Piedmontese language

Piedmontese (English: /ˌpiːdmɒnˈtiːz/ PEED-mon-TEEZ; autonym: piemontèis [pjemʊŋˈtɛjz] or lenga piemontèisa; Italian: piemontese) is a language spoken by some 2,000,000 people mostly in Piedmont, a region of Northwest Italy. Although considered by most linguists a separate language, in Italy it is often mistakenly regarded as an Italian dialect. It is linguistically included in the Gallo-Italic languages group of Northern Italy (with Lombard, Emilian, Ligurian and Romagnolo), which would make it part of the wider western group of Romance languages, which also includes French, Occitan, and Catalan. It is spoken in the core of Piedmont, in northwestern Liguria (near Savona), and in Lombardy (some municipalities in the westernmost part of Lomellina near Pavia).

"Piedmontese" and "Piemontese" redirect here. For other uses, see Piedmontese (disambiguation) and Piemontese (disambiguation).
Piedmontese
piemontèis
Native toItaly
RegionNorthwest Italy:
Piedmont
Liguria
Lombardy
Aosta Valley
Native speakers
2,000,000 (2012)
Dialects
Official status
Recognised minority
language in
Language codes
ISO 639-3pms
Glottologpiem1238
ELPPiemontese
Linguasphere51-AAA-of
Piedmontese language distribution in Europe:
  Areas where Piedmontese is spoken (municipalities where Occitan and Arpitan presence is only de jure are included)
  Areas where Piedmontese is spoken alongside other languages (Occitan, Arpitan and Alemannic) and areas of linguistic transition (with Ligurian and with Lombard)
Piedmontese was classified as Definitely Endangered by the UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger in 2010

It has some support from the Piedmont regional government but is considered a dialect rather than a separate language by the Italian central government.

Due to the Italian diaspora Piedmontese has spread in the Argentinian Pampas, where many immigrants from Piedmont settled. The Piedmontese language is also spoken in some states of Brazil, along with the Venetian language.

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