Arpitania

From Wikipedia, the free encyclopedia

Arpitania (Arpitan and Italian: Arpitania, French: Arpitanie) refers to the lands where the Arpitan language is spoken or used to be the prevalent idiom^{[citation needed]}, but Arpitania is not a country or a nation.

Arpitania and Arpitanian Language are retronyms. They were neologisms from the 20th century. It was initially used for the Alpine regions where Arpitan was spoken. The name was popularised by Mouvement Harpitanya, a left-wing political grouping in Aosta Valley in 1970s.^[1] In 1990s, the term lost its particular political context. However, the use of the word "Arpitania" indicates a common cultural heritage and a regional identity beyond linguistic limitations.^[2]

Inhabitants of the region, whether they are actual speakers of the language or not, are named as Arpitans.^[3]^[4]

1 Geography
2 Books
3 References
4 External links

[edit] Geography

Map of Arpitania, the Arpitan Language Area (in Arpitan Language). The inset illustrates two isolated towns in the Apulia region of southern Italy where, Arpitan is also spoken.

Arpitania is composed of:

France (Savoy, Dauphiné, Isère, a big part of the Rhône département, southern Franche-Comté, a very small part of the Ain, Monts du Forez...).
Italy (Aosta Valley, Arpitan-speaking valleys in the Piemont).
Switzerland (Romandy (excluding northern and western parts of Jura)).

The northwesternmost salient (roughly a strip between Mâcon and Roanne) is seen linguistically transitional between Arpitan, Occitan and other Oïl languages.

[edit] Books

Jozé Harrieta, La lingua arpitana, 1976.

[edit] References

^ La nation Arpitane, http://arpitania.forumactif.com/CAFE-ARPITAN-c1/L-euroregion-Arpitanie-f1/La-nation-Arpitane-J-Harriet-1974-t581.htm.
^ Aliance Cultutèla Arpitana, Fribourg (Switzerland) and Rochetaillée (France), http://aca.arpitania.eu.
^ Les Alpes et leurs noms de lieux, 6000 ans d'histoire ? : Les appellations d'origine pré-indo-européenne., Paul-Louis Rousset, 1988, ISBN 2-901193-02-1
^ Les mots de la montagne autour du Mont-Blanc, Hubert Bessat et Claudette Germi, Ed. Ellug, Programme Rhône-Alpes, Recherches en Sciences Humaines, 1991, ISBN 2-902709-68-4.