Usuario:Davius/Taller
Extensive list of languages[editar]
It is known that more than 60 languages were spoken in the lands that once formed part of Roman Empire. The process of Romanization in the lands of Roman Empire involved an historical language shift that led to the desaparition of great number of autochthonous languages across southern Europe. Nevertheless, this process spread for centuries, being bilingualism, even multilingualism, very common at less in the first centuries.
Most languages in the European part of the Empire were of Indo-European origin (mainly of the Anatolian, Germanic, Italic and Graeco-Armenian groups). In addition, there were some number of pre-Indo-European languages such as Aquitanian, Tyrsenian languages whose main languages was Etruscan. In North Africa and Near East, there were presence of some branches of Afroasiatic (Berber, Egyptian, and Semitic).
The following table contains a list of languages spoken in different parts of Roman Empire (in different moments; Green color represents Indo-European languages, Yellow: Afroasiatic, Pink: Classified and pre-Indoueropean, ):
Classification | Language | Comments | Province/ Territory | |
---|---|---|---|---|
Anatolian | Lydians | Lydian | Documented in about 60 inscriptions. | Lydia |
Lycian-Luwian | Lycian | Well documented in about 150 inscriptions, main non-Greek language in South Anatolia. Related to ancient Luwian. | Lycia | |
Carian | Documentend in some inscriptions, poorly known. | Caria | ||
Isaurian | Poorly known, there are some inscriptions, it survived until 5th BC | Isauria | ||
Pisidic-Sidetic | Pisidian | There are about 30 de inscriptions. | Pisidia | |
Sidetic | Poorly known, there are only 6 inscriptions from Side (Pamphylia). | Side | ||
Other | Mysian | Poorly known, one possible inscription. | Mysia | |
Ancient Cappadocian | Poorly known, it survived until 6th BC | Capadocia | ||
Celtic | Hispano-Celtic | Gallaecian | Documented only toponyms and anthroponyms. | Hispania |
Celtiberian | Documented in many inscriptions. | Hispania | ||
Gallic Celtic | Gaulish | There are many inscriptions in Greek-like alphabet, possibly there were several different dialects. It was spoken until the 5th century | Gallia | |
Galatian | It was originated in the migration of Gallic peoples to Anatolia in 3rd century BC | Galatia (Turkey) | ||
Noric | Noricum (Austria, Eslovenia) | |||
Insular Celtic | Brittonic | Antecessor of modern Welsh, Cornic, Cumbric and Breton. | Britania | |
Other | Lepontic | Documented in about 40 inscriptions, many of them fragmentary. | North of Italia, Gallia | |
Germanic | Istaevonic | Lingua francorum | In the 8th, it was diversified in different Franconian languages. | North Gallia |
Ingvaeonic | Lingua saxonum | Related to Old Saxon, documented from the 8th century. | ||
Anglo-Frisian | Spoken by angles which invaded Britania in 5ht century | Britania | ||
Hermionic | Lombardic | Spoken by Germanic peoples who founded the Kingdom of the Lombards | Germania, Panonia, Italia | |
Proto-High German | Germania | |||
East Germanic | Gothic | Well documented in the Bible of Ulfilas. Ethnic language of visigoths and ostrogoths. | Dacia, Moesia, Italia, Hispania. | |
Vandalic | Poorly documented, only indirectly known. | Gallia, Hispania, Africa. | ||
Burgundian | Poorly documented, only indirectly known. | Gallia, Germania. | ||
Graeco-Armenian | Hellenic | Attic Greek | Main Greek language, used as basis for Koine. | Graecia, Egypt, Anatolia |
Aeolic Greek | Greek language of Thesalia, Beocia and some cities, progressively replaced by Koine. | Asia Minor, Thesalia, Boeotia | ||
Doric Greek | Greek language of Peloponesus and some other cities, antecessor of modern Tsakonian language. | Peloponesus | ||
Other | Ancient Macedonian | More than 700 words are known, there are a great number of cognates with Greek, although strictly Macedonian is not a Greek language. | Balcanes | |
Anient Armenian | Spoken in Roman Armenia, ruled by Roman Empire during some periods. | Armenia | ||
Iranian | Western Iranian | Parthian | Northwest Iranian language, different from Middle Persian. | Parthia |
Middle Persian | Ethnic language used of the Sassanid dynasty in Persia, in public administration mainly Aramaic language was used. | Persia | ||
Eastern Iranian | Schyto-Sarmatians | Poorly known language, it is known basically from toponyms and proper names. There is a modern descendant Ossetian language. | Scythia, Sarmatia | |
Italic | Latino-Faliscan | Latin | Main written language in the Empire, used for the general administration and prestigious situations | The whole Empire |
Faliscan | Closedly related to Old Latin. | Latium | ||
Proto-romance | Colloquial language used across the Empire, in the later centuries. | The whole Empire. | ||
Oscic | Oscan | Dialectally diverse, well attested. | Italia | |
Marrucinian | Attested in a brass inscription. | Italia | ||
Paelignian | Documented in unas pocas inscriptions. | Italia | ||
Umbric | Umbrian | Spoken in central Italy, well attested in long inscriptions (Iguvine Tablets) and some other short inscriptions. | Central Italy | |
Marsian | Possibly another sabellic language, attested in some few incriptions. | Italia | ||
Other Sabellic | Among this other language are some poorly attested languages such as: Hernican, vestinian, Aequian, all this languages are attested in inscriptions. | Italia | ||
Otras | South Picenian | Attested in about 50 inscriptions in East and Central Italy | East Italy | |
Sicel | Attested form 5th BC by some few inscriptions, it is not sure that survived the Roman Period, because it was being shifted by Joinic Greek. | Sicilia | ||
Paleo-Balkan | Dacian | Related very likely to proto-Albanian, because the subtrate of Romanian languages seems to be related to Albanian. | Dacia | |
Illyrian | No inscriptions are known, only toponyms and proper names, maybte it is related to Messapic. | Illyria | ||
Messapic | Attested by about 300 inscriptions, maybe it is related to Illyrian | SE of Italia | ||
Thracian | There are very few inscriptions useful for its classification, that seems clearly Indo-European, althogh a more precisse classification seems difficult. | Thracia | ||
Paeonian | Poorly known, only anthroponyms and indirect evidences are known. | Paeonia | ||
Venetic-Liburnian | The language is attested in about inscriptions, clearly an Indo-European language, it is difficult to give a more precise classification | Veneto | ||
Other Indo-European | Lusitanian | Attested in some few inscriptions. | W. of Hispania | |
Afroasiatic | Berber | Libyan | Related to Eastern Berber languages | Libya |
Numidian | Attested in different inscriptions in Tunicia, related to Northern Berber languages. | Numidia, Mauretania | ||
Egyptian | Demotic | Descendant of the ancient Egyptian language. It was a colloquial language in Egypt during the Hellenistic and Roman periods. | Egypt | |
Semitic | Middle Aramaic | Main language in the most eastern part of the Empire. | Syria, Arabia, Assyria, Mesopotamia | |
Assyrian-Babylonian | Late form or Akkadian language used as a written language until the 2th century AD | Assyria, Mesopotamia | ||
Phoenician-Punic | Languages used in Cartago, Lebanon, and some other cities along the Mediterranean Sea. | Syria, Carthago/Africa | ||
Classical Hebrew | Used mainly as a lyturgic language, well attested for example in Dead Sea Scrolls and in the Mishna. | Judea | ||
Tyrsenian | Etruscan | Well attested in thousands of inscriptions, extinc c. 1st century AD | Central Italia | |
Rhaetic | Language spoken in North Italy, probably related to Etruscan | Italia | ||
Lemnian | Language spoken in Lemnos and attested in the 5th century BC, no information about its extinction. | Graecia | ||
Isolated or Unclassified languages |
Aquitano | Antecessor of modern Basque language, poorly attested. | Hispania, Galia | |
Iberian | Possibly different languages or dialects related. | E. of Hispania | ||
Turdetanian | No attestation although classical authros mention the language. Possibly it is related to Tartessian language. | S. of Hispania | ||
Ligurian | The language of some toponyms across SE of France | E. Gallia Narbonensis, Liguria | ||
North Picene | Language attested in 4 inscriptions, it seems a non-Indo-European language, it remains unclassified. | Novilara (Italy) | ||
Paleo-Sardinian | A language known only in toponyms, poorly kown. | Sardinia | ||
Camunic | Language of about 170 short inscriptions, dated from 500 BC and 50 CE, using Etruscan alphabet, in Val Camonica. | Valle Camonicum |