Raetic language

Formerly spoken in

The Rhaetian language was AD in the middle alpine region talked to the 3rd century, especially in northeastern Italy ( including present day South Tyrol ) and in present-day Austria (Tyrol and Vorarlberg), but even in today's Eastern Switzerland, Liechtenstein and in Bavaria south of the Danube. It is attested in numerous, but generally very short inscriptions on various objects and was written in different alphabets, belonging to the ancient Italic font circle.

Because of a certain degree of fuzziness of the concept Rhaetians here are some statements problematic, this even applies to the assumption that the Reti had the Rhaetian language used.

Genealogical classification

Regarding their genealogical classification emerged in modern times several widely divergent theories:

• Classification as an isolated language (similar to the Basque ).
• The classification into a group with the Etruscan language and the language in a Lemnian, otherwise isolated, language group of the so-called Aegean or tyrsenischen languages. The Indo-Europeanist and Etruskologe Helmut Rix refers to a series of matches to the Rhaetian with the Etruscan, especially in the area of ​​grammar. Around the turn of time meant the Roman historian Pliny the Elder, Pompeius Trogus and Livy, the Rhaetians were displaced by the invasion of Celts to northern Italy in the Alps Etruscans, where Livy (Ab urbe condita V 33) even from one at Rhaetians - however " imperfect " - preserved sound of the Etruscan speaks. As Theodor Mommsen points out, are both languages ​​have very "hard" and " rough" sounded in both lacked the consonants b, d, g and were in the adoption of such names from Greek mythology by p, t, k replaced. ( See also Rhaetians to inscriptions. )
• Some theories suggest that they can be expected to the Celtic languages.
• The " independent scholar " Linus Brunner introduced in the 1980s, on the hypothesis that the Rhaetian language is a Semitic language, which is, however, rejected by the vast majority of linguists.

Rhaetian personal names

The Rhaetian name formula consists of an individual name (" nickname " ) and a subsequent patronymic ( " father's name " ), the latter being formed in males with the suffix -nu, in females, however, with the suffix -na, eg

Male names: Klevie Valθiki -nu, Knuse Susi -nu, Lasθe Φutiχi -nu, nu Piθamne Hela, Piθie Meti -nu

Female names: [ Φ ] rima Piθam -n [ a]

Male and female: Φrima Remi - χ Vispeχa -nu " Phrima (female ) and ( - χ ) Remi ( male) Vispekhanu "

Romansh

The ( in the former Churrätien the spoken Switzerland ) ( Grisons ) Romanesque as well as the Ladin - both today combined with the Friulian for Romansh - not going back to the Rhaetian language, but to the vulgar Latin of the Romanized population of these areas. It is not excluded that ( Rhaetian in the east and southeast, west and southwest possibly Celtic- Ligurian and / or lepontischen ) language and culture of pre-Roman received population in some form in the Latin culture and the basis for the self-understanding of the novels form. The Ladin Romansh was gradually pushed back by the advance of the Bavarians from the northern foothills of the Alps in (South ) Tyrol since the 6th century AD, anyway.