or semantic...
derived from the Etruscan, and are written from right to left, but show some traces of the influence of the Latin alphabet
Latin alphabet
The Latin alphabet, also called the Roman alphabet, is the most recognized alphabet used in the world today. It evolved from a western variety of the Greek alphabet called the Cumaean alphabet, which was adopted and modified by the Etruscans who ruled early Rome...
. An inscription to Ceres
Ceres (mythology)
In ancient Roman religion, Ceres was a goddess of agriculture, grain crops, fertility and motherly relationships. She was originally the central deity in Rome's so-called plebeian or Aventine Triad, then was paired with her daughter Proserpina in what Romans described as "the Greek rites of Ceres"...
of c.600 BC, found in Falerii
Falerii
Falerii was one of the twelve chief cities of Etruria, situated about 1.5 km west of the ancient Via Flaminia, around 50 kilometers north of Rome.- History :According to legend, it was of Argive origin...
and usually taken as the oldest example, reads left to right.
A specimen of the language appears written round the edge of a picture on a patera
Patera
A patera was a broad, shallow dish used for drinking, primarily in a ritual context such as a libation. These paterae were often used in Rome....
, the genuineness of which is established by the fact that the words were written before the glaze was put on: "foied vino pipafo, cra carefo," i.e. in Latin hodie vinum bibam, cras carebo 'today I will drink wine; tomorrow I won't have any' (R. S. Conway, Italic Dialects, p. 312, b).
In addition to the remains found in the graves, which belong mainly to the period of Etruscan domination and give ample evidence of material prosperity and refinement, the earlier strata have yielded more primitive remains from the Italic epoch. A large number of inscriptions consisting mainly of proper names may be regarded as Etruscan
Etruscan language
The Etruscan language was spoken and written by the Etruscan civilization, in what is present-day Italy, in the ancient region of Etruria and in parts of Lombardy, Veneto, and Emilia-Romagna...
rather than Faliscan, and they have been disregarded in the account of the dialect just given. It should perhaps be mentioned that there was a town Feronia in Sardinia
Sardinia
Sardinia is the second-largest island in the Mediterranean Sea . It is an autonomous region of Italy, and the nearest land masses are the French island of Corsica, the Italian Peninsula, Sicily, Tunisia and the Spanish Balearic Islands.The name Sardinia is from the pre-Roman noun *sard[],...
, named probably after their native goddess by Faliscan settlers, from some of whom we have a votive inscription found at S. Maria di Falleri (Conway, ib. p. 335).
Phonetic characteristics
Some of the phonetic characteristics of the Faliscan language are:- The retention of medial f which in Latin became b (modern ItalianItalian languageItalian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
often v); - The representation of an initial Proto-Indo-EuropeanProto-Indo-European languageThe Proto-Indo-European language is the reconstructed common ancestor of the Indo-European languages, spoken by the Proto-Indo-Europeans...
gh by f (foied, contrast Latin hodie); Italian, descended from Latin, later lost the sound h completely. - The palatalizationPalatalizationIn linguistics, palatalization , also palatization, may refer to two different processes by which a sound, usually a consonant, comes to be produced with the tongue in a position in the mouth near the palate....
of d+ consonant i into some sound denoted merely by i- the central sound of foied, from fo-died (Italian usually ggi, as in oggi, although Milano is one case where Italian follows Faliscan); - The loss of final s, at least before certain following sounds (cra beside Latin cras), also a feature of Italian;
- The retention of the labiovelarLabiovelar consonantA labialized velar is a velar consonant which is labialized, that is, which has an /w/-like secondary articulation. Common examples are , which are pronounced like a with rounded lips. See for example the labialized voiceless velar plosive...
s (Fal. cuando = Latin quando; contrast Umbrian pan(n)u;) - The assimilation of some final consonants to the initial sound of the next word: "pretod de zenatuo sententiad" (Conway, lib. cit. 321), i.e. in Latin "praetor de senatus sententia" (zenatuo for senatuos, an archaic genitive).
For further details see Conway, ib. pp. 370 ff., especially pp. 384–385, where the relation of the names Falisci, Falerii to the local hero Halaesus
Halaesus
In Greek mythology, the name Halaesus or Halesus may refer to:*A companion of Agamemnon during the Trojan War; some state that he was an illegitimate son of Agamemnon...
(e.g. Ovid
Ovid
Publius Ovidius Naso , known as Ovid in the English-speaking world, was a Roman poet who is best known as the author of the three major collections of erotic poetry: Heroides, Amores, and Ars Amatoria...
, Fasti, iv. 73) is discussed, and where reason is given for thinking that the change of initial f (from an original bh or dh) into an initial h was a genuine mark of Faliscan dialect.