Slavomolisano dialect

Molise Slavic
Molise Croatian, Slavomolisano
na-našu, na-našo
Native toItaly
RegionMolise
EthnicityMolise Croats
Native speakers
< 1,000 (2012)[1]
Latin[2]
Official status
Recognised minority
language in
Language codes
ISO 639-3svm
Glottologslav1254
Bilingual street sign in Montemitro in Italian and Molise Croatian.

Slavomolisano, also known as Molise Slavic or Molise Croatian (Croatian: Moliški hrvatski; Italian: croato molisano), is a variety of Shtokavian Croatian spoken by Italian Croats in three villages – Montemitro (Mundimitar), Acquaviva Collecroce (Živavoda Kruč) and San Felice del Molise (Štifilić) – in the province of Campobasso, in the Molise Region of southern Italy. There are fewer than 1,000 active speakers, and fewer than 2,000 passive speakers.[1]

It has been preserved since a group of Croats emigrated from Dalmatia due to the advancing Ottoman Turks. The residents of these villages speak a Shtokavian Younger Ikavian dialect with a strong Southern Chakavian adstratum. The Molise Croats consider themselves to be Slavic Italians, with South Slavic heritage and who speak a Slavic language, rather than simply ethnic Slavs or Croats.[1] Some speakers call themselves Zlavi or Harvati and call their language simply na našo ("our language").

  1. ^ a b c Breu, Walter (2012-03-06). "Request for New Language Code Element in ISO 639-3" (PDF). ISO 639-3 Registration Authority. Retrieved 2013-06-30.
  2. ^ Slavomolisano at Ethnologue (21st ed., 2018) Closed access icon

Developed by StudentB