ROMONTSCH first became known to the world in general with its promotion to Switzerland's fourth national language in 1938. This was in recognition of the fact that a certain percentage of her population had as their native tongue neither French nor German nor Italian, but a form of Romance descended from the original inhabitants of most of their territory, the Raeti. For that reason it is known as Raeto-Romance, a term which has the advantage of covering all five forms of the language spoken in the Canton Grisons. Strictly, it includes some of the vernaculars of the Dolomites, which, with Romontsch and Friulan, are believed to constitute a single independent Romance idiom called Ladin. What makes Romontsch, especially in its Sursilvan form, of particular interest to linguists, is the effect on it of close contact with the Germanic language of the Alemanni. This has cost it some features believed integral to Romance; and the Germanic substitute, together with Romontsch's own peculiar verbal system, make it a language of surpassing interest. The prose-extracts in the Anthology show that Romontsch is a mature language with the power of expression necessary for literary creation. It is remarkable that so small a territory has produced so much prose of high quality in novels such as Toni Halter's "Culan da Crestaulta," Gion Deplazes' Passiun, and Ludovic Hendry's "Discuors cugl Assassin," in short stories like those of Gian Fontana, and in satires such as the "Historias da Gion Barlac" of Theo Candinas. As for verse, Raeto-Romance poetry can stand comparison with the best western lyric, and the patriotic poets of the nineteenth century have had worthy successors to justify their faith in their mother-tongue. Flurin Darms, Hendri Spescha, Felix Giger, Silvio Camenisch, and many others, sing each with his personal note, but all with the musicality which is one of Romontsch's most precious qualities. Sits alongside "Romagnol: Language and Literature" (9780902675124) and "Friulan: Language and Literature" (9780902675391). For D. B. GREGOR a language is a mechanism that can and should be set out with the same coherence that one expects from a manual on the parts of a machine. Doubtless this conception derives in large measure from the Greek and Latin Grammars on which he was brought up in the 'Twenties, and from his personal experience in discovering that this is the quickest way to acquire a reading and writing knowledge of a language, which in turn accelerates the acquisition of an ability to speak it. He is no stranger to such an exposition, having thus presented also Romagnol, and features of the six Celtic tongues. In now offering his analysis of a second Ladin language, he hopes that it will not only excite the interest of linguists, but do something to rouse Romontschers themselves to the necessity of rallying to the defence of their threatened tongue. Part of the Oleander Classics series, this title has been reproduced using the highest-quality modern scanning technology. This is done in order to keep important works from the Press's 50-year history from going out of print. In this way, the invaluable resources provided by this and other books in the series remain available for general readers, academics and other interested parties.

Romontsch: Language and Literature

Reference

Gregor, D. B.

Words, Language & Grammar

Oleander Press, The

“A marvellous book which is both readable and scholarly” The core of this work is an examination in depth of six Celtic languages: Irish, Gaelic, Manx (all correctly called Gaelic by their speakers), and Welsh, Cornish and Breton (three cousins of the first group). It is the core because the rest of the work grows out of it; and its consequently central position is intended to mark the peak between flowering and decline.   Encapsulating the core is an account of Celtic origins, and the story of its origins, and the story of the formation, vicissitudes, and dissolution of the six regions where different forms of Celtic are or were spoken. The decline in the number of Celtic speakers is traced in detail; its causes are examined one by one; the struggle for survival is described wherever it is being carried on; and finally the question is asked: “What is meant by revival?”  The requiem for Manx in these pages is included because its loss is doubly painful for having happened in our own day. It is time that languages were regarded as part of the ecological scene, and the end of one of them felt as deeply as the extinction of a species.   It is hoped that this work will leave the reader in that frame of mind: willing to halt the further decline of the Celtic languages.  Part of the Oleander Classics series, this 1980 title has been reproduced using the highest-quality modern scanning technology. This is in order to keep important works from the Press’s 50-year history from going out of print. In this way, the invaluable resources provided by this and other books in the series remain available for general readers, academics and other interested parties.

Celtic: A Comparative Study of the Six Celtic Languages, Irish, Gaelic, Manx, Welsh, Cornish, Breton Seen Against the Background of Their History, Literature and Destiny

Foreign Language Study & Reference

The Oleander Press

“A marvellous book which is both readable and scholarly” The core of this work is an examination in depth of six Celtic languages: Irish, Gaelic, Manx (all correctly called Gaelic by their speakers), and Welsh, Cornish and Breton (three cousins of the first group). It is the core because the rest of the work grows out of it; and its consequently central position is intended to mark the peak between flowering and decline. Encapsulating the core is an account of Celtic origins, and the story of its origins, and the story of the formation, vicissitudes, and dissolution of the six regions where different forms of Celtic are or were spoken. The decline in the number of Celtic speakers is traced in detail; its causes are examined one by one; the struggle for survival is described wherever it is being carried on; and finally the question is asked: “What is meant by revival?” The requiem for Manx in these pages is included because its loss is doubly painful for having happened in our own day. It is time that languages were regarded as part of the ecological scene, and the end of one of them felt as deeply as the extinction of a species. It is hoped that this work will leave the reader in that frame of mind: willing to halt the further decline of the Celtic languages. Part of the Oleander Classics series, this 1980 title has been reproduced using the highest-quality modern scanning technology. This is in order to keep important works from the Press’s 50-year history from going out of print. In this way, the invaluable resources provided by this and other books in the series remain available for general readers, academics and other interested parties.

Celtic: A Comparative Study

This is the personality of a region. The reader will never again move eastwards from Bologna without the sensation of crossing a frontier. Romagnol: Language and Literature This book aims to put Romagnol squarely on the literary map of Europe, and in so doing to suggest that the secret backwaters of dialect contain treasures which deserve to be more widely known. Everyone has heard of Mistral: but who outside Romagna knows the name of Aldo Spallici? Yet his poetry and example entitle him to be called the Mistral of Romagna. He and such poets as Vincenzo Strocchi, Enzo Guerra, and Cino Pedrelli have made of Romagnol a dialect which the reader of poetry will quickly appreciate. After all, it was also the mother-tongue of Pascoli.  Not only poets, however, will find Romagnol of interest. The linguist will find a Grammar and the philologist an Etymology. There is something for the student of folklore: and a map will enable the tourist to find the places that have excited his curiosity.  This is the personality of a region. The reader will never again move eastwards from Bologna without the sensation of crossing a frontier.   D.B. Gregor was a professional teacher of Classics and Romance languages, whose wife was from Romagna. He is also the author of Friulan: Language and Literature (9780902675391) and Romontsch: Language and Literature (9780900891397).  Part of the Oleander Classics series, this title has been reproduced using the highest-quality modern scanning technology. This is done in order to keep important works from the Press’s 50-year history from going out of print. In this way, the invaluable resources provided by this and other books in the series remain available for general readers, academics and other interested parties.

Romagnol: Language and Literature

The debris of Latin litter the former territory of the Western Roman Empire as celestial bodies lie scattered throughout the solar system. History and politics have promoted some of these fragments to national tongues, the vehicles of government and the carriers of great literatures: these are the planets of the Romance system. But it has its asteroids too, the forms assumed by Latin in the narrow areas which never extended their boundaries: the dialects. The name must not mislead us: they too are languages , and man’s creative instinct being what it is, they have their literatures. One such is presented in this book, both to linguists, interested in language as a mechanism; and to phoneticians, on the lookout for new sounds; and to men of letters, curious about literary work wherever it is found; and to poets, always able to learn from fresh poetic voices (even if these are muffled in translation): and finally even to tourists, hitherto unaware that in passing eastward over the River Livenza they have been crossing a frontier.  D.B. Gregor was a professional teacher of classics and Romance languages. This work sits alongside his Romagnol: Language and Literature (9780902675124) and Romontsch: Language and Literature (9780900891397).  Part of the Oleander Classics series, this title has been reproduced using the highest-quality modern scanning technology. This is done in order to keep important works from the Press’s 50-year history from going out of print. In this way, the invaluable resources provided by this and other books in the series remain available for general readers, academics and other interested parties.

Friulan: Language and Literature