Mócheno language

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Mócheno is an Upper German dialect spoken in three towns of the Fersina Valley (German: Fersental, Italian: Valle del Fersina, mocheno: Bersntol), in Trentino-Alto Adige/Südtirol, northeastern Italy.

Mócheno is related to Austro-Bavarian and is variously classified either as a Southern Bavarian dialect or a separate language of its own. Mócheno speakers reportedly partially understand Bavarian, Cimbrian, or Standard German, which argues for classifying it as a dialect. However, many essential differences in grammar, vocabulary and pronunciation, render it difficult for for speakers of standard German to understand.

According to the census of 2001, the first in which data on mother tongue were recorded, Mocheno was spoken by a majority in the following municipalities (numbers of members of the Mòcheno linguistic group): Fierozzo/Florutz/Vlarotz (423 people, 95,92%), Palù/Palai/Palae (184 people, 95,34%), Frassilongo/Gereut/Garait (340 people, 95,24% - including the village of Roveda/Eichleit). In other municipalities of Trentino 1331 persons declared themselves members of the Mòcheno linguistic group, a total of 2278 in Trentino. Other sources state that Mòcheno is spoken by the whole population of Eichleit and Palai, a majority in Florutz, and by a small minority in the village of Gereut^[1].