Editing Romansh language (section)

==Dialects==
[[File:Languages and dialects of Grisons.png|thumb|Historical distribution of the dialects of Romansh, German, and Italian in the [[Grisons]]. So-called "Italian dialects" are in fact dialects of Lombard, and more similar to Romansh than to Italian:<br />
{{Legend|#ED1C24|Sursilvan}}
{{Legend|#FF8080|Tuatschin}}
{{Legend|#800040|Sutsilvan}}
{{Legend|#8000FF|Surmiran}}
{{Legend|#0080FF|Putèr}}
{{Legend|#0000FF|Vallader}}
{{Legend|#000064|Jauer}}|405x405px]]

{{anchor|idioms}}
Romansh comprises a group of closely related [[dialect]]s, which are most commonly divided into five different varieties, each of which has developed a standardized form. These regional standards are referred to as ''idioms'' in Romansh to distinguish them from the local vernaculars, which are referred to as ''dialects''.<ref>{{Cite web |last=Widmer |first=Kuno |date=2008 |title=Entstehung der romanischen Idiome Graubündens |url=http://www.drg.ch/files/idiome_wi.pdf |url-status=dead |archive-url=https://web.archive.org/web/20130728165255/http://www.drg.ch/files/idiome_wi.pdf |archive-date=2013-07-28 |access-date=2014-04-28 |publisher=Institut dal Dicziunari Rumantsch Grischun (DRG) |place=Chur}}</ref> These dialects form a [[dialect continuum]] without clear-cut divisions. Historically a continuous speech area, this continuum has now been ruptured by the spread of German, so that Romansh is now geographically divided into at least two non-adjacent parts.

#''[[Sursilvan dialect|Sursilvan]]'' (Sursilvan: {{Audio-nohelp|Roh-Sursilvan-Sursilvan.ogg|''sursilvan''}}; derived from the name of the [[Surselva]] region, which itself is derived from ''sur'' "above" and ''selva'' "forest") – spoken in the [[Surselva|Vorderrhein]] (Sursilvan: ''Rein Anteriur'') valley, including the [[Lumnezia]], [[Foppa (Swiss region)|Foppa]], and [[Cadi (Swiss region)|Cadi]]. It is the most widely spoken variety, with 17,897 people or 54.8% within its historical region (including [[Imboden Region|Imboden/Plaun]], where Sursilvan is written but Sutsilvan spoken, with the exception of Sursilvan-speaking [[Flims|Flims/Flem]]) naming Romansh as a habitually spoken language in the Swiss census of 2000.{{sfn|Gross|2004|p=31}}
#''[[Sutsilvan dialect|Sutsilvan]]'' (Sutsilvan, [[Rumantsch Grischun]]: ''sutsilvan''; Vallader: ''suotsilvan''; Putèr: ''suotsilvaun''; derived from ''sut'' "below" and ''selva'' "forest") – spoken in the [[Hinterrhein (river)|Hinterrhein]] (Sutsilvan: ''Ragn Posteriur'') valley, including [[Schams|Schams/Schons]], [[Domleschg valley|Domleschg/Tumleastga]], and [[Heinzenberg GR|Heinzenberg/Mantogna]]. In [[Imboden Region|Imboden/Plaun]], with the exception of Sursilvan-speaking [[Flims|Flims/Flem]], they speak Sutsilvan but write Sursilvan. Sutsilvan is the least widely spoken Romansh variety, with 1,111 people or 15.4% within its historical area (excluding Imboden/Plaun) naming Romansh as a habitually spoken language.{{sfn|Gross|2004|p=31}} It has become extinct across much of its historical area since the turn of the 20th century.
#''[[Surmiran dialect|Surmiran]]'' (Surmiran: ''surmiran''; derived from ''sur'' "above" and ''meir'' "wall") – spoken in the [[Gelgia (river)|Gelgia]] and [[Albula (river)|Albula/Alvra]] valleys, including [[Surses]] and [[Sutses]]. Romansh was named by 3,038 people within the historically Surmiran-writing area (44%) as a habitually spoken language in the census of 2000.{{sfn|Gross|2004|p=31}}
#''[[Putèr dialect|Putèr]]'' (Romansh: {{Audio-nohelp|Roh-putèr-putèr.ogg|''puter''}}; probably originally a nickname derived from ''put'' "porridge", meaning "porridge-eaters"{{sfn|Liver|1999|p=43}}) – spoken in the [[Upper Engadine]] (Putèr and Vallader: ''Engiadin'Ota''), as well as in the village of Brail in [[Zernez]], where they, however, ''write'' Vallader. Romansh was named by 5,497 people or 30% within the [[Upper Engadine]] and [[Bergün Filisur]] (where Putèr is written but a non-Putèr dialect is spoken) as a habitually spoken language in the census of 2000.{{sfn|Gross|2004|p=31}}
#''[[Vallader dialect|Vallader]]'' (Vallader: {{Audio-nohelp|Roh-vallader-vallader.ogg|''vallader''}}; derived from ''val'' "valley") – spoken in the [[Lower Engadine]] (Vallader and Putèr: ''Engiadina Bassa''), with the exception of Putèr-speaking Brail – where they nevertheless ''write'' Vallader – and in the [[Val Müstair]]. It is the second most commonly spoken variety of Romansh, with 6,448 people in the Lower Engadine and Val Müstair (79.2%) naming Romansh as a habitually spoken language in the census of 2000.{{sfn|Gross|2004|p=31}}

Aside from these five major dialects, two additional varieties are often distinguished. One is the dialect of the [[Val Müstair]], which is closely related to Vallader but often separately referred to as ''[[Jauer dialect|Jauer]]'' (Romansh: ''jauer''; derived from the personal pronoun ''jau'' "I", i.e. "the ''jau''-sayers").<ref name="Curdin 1984 pp. 261, 265">Curdin & Schläpfer (1984). pp. 261, 265</ref> Less commonly distinguished is the dialect of [[Tujetsch]] and the [[Val Medel]], which is markedly different from Sursilvan and is referred to as ''[[Tuatschin dialect|Tuatschin]]''.<ref name="Curdin 1984 pp. 261, 265" /><ref name="Maurer">{{Cite book |vauthors=Maurer-Cecchini, P |title=A grammar of Tuatschin |date=2021 |format=pdf |doi=10.5281/zenodo.5137647 |doi-access=free |isbn=978-3-96110-318-8 |place=Berlin |publisher=Language Science Press |url=https://langsci-press.org/catalog/book/308}}</ref>

Additionally, the standardized variety [[Rumantsch Grischun]], intended for pan-regional use, was introduced in 1982. The dialect of the [[Val Bregaglia]] is usually considered a variety of [[Lombard language|Lombard]], and speakers use Italian as their written language, even though the dialect shares many features with the neighboring Putèr dialect of Romansh.<ref>{{HDS|8064|Bergell|date=15 November 2005}}</ref>

As these varieties form a continuum with small transitions from each village to the next, there is no straightforward internal grouping of the Romansh dialects. The Romansh language area can be described best as consisting of two widely divergent varieties, Sursilvan in the west and the dialects of the Engadine in the east, with Sutsilvan and Surmiran forming a transition zone between them.<ref>Curdin & Schläpfer (1984). pp. 260–165</ref> The Engadinese varieties ''Putèr'' and ''Vallader'' are often referred to as one specific variety known as ''Ladin'' (Ladin, Sursilvan, Surmiran, and [[Rumantsch Grischun]]: {{Audio-nohelp|Roh-putèr-ladin.ogg|''ladin''}}; Sutsilvan: ''ladegn''), which is not to be confused with the closely related language in Italy's [[Dolomites|Dolomite mountains]] also known as [[Ladin language|Ladin]]. Sutsilvan and Surmiran are sometimes grouped together as Central Romansh (rm. ''Grischun central''), and then grouped together with Sursilvan as "Rhenish Romansh" (in German, "Rheinischromanisch").

One feature that separates the Rhenish varieties from Ladin is the retention of the rounded front vowels {{IPAslink |y}} and {{IPAslink|ø}} (written ''ü'' and ''ö'') in Ladin, which have been unrounded in the other dialects,<ref name="Curdin & Schläpfer1984. p. 264">Curdin & Schläpfer (1984). p. 264</ref> as in Ladin {{Audio-nohelp|Roh-putèr-mür.ogg|''mür''}}, Sursilvan {{Audio-nohelp|Roh-sursilvan-mir.ogg|''mir''}}, Surmiran ''meir'' "wall" or Ladin {{Audio-nohelp|Roh-putèr-chaschöl.ogg|''chaschöl''}} to Rhenish {{Audio-nohelp|Roh-sursilvan-caschiel.ogg|''caschiel''}} "cheese". Another is the development of Latin -CT-, which has developed into /tɕ/ in the Rhenish varieties as in ''détg'' "said" or ''fatg'' "did", while developing into /t/ in Ladin (''dit'' and ''fat''). A feature separating Sursilvan from Central Romansh, however, involves the extent of palatalization of Latin /k/ in front of /a/, which is rare in Sursilvan but common in the other varieties:<ref name="Curdin & Schläpfer1984. p. 264" /> Sursilvan {{Audio-nohelp|Roh-sursilvan-casa.ogg|''casa''}}, Sutsilvan ''tgea'', Surmiran ''tgesa'', Putèr {{Audio-nohelp|Roh-putèr-chesa.ogg|''chesa''}}, and Vallader {{Audio-nohelp|Roh-vallader-chasa.ogg|''chasa''}} "house". Overall, however, the Central Romansh varieties do not share many unique features, but rather connect Sursilvan and Ladin through a succession of numerous small differences from one village to the next.<ref>Curdin & Schläpfer (1984) pp. 264–65.</ref>{{sfn|Liver|1999|p=44}}

The dialects of Romansh are not always mutually comprehensible. Speakers of Sursilvan and Ladin, in particular, are usually unable to understand each other initially.<ref>Liver in Schläpfer & Bickel 2000 p. 219.</ref> Because speakers usually identify themselves primarily with their regional dialect, many do not take the effort to attempt to understand unfamiliar dialects, and prefer to speak [[Swiss German]] with speakers of other varieties.<ref>Curdin & Schläpfer (1984) p. 260.</ref> A common Romansh identity is not widespread outside intellectual circles, even though this has been changing among the younger generation.<ref>Jachen Curdin Arquint in Schläpfer & Bickel 2000, p. 244.</ref>