If you are planning a trip so that you can get away for a few days or a few weeks and get to enjoy some sun and sand while relaxing, consider visiting a small coastal town in the north western part of Italy. Liguria is quite popular among tourists and it is renown for its pristine beaches, picturesque towns and delicious cuisine. It may be a good idea to learn some Ligurian before your trip to help you get around much more easily. Some of the notable personalities who spoke Ligurian includes Christopher Columbus and Niccolo Paganini.
Ligurian is a Gallo Romance language. Apart from Northern Italy, the language is also spoken in France, Monaco, Sardinia, Australia, USA, Canada, Argentina, Uruguay and in Genoa, which is the capital of Italy. There are about 2 million people who speak the language. Alternate names used for the language includes Ligure and Zeneize. In Monaco, the language is officially known as Monégasque or Munegascu. There are various groups who are working towards the preservation of the language. This includes the Associazione Culturale O Castello, which is based in Chiavari. The association offers some language courses in Ligurian. One of the major Ligurian dialects is Genoese. It is spoken by approximately 1.9 million people in the north western part of Italy, especially in Liguria. There are other dialects that are spoken in different parts of Italy such as Piedmont, Tuscany and Carloforte.
Ligurian has various features that the Italian language also has. It also has distinct features that other Romance languages portray. However, no linguistic proof exists to show that there is a link between the Romance Ligurian language and the Ligurian language that was spoken by the ancient Ligurian populations. The Ligurian language was initially spoken during the pre- Roman times in Italy and France and also during the Roman era. Not a lot is known about this early language as very little remains of it- place names and personal names. This early Ligurian language is believed to be an Indo-European language as it shared many similarities with other Indo-European languages such as Celtic and Italic.
