Issime
Issime ( Walser German Eischeme ) is a municipality with 428 inhabitants (as at 31 December 2012) in the Aosta Valley in northern Italy. The population speaks or spoke as indirectly neighboring Gressoney traditional Walser German, but the two dialects so different that their speakers do not understand each other easily.
The municipality belongs to the community association Comunità Montana Alta Valle del Lys Walser ( Walser German Community Oberlystal, French Communauté de montagne Walser Haute vallée du Lys ) and is located in the Lys valley on the River Lys, which in Pont -Saint -Martin in the also by Issime flowing Dora Baltea. Issime consists of the districts ( in French and Töitschu ) Grand Praz (Gran Proa ), Crest ( Krecht ) Chincheré ( Tschentschiri ) Bioley ( Biouley ) Seingles ( Zéngji ) Seingles Dessus ( Z'uabra Zéngji ), Plane ( Pioani ) Ribola ( Ribulu ) Vecchaus ( Vetschus ) Riccourt ( Rickurt ) Riccourt Dessus ( Z'uabra Rickurt ), Rollie ( Rolji ) Crose ( Kruasi ), Riva ( Réivu ) Preit ( Preite ) Tontinel ( Tuntelentsch ), Fontaine Claire ( Funtrunkieeru ), chief -lieu ( Duarf ou main town ), Grand Champ (Gran Tschamp ) Cugna ( Künju ) Nicche ( Nicke ), Zan (San ), Ceresole (Tue Zinnisili ), Praz ( Proa ) Proasch ( Proasch ) Champriond ( Tschendriun ), rock (stone) and Riccard ( Rickard ).
Issime is the southernmost village of the historical Alemannic ( Western Upper German ) language area and separated from it by the neighboring Gaby.
Languages and dialects
The most Alemannic Töitschu has its origins in the Valais settlers - the so-called Walser - who emigrated in 1300 to the south. Compared with the dialect of the Gressoney Issimedeutsch one hand has received many antiquities, but was ( in recent times mainly Franco-Provençal, and Italian) also influenced by the other languages spoken in the region languages. It has many features such as monophthongization Middle High German diphthongs (about MHG chuo > iss. Chuu 'cow' ) and diphthongisation Middle High German monophthongs (about MHG Hûs > iss. Hous, house ' ), making it not only from Gressoneydeutschen, but ever lifted off the high and very high Alemannic; Moreover, the Töitschu is the only südwalserische dialect, which has not unrounded the Middle High German rounded vowels (about iss. handsome, pretty ', not hibsch as usual at the Südwalsern ).
Teaching languages at school are Italian and French, so that the German dialect is still exposed to a strong assimilation pressure. Very few children still dominate the Walser- German dialect. In the school year 2008/2009 the subject of German was introduced in schools in Issime and neighboring Gressoney first time, including two German teachers were hired.
At present, various attempts are made to preserve the declining dialect. Thus, the Associazione Augusta participates in the promotion of Walser German, and the Centro Studi e Cultura Walser an Italian- issimedeutsches / issimedeutsch - Italian dictionary was written.
A survey of Émile Chanoux Foundation from 2001 showed that 61.33 % for Italian, the traditional vernacular Töitschu is the mother tongue for 22.33 % of the population.