Germanic minorities in Italy: Walser and Cimbri

[curiousman]

There are other German minorities in North-eastern Italy: in Veneto: Sappada/Plodn, in Friuli: Timau/Tischlbong and Sauris/Zahre.

Example of tischlbongarisch, the language of Timau (from Wikipedia):
Van otobar auf, is cleachta beitar, lottuns ckaan vriid unt da schana bearnt olabaila greasar. In monti, sezzn novembar, hozz chreink in gonzn too unt cnochz, uma holba naina, dar bint hott onckeip zan pfifl af ola da saitn asar. Af Schunvelt, bosa aan anpflaisn apparaat honant as meist da chroft van bint, honzuns zok as saina checkickait iis cheman af 120 km da schtunt. In seen too cnochz, ocht oarbazlait as van Eztraich hintar sent cheman hont gamuast da maschindar varlosn unt ausar gianan zavuas, dribar schtain afta pama, afta schtana as avn gonzn beig sent gabeisn.

[Iantumarus]

These Cimbrians should not be confused with the Cimbri who attacked the Roman Empire in around 100BC.

Why souldnt they?
As i see it they could be (are) leftovers of antic Cimbrians... or not?

[Smaug]

Phenotypically they don't differ very much from North Italians.

[MagnusAurelius]

These people should have been assimilated by now, their ancestors invaded Italy and lost horribly. Total extermination, I guess these are the remnants since the Roman Italian men did exterminate most of the men but many children and women were sold into slavery.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cimbrian_War

[Geminus]

These people should have been assimilated by now, their ancestors invaded Italy and lost horribly. Total extermination, I guess these are the remnants since the Roman Italian men did exterminate most of the men but many children and women were sold into slavery.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cimbrian_War

These people are not the descendants of this ancient Germanic tribe, but the descendants of Bavarian settlers.
It can be seen from the dialect they speak.

[Leliana]

These people should have been assimilated by now, their ancestors invaded Italy and lost horribly. Total extermination, I guess these are the remnants since the Roman Italian men did exterminate most of the men but many children and women were sold into slavery.

This is one big bullshit post!

Like Geminus said, they have nothing to do with the Cimbris and Teutons. And even if they had, they have the right to self preservation of their dialect and culture.

And then we should talk about the South Tyrol question, deear 'Imperator Bellus'...

[Alessio]

"Christus ist au gestanden
Von der marter alle,
Daz sollen bier alle froalich sayn
Christus bil unser troast sayn."

I actually quite understand this Zimbrisch.

Walser (which are called "Titsch") is a germanic population of about 22,000 people living in the Piedmont valleys, on the border with Switzerland and the Valle d'Aosta.
They belongs to the strain of the Alamannish tribes, and came to these valleys in 8 century, migrating from the overpopulated northern valleys of Switzerland.

Their language is called "töitschu" or "Titsch" ago, and is protected by national law on historical minorities.

Examples of Titsch language:
«Er hajen-entacht d asschu under ts chime,
und hawwer noch gvunnut e vljeschpu.
Esch hétschech àrkit, und nu schinetsch wié (n) e schtérnu.
Wé làng? En ts hüüsch isch mì ljeksch wett...»

«Aford an olti piri häd g'chauft a' schworzi hennju van ainem ljikke hennjumandj, dos ra häd g'said: "Haira woul sourg, di bringtne glick". Dan nouchre tog häd d'hennja g'laid as guldis ai. Si hädra woul g'ge z'asse: und da' zwende tog häd's g'laid as anders guldis ai. "Di häd dan buch volle gold", hädra g'sinnud d'olt piri, und oni mei sy virirrd, mid ainem messer tuad uf dan buch der hennju. Wa am platz ds golds, findt si nua ds g'derem und d' hennja ïst g'chleckt»


Traditional Walser clothes



Traditional houses



Cimbrian (also called Zimbrisch or Tzimbrisch) refers to any of several local Upper German varieties spoken in northeastern Italy. The speakers of the language are known as Zimbern.
The community is nowadays reduced to only 6000 people in the area of the Veneto and Trentino region known as the "Sette Comuni".

There are two main hypotheses on the origin of this language: the first is from 1700 and connects it to the Bavarian dialect, while the other more recent connects this language to the ancient Germanic people of the Cimbrians, originating in Jutland and referred in Italy by the last emperors as mercenaries to defend the prefectures of northern Italy from Getulians and Longbeards.

Examples of Zimbrisch language:
"Christus ist au gestanden
Von der marter alle,
Daz sollen bier alle froalich sayn
Christus bil unser troast sayn."

"Ugnar Bàatar, ba pist in Hümmel, zai gahòlighet dar dain naamo, as khèmme dar dain Raick, zai gamàcht bia du bill, bia in Hümmel, azò in d'Eerda. Ghitzich hòite 'z ùgnar proat bon allen taaghen, borghit ozàndarn d'ügnarn zünte bia bràndare borghéban bèar hatzich offèndart, mach as bar net bàllan in tentziùum, ma liberàrzich bon allen bèetighen. Amen."

Some picture of the Cimbrians (in traditional clothes)

[StonyArabia]

North Italians always seemed to look like Germans to me.

[Artek]

North Italians always seemed to look like Germans to me.

Though they don't...mostly.

[Ianus]

North Italians always seemed to look like Germans to me.

Avarage North Italans are different from Austrian or Bavarians