Faetar language
Faetar, fully known as Faetar-Cigliàje (Italian: Faetano-Cellese), is a variety of the Franco-Provençal language that is spoken in two small communities in Foggia, Italy: Faeto and Celle di San Vito, as well as émigré communities in Ontario, Canada (primarily Toronto and Brantford).
| Faetar | |
|---|---|
| Faetano and Cellese Francoprovençal | |
| Pronunciation | [ˈfajdar] |
| Native to | Italy |
| Region | Foggia |
Native speakers | < 1,000 (2010) |
Early forms | |
| Latin (no official orthography) | |
| Official status | |
Official language in | Franco-Provençal protected by statute in Italy |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
| Glottolog | faet1240 Faeto and Celle San Vito Francoprovencalfaet1239 Faetocell1238 Celle San Vito |
| IETF | frp-u-sd-itfg |
| External videos | |
|---|---|
| Faedar/Cellese speech | |
| “Cellese - 4 Oral Histories”, May 2, 2016, Endangered Language Alliance of Toronto. |
Although Faetar shares many similarities with other varieties of Franco-Provençal, as well as Italian, it is distinct from both. Because Faeto and Celle di San Vito have been isolated from the rest of Italy by the Daunian mountains, and also due to the influence of Irpinian dialects (spoken in almost all neighboring villages), Faetar has evolved and changed over the centuries into a distinct language.
After a large wave of emigration from Italy after the Second World War, many Faetano and Cellese settled in North America; with a relatively large group immigrating to Toronto, Canada. The language has been studied both in its native Italy, and in Toronto, because of its small number of speakers, its unique blend of Italian and Franco-Provençal features, and its changes brought on by language contact.
Although not given a distinct language code from Franco-Provençal, it is listed by UNESCO as "definitely endangered".