|
|
Oscan LanguageOscan, the language of the Osci, is in the Sabellic branch of the Italic language family, which is a branch of Indo-European and includes Umbrian, Latin and Faliscan. It was spoken in Samnium and in Campania, as well as in Lucania and Abruzzo. Oscan is known from inscriptions beginning in the 5th century BC. The most important Oscan inscriptions are the Tabula Bantina and the Cippus Abellanus. Oscan was written in the Latin and Greek alphabets, as well as in a variety of the Old Italic alphabet. Dialects of Oscan include Samnite, Marrucine, Paelignan, Vestinian, Sabine, Volscian and Marsian. Oscan had much in common with Latin, though there are also many striking differences, and many common word-groups in Latin were absent and represented by entirely different forms. For example, Latin volo, velle, volui, and other such forms from the Proto-Indo-European root *wel ('to will') were represented by words derived from *gher ('to desire'): Oscan herest ('he wants, desires') as opposed to Latin volet (id.). Latin locus (place) was absent and represented by slaagid (place). In phonology Oscan also showed differences from Latin: Oscan 'p' in place of Latin 'qu' (Osc. pis, Lat. quis); 'b' in place of Latin 'v'; medial 'f' in contrast to Latin 'b' or 'd' (Osc. mefiai, Lat. mediae). Considered the most conservative of all the known Italic languages, Oscan is rivaled only by Greek in the retention of the inherited vowel system with the diphtongs intact. Oscan can be used to refer to the language, culture, or ethnicity of the ancient Osci. Example of an Oscan text (the Cippus Abellanus): ekkum[sva pd herieset trbarak[avm tere pd limt[m] pernm [ps herekles fsn mefi[ st, ehtrad fehss p[s herekles fsnam amfr et, pert vam psstst pa p st, pstin slagm senates suves tangi nd trbarakavm l ktud. nm k trba rakkiuf pam nvlans trbarakattuset k tr barakkiuf nm ttiuf abellanm estud. avt pst fehs ps fsnam am fret, ese tere nep abel lans nep nvlans pdum trbarakattns. avt the savrm pd ese tere st, pn patensns, mnkad ta[n gind patensns, nm pd e[se thesavre pkkapd ee[stit a]ttm alttram alttr[s h]errns. avt anter slagm a]bellanam nm nvlanam s]llad v uruv st . ed e]sa va mefia teremen n]i staet. External link
|
 |