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Friuli: The Birth of a Language

Friulian  (Furlan)  is the native language of Friuli: it is a Romance language which has developed from the Latin spoken in the Aquileia area around the X century, also drawing on pre-Roman languages like Gaulish and Venetic. The languages of the various peoples that Friulians came in contact with over their history, have also left their significant marks.

The Origins.  Evidence of human settlements in the Friuli region dates back to the Paleolithic period. Between the  VI and IV centuries B.C. Celtic tribes, the Carnic Gauls, arrived in Friuli,  settled mostly in the mountains, and often came in contact with some  groups of Paleovenetic tribes living in the plains area.
Some Celtic words are still used today in the Friulian language often related to agriculture, such as: bar (turf)   cjarugiel (plough cart) cumiere (strip of raised soil made by ploughing)  glasigne (blueberry)  tamês (sieve)  troi (path)

The Romans.  The Romans then conquered the area and in 181 B.C. they established the municipium of Aquileia which later became capital of Decima Regio 'Venetia et Istria'  covering a much larger area than today's Friuli. Latinization of the area became well-established. The greatest part of Friulian lexicon in fact has Latin origins.
Like other Romance languages Friulian acquired its own distinct features between the VI and  X centuries a.D.
However, already in the IV century Saint Jerome  referred to the commentaries to the Gospel by the Bishop of Aquileia - Fortunaziano - as being written in 'rusticus sermo' (simple or rustic language). This important evidence (the first of this kind in Italy) proves that at such an early age there were already  marked differences between the regional Latin spoken in Aquileia and standard or classical Latin.

Peoples from the North. Starting from the II century a.D. peoples moving South from Northern Europe passed across Friuli bringing about destruction and desolation. They left their mark in the vocabulary of the Friulian language in words still used today, such as: bande (part)  farc (mole)  lobie (lodge)  rap (brunch of grapes)  sbregâ (to tear)  sedon (spoon).
In 568 the Lombards or Longobards arrived, and settled mainly in the Cividale area. They converted to Christianity, established a Dukedom, mixed with local population and ruled the region for more than 2 centuries, until it was occupied by the Franks in 774.
The Lombard elements in the Friulian language are very important: in domestic lexicon, for example, we can find words such as bearç (grassy enclosure next to a house) bleon (sheet)  broade (pickled turnips)  grepie (manger)  lami (tasteless, without salt)  nape (chimney).

The Three-Chapter Controversy.   After a long conflict with the Church of Rome culminating with the Three-Chapter Controversy, and ended in 698, the bishops of Aquileia obtained the title of Patriarchs and by the 11th century they had grown powerful enough to impose their temporal sovreignty over Friuli and Aquileia.

The Hungarians and the Slavic peoples.  In the first half of the X century Friuli was ravaged by raids of Hungarians tribes which devastated the area between the Tagliamento and Torre rivers. In order to repopulate this countryside the Patriarchs called some Slavic peoples to settle in the area. Over the centuries they integrated with local population. Even today in the Friulian language there are many words that have a Slavic origin such as: britule (jack-knife)  colaç (doughnut)  cespe (plum)  raze (duck)  'save (toad)  triscule (strawberry).

German Influences. During the Patriarchal Age (1077 - 1420) Friuli's political and cultural trend was very much German-oriented and many late medieval German words entered the Friulian language: bêçs (money)  cjast (granary)  cramâr (hawker)  crot (frog)  licôf (inaugural banquet) vignarûl (thimble). It was in this period that Friulian fully evolved into an autonumous language with its distinctive traits and features distinguishing itself from nearby dialects of the Po Valley which were deeply influenced by Tuscan and Florentine dialects. It is particularly significant what an anonymous traveller wrote some time between XIII and XIV century:

"Friuli is a province apart, distinct from those described above, for it is neither a Latin language, nor Slav, nor German, but a language of its own, unlike any other Italic language. Nevertheless, it shares more with Latin than any other language in its vicinity"
                                                                                                                                            (Codice Vaticano Palatino, n.965 sec.XIII - XIV)