Paleo Sardinian MASSIMO PITTAU (Paleosardo), also known as Nuragic, is

an extinct language (or perhaps languages) spoken in Sardinia (and

possibly Corsica) during the Bronze Age, which is thought to have left traces in
the onomastics of the island and in the modern Sardinian language. By the third
century, Latin had become the language of Sardinia, and the old language(s)
survive mainly in toponyms, which appear to preserve grammatical suffixes, and
in a few names of plants.
Contents
[hide]

1Classification
o

1.1Pre-Indoeuropean hypothesis

1.2Indoeuropean hypothesis

1.3Other hypotheses

2See also

3Notes

4References

Classification[edit]
Pre-Indoeuropean hypothesis[edit]
There is toponymic evidence suggesting that the Paleo-Sardinian language may
have had connection to Basque or to the pre-Indo-European Iberian
language of Spain,[1] or maybe to the ancient languages of Sicily[citation needed].
Bertoldi & Terracini[citation needed] propose that the common suffix -ara (with stress on
the antepenult) was a plural marker, and indicated a connection to Iberian or to
the Paleo-Sicilian languages. Terracini claims a similar connection for the suffixnarV, -nnarV, -nnarV, -nnarV, as in the place name Bonnnnaro. A suffix ini also seems to be characteristic, as in the place name Barmini. A suffix or
suffixes -arr-, -err-, -orr-, -urr- have been claimed to correspond
to Numidia(Terracini), to Iberia (specifically Basque, Blasco Ferrer), to the south
of Italy and Gascony (presumably Basque, Rohlfs), and to Basque (Wagner,
Hubschmid).
The non-Latin suffixes -i, -i, -i, -i survive in modern place names based on
Latin roots. Terracini sees connections to Berber. Bertoldi sees
an Anatolian connection in the endings -i, -asi (similar claims have been made
of the Elymians of Sicily). A suffix -aiko is also common in Iberia and may have
a Celtic origin. The tribal suffix -itani, -etani, as in theSulcitani, has also been
identified as Paleosardinian.
Indoeuropean hypothesis[edit]
The linguist M.Pittau argues that the Paleo-Sardinian language (or "Sardian
language") and the Etruscan language were closely linked, as they were both
emanations of the Anatolian branch of the Indo-European. According to the
author the "Nuragics" were a population of Lydian origin who imported their

language of Indo-European type in the island, that superimposed over the

previous Pre-indoeuropean languages spoken by the Pre-Nuragic peoples.
Other hypotheses[edit]
Archeologist Giovanni Ugas suggested that the three main Nuragic peoples
(Balares, Corsi and Ilienses) may have had separate origins and thus spoke
different languages:

the Balares from the Iberian peninsula (or Southern France) and possibly
of proto-Iberian/Indo-European origin (Beaker culture)[2][3]

the Corsi of the north-east and possibly of Ligurian origin

the Iolaei/Ilienses of the southern plains and Barbagia that probably spoke
a pre-Indo-European language similar to Minoian and other languages of
that area.[4]

The three modern dialects of Gallurese, Logudorese, and Campidanese might

reflect that multilingual substratum. [5] Other minor Paleosardinian peoples of
possible Indo-European stock were the Lugudonenses (may originally be
from Provence, where is attested the toponym Lugdunum) of the north of the
island and the Siculensi(perphans Siculi) of the Sarrabus region .[6]
See also[edit]

Pre-Nuragic Sardinia

Nuragic civilization

List of Nuragic tribes

History of Sardinia

Prehistory of Corsica

Notes[edit]
1. Jump up^ Eduardo Blasco Ferrer, ed. 2010. Paleosardo: Le radici
linguistiche della Sardegna neolitica (Paleosardo: The Linguistic
Roots of Neolithic Sardinian). De Gruyter Mouton
2. Jump up^ Ugas 2005, p. 18.
3. Jump up^ Ugas 2005, p. 29.
4. Jump up^ Ugas 2005, p. 255.
5. Jump up^ Ugas 2005, p. 253.
6. Jump up^ Ugas 2005, p. 254.
References[edit]

Eduardo Blasco Ferrer, ed. 2010. Paleosardo: Le radici linguistiche della

Sardegna neolitica (Paleosardo: The Linguistic Roots of Neolithic
Sardinian). De Gruyter Mouton.

Johannes Hubschmid, Sardische Studien, Bern (1953)

Heinz Jrgen Wolf, Toponomastica Barbaricina, Nuoro (1998)

Ugas, Giovanni (2005). L'Alba dei Nuraghi. Cagliari: Fabula

editrice. ISBN 88-89661-00-3.

Massimo Pittau, La lingua sardiana o dei Protosardi, Cagliari (2000)

Giulio Paulis, I nomi di luogo in Sardegna, Sassari (1987)