Editing Camunic language

{{Short description|Ancient language of the Central Alps}}
{{Infobox language
| name             = Camunic
| region           = [[Val Camonica]]
| ethnicity        = [[Camunni]]
| era              = first millennium BC
| ref              = linglist
| familycolor      = Unclassified
| fam1             = ''[[unclassified language|unclassified]]'' ([[Tyrsenian languages|Tyrsenian]]?/[[Celtic languages|Celtic]]?)
| iso3             = xcc
| linglist         = xcc
| glotto           = camu1235
| glottorefname    = Camunic
}}

The '''Camunic language''' is an extinct language that was spoken in the 1st millennium BC in [[Val Camonica]], a valley in the [[Central Alps]]. The language is sparsely attested to an extent that makes any classification attempt uncertain—even the discussion of whether it should be considered a [[Pre-Indo-European languages|pre–Indo-European]] or an [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European language]] has remained indecisive.<ref>Angelo Martinotti: ''Le iscrizioni preromane'', in U. Sansoni, S. Gavaldo (editors), ''Lucus rupestris. Sei millenni d’arte rupestre a Campanine di Cimbergo'', "Archivi" vol. 18, Esine 2009, pp. 324–337.</ref> Among several suggestions, it has been hypothesized that Camunic is related to the [[Raetic language]] from the [[Tyrsenian languages|Tyrsenian language family]],<ref name=Schumacher2000/><ref>M. G. Tibiletti Bruno. 1978. ''Camuno, retico e pararetico'', in ''Lingue e dialetti dell'Italia antica'' ('Popoli e civiltà dell'Italia antica', 6), a cura di A. L. Prosdocimi, Roma, pp.&nbsp;209–255</ref> or to the [[Celtic languages]].<ref name="MARKEY">{{cite book|last1=Markey|first1=Thomas|title=Shared Symbolics, Genre Diffusion, Token Perception and Late Literacy in North-Western Europe|date=2008|publisher=NOWELE}}</ref>

==Language==
[[Image:alfabeto camuno.png|thumb|130px|Alphabet of Sondrio]]
The extant corpus is carved on rock. There are at least 170 known inscriptions, the majority of which are only a few words long. The [[writing system]] used is a variant of the [[Etruscan alphabet|north-Etruscan alphabet]], known as the ''Camunian alphabet'' or ''alphabet of Sondrio''. Longer inscriptions show that Camunic writing used [[boustrophedon]].

Its name derives from the people of the [[Camunni]], who lived during the [[Iron Age]] in Valcamonica and were the creators of many of the stone carvings in the area. [[Abecedarium]]s found in [[Nadro]] and [[Piancogno]] have been dated to between 500 BC and 50 AD.{{cn|date=July 2023}}

The amount of material is insufficient to fully decipher the language. Some scholars think it may be related to [[Raetic language|Raetic]] and to [[Etruscan language|Etruscan]],<ref name=Schumacher2000>{{cite book|first=Stefan |last=Schumacher |editor-first1=Glanville |editor-last1=Price |url=http://www.blackwellreference.com/public/tocnode?id=g9780631220398_chunk_g97806312203989_ss1-3 |title=Camunic: Encyclopedia of the Languages of Europe |website=Blackwell Reference Online |date=2000 |access-date=2018-05-26 |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20140314192121/http://www.blackwellreference.com/public/tocnode?id=g9780631220398_chunk_g97806312203989_ss1-3 |archive-date=14 March 2014 |doi=10.1002/9781405166294|isbn=978-0-631-22039-8 }}</ref><ref>M. G. Tibiletti Bruno. 1978. ''Camuno, retico e pararetico'', in ''Lingue e dialetti dell'Italia antica'' ('Popoli e civiltà dell'Italia antica', 6), a cura di A. L. Prosdocimi, Roma, pp.&nbsp;209–255. (Italian)</ref> but it is considered premature to make such affiliation.<ref name=EskaWallace>{{cite book |last1= Eska|first1=Joseph F. |author-link1= Joseph F. Eska|last2= Wallace|first2=Rex E. |author-link2=Rex E. Wallace |year=2011 |chapter=Script and Language at Ancient Voltino |editor1-last=Rocca |editor1-first=Giovanna |title=Alessandria. Rivista di glottologia |series=Atti del Convegno Internazionale. Le lingue dell’Italia antica. Iscrizioni, testi, grammatica. Die Sprachen Altitaliens. Inschriften, Texte, Grammatik. In memoriam Helmut Rix (1926-2004) |language=en |volume=V |location=Alessandria |publisher=Edizioni dell’Orso |pages=93–113 }}</ref> Other scholars suggest that Camunic could be a [[Celtic languages|Celtic]] or another unknown [[Indo-European languages|Indo-European language]].<ref name="MARKEY">{{cite book|last1=Markey|first1=Thomas|title=Shared Symbolics, Genre Diffusion, Token Perception and Late Literacy in North-Western Europe|date=2008|publisher=NOWELE}}</ref><ref>Diether Schürr: ''Zur Doppelinschrift von Voltino.'' Studi Etruschi 72, 2006 [2007], p. 335-346.</ref>

== Transliteration ==
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center"
|-
! Glyph
! Tibiletti Bruno 1992<ref>Maria Grazia Tibiletti Bruno, ''Gli alfabetari'', Quaderni camuni n° 60, 1992, p. 307. (Italian)</ref>
! Zavaroni 2004<ref>Adolfo Zavaroni, [http://www.simbolisullaroccia.it/PDF/ISCRIZIONI%20CAMUNE.pdf Iscrizioni camune] {{Webarchive|url=https://web.archive.org/web/20071023155646/http://www.simbolisullaroccia.it/PDF/ISCRIZIONI%20CAMUNE.pdf# |date=2007-10-23 }}, 2004. (Italian)</ref>
! Martinotti 2009<ref>Angelo Martinotti, ''Le iscrizioni preromane'' in ''Lucus rupestris'', 2009, p. 325. (Italian)</ref>
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-a.svg|25px]]
| -
| A
| -
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-a1.svg|25px]]
| Αα
| A
| A
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-a2.svg|25px]]
| Αα
| A
| -
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-b.svg|25px]]
| Ββ
| B
| B (V?)
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-b1.svg|25px]]
| Ββ
| B
| B (V?)
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-d.svg|25px]]
| Δδ
| -
| D
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-d1.svg|25px]]
| h
| D (?)
| -
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-e.svg|25px]]
| Εε
| E
| E
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-e1.svg|25px]]
| Εε
| E
| E
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-e2.svg|25px]]
| Εε
| E
| E
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-f.svg|25px]]
| Ϝϝ
| V
| -
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-g.svg|25px]]
| Γγ
| G 
| K (G?) 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-g1.svg|25px]]
| Γγ
| G 
| - 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-h.svg|25px]]
| h
| H
| J (ii/h/η?)
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-h1.svg|25px]]
| -
| H 
| - 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-i.svg|25px]]
| Ιι
| I 
| I
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-i1.svg|25px]]
| Ιι
| I
| I
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-k.svg|25px]]
| -
| K
| K (G?)
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-l.svg|25px]]
| Λλ
| L 
| L 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-l1.svg|25px]]
| Λλ
| L 
| L 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-m.svg|25px]]
| Μμ
| M
| M 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-m1.svg|25px]]
| Μμ
| M
| M
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-n.svg|25px]]
| Νν
| N
| N 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-n1.svg|25px]]
| Νν
| N
| N
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-o.svg|25px]]
| Ϙϙ
| O
| Φ (Q?) 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-p.svg|25px]]
| -
| P
| - 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-p1.svg|25px]]
| Ππ
| P
| P 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-r.svg|25px]]
| Ρρ
| R
| R 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-r1.svg|25px]]
| Ρρ
| R
| R 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-ss.svg|25px]]
| Ξξ
| S
| χ 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-ss1.svg|25px]]
| Σσς
| S
| S 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-ss2.svg|25px]]
| Σσς
| S
| S 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-t.svg|25px]]
| Χχ
| T
| T 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-t1.svg|25px]]
| Ττ
| T
| T 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-t2.svg|25px]]
| -
| T
| I 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-th.svg|25px]]
| Ψψ
| Θθ
| - 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-th1.svg|25px]]
| -
| Θθ
| Θθ
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-ts.svg|25px]]
| -
| TS - Ϸϸ
| - 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-ts1.svg|25px]]
| Φφ
| TS - Ϸϸ
| χ 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-uw.svg|25px]]
| Υυ
| U - W
| U 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-uw1.svg|25px]]
| -
| U - W
| U 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-z.svg|25px]]
| Ζζ
| Z
| χ 
|-
| [[File:Alfabeto camuno-z1.svg|25px]]
| Ζζ
| Z
| χ 
|}

==Gallery==
<gallery>
File:Iscrizione in alfabeto camuno - Parco di Naquane R 50 - Capo di Ponte (Foto Luca Giarelli).jpg|Inscription from [[Capo di Ponte]] ([[Val Camonica]])
File:Incisione in alfabeto camuno - Foppe R 6 - Nadro (Foto Luca Giarelli).jpg|Inscription from [[Nadro]] ([[Val Camonica]])
File:Iscrizione_-_Foppe_R_23_-_Nadro.jpg|Inscription from [[Nadro]] ([[Val Camonica]])
File:Iscrizione - Museo Sondrio (Foto Luca Giarelli).jpg|Inscription from the museum of [[Sondrio]] ([[Valtellina]])
</gallery>

==See also==
*[[Camunni]]
*[[Rock Drawings in Valcamonica]]
*[[Val Camonica]]

==References==
<references />

== Bibliography ==
*Mancini, Alberto. 1980. "Le iscrizioni della Valcamonica" in ''Studi Urbinati di storia, filosofia e letteratura. Supplemento linguistico'' 2, pp.&nbsp;75–166.
*Mancini, Alberto. 1991. "Iscrizioni retiche e iscrizioni camune. Due ambiti a confronto" in ''Quaderni del Dipartimento di Linguistica, Università degli studi di Firenze'' 2, pp.&nbsp;77–93.
*Marchesini, Simona. 2011. "[https://www.academia.edu/1215730/Alla_ricerca_del_modello_perduto._Sulla_genesi_dellalfabeto_camuno Alla ricerca del modello perduto. Sulla genesi dell’alfabeto camuno"]'','' ''Palaeohispanica'' 11, pp. 155-171
*Markey, Thomas L. 2008. "Shared symbolics, genre difusion, token perceptions and late literacy in North-western Europe" in ''NOWELE'' 54/55, pp.&nbsp;5–62. {{doi|10.1075/nowele.54-55.01mar}}
*Morandi, Alessandro. 2004. ''Epigrafia e lingua dei Celti d'Italia'', vol. II. ''Celti d’Italia,'' ed. by Paola Piana Agostinetti (Popoli e civiltà dell'Italia antica, 12), Roma 2004
*Prosdocimi, Aldo Luigi. 1965. "Per un'edizione delle iscrizioni della Valcamonica", in ''Studi Etruschi'' 33, pp.&nbsp;574–599.
*Schumacher, Stefan. 2007. "Val Camonica, Inschriften" in ''Reallexikon der germanischen Altertumskunde. Band 35: Speckstein bis Zwiebel''. Ed. Heinrich Beck et al., Berlin – New York, pp.&nbsp;334–337.
*Tibiletti Bruno, Maria Grazia. 1978. "Camuno, retico e pararetico", in ''Lingue e dialetti dell'Italia antica'' ('Popoli e civiltà dell'Italia antica', 6), ed. by A. L. Prosdocimi, Roma 1978, pp.&nbsp;209–255.
*Tibiletti Bruno, Maria Grazia. 1990. "Nuove iscrizioni camune" in ''Quaderni camuni'' 49-50, pp.&nbsp;29–171.
*Tibiletti Bruno, Maria Grazia. 1992. "Gli alfabetari" in ''Quaderni camuni'' 60, pp.&nbsp;309–380.

==External links==
{{commons |Camunian alphabet}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.omniglot.com/writing/etruscan.htm|title=Etruscan alphabet|access-date=2009-09-20}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.simbolisullaroccia.it/archivio/2005/2005-iscrizioni-zavaroni/archivio_iscrizioni.htm#|title=''Iscrizioni camune'' a cura di Adolfo Zavaroni|access-date=2009-08-20|language=it|archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20110722053016/http://www.simbolisullaroccia.it/archivio/2005/2005-iscrizioni-zavaroni/archivio_iscrizioni.htm|archive-date=2011-07-22|url-status=dead}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.rupestre.net/tracce/12/neoderia.html|title=Tracce n° 7 ''Scratched horses in a relief from Cividate Camuno – Valcamonica (Italy)''|date=21 February 2000 |access-date=2009-09-18}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.rupestre.net/tracce/VITDERIA.html|title=Tracce n° 9 ''Vite-Deria, Paspardo, Valcamonica. Ricerche 1990–97''|date=18 September 1997 |access-date=2009-09-18|language=it}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.rupestre.net/tracce/sfield97.html|title=Tracce n° 9 ''Rock and Roll with the Camunnians Did they have ladders in the prehistory?''|date=May 1998 |access-date=2009-09-18}}
* {{cite web|url=http://www.rupestre.net/tracce/cividat.html|title=Tracce n° 12 ''Due nuove rocce istoriate in località Vite area di Vite-Deria, Paspardo (Valcamonica, BS)''|date=12 May 1997 |access-date=2009-09-18|language=it}}

{{Eurasian languages}}

[[Category:Languages of ancient Italy]]
[[Category:Unclassified languages of Europe]]
[[Category:Languages attested from the 1st millennium BC]]
[[Category:Languages extinct in the 1st millennium BC]]
[[Category:Pre-Indo-European languages]]