Messapic language
| Messapisch | ||
|---|---|---|
| Period | 6. – 1. Century BC Chr. | |
|
Formerly spoken in |
southeastern Italy ( Apulia ) | |
| Linguistic classification |
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| Language codes | ||
| ISO 639-3 |
cms |
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The Messapic language is an extinct language that was formerly spoken by the Messapians in what is now the Apulia region in south-eastern Italy.
The Messapic language is generally counted among the Indo-European languages , but the further classification is controversial. A theory according to which Messapic should be more closely related to the Illyrian language is based primarily on ancient sources which report that the Messapians immigrated from the opposite Adriatic coast, although there are hardly any language certificates of the Illyrian language itself. However, there are 300 Messapier inscriptions that have hardly been translated.
The language is evidenced by numerous, but mostly quite short inscriptions, which so far could only be partially interpreted.
Individual references and sources
- ↑ Joachim Matzinger: The Albanians as descendants of the Illyrians from the point of view of today's linguistics . In: Eva Anne Frantz (Ed.): Albanian History: Status and Perspectives of Research . 1st edition. Oldenbourg Wissenschaftsverlag, Munich 2009, ISBN 3-486-58980-6 , p. 20 .