Sassarese language

Sassarese (Sassaresu or Turritanu) is an Italo-Dalmatian language and transitional between Corsican and Sardinian. It is regarded as a Corsican–Sardinian language because of Sassari's historic ties (and neighborhood) with Tuscany and Corsica. Despite the heavy Sardinian influences (especially in the vocabulary and phonetics), it still keeps its Tuscan roots, which closely relate it to Gallurese. The latter is regarded as a Corsican dialect despite the geographic location, although this attribution is a matter of controversy. It can be considered a transitional language between Italo-Dalmatian languages and Sardinian. It has several similarities to Italian and in particular the old dialects of Italian from Tuscany.

Sassarese is spoken by approximately 100,000 people, out of a total population of 175,000, in the northwest coastal areas of Sardinia, Italy. Large Sassarese-speaking communities are present in Sassari, Stintino, Sorso, and Porto Torres. Sassarese's transition varieties towards Gallurese, known as the Castellanesi dialects, can be heard in Castelsardo, Tergu, and Sedini.

Sassarese emerged as an urban language of commerce in the latter part of the age of the Giudicati (13th–14th century); it is based on a mixture of different languages, namely Corsican, Tuscan, and Ligurian; a strong Logudorese influence can be felt in its phonetics, syntax, and vocabulary; a minor influence in vocabulary was exercised by Catalan and Spanish. There exist many modern and older works both on and in Sassarese, and a number of cultural, social, and theatre events are held regularly in connection with it.

In 1943 the German linguist Max Leopold Wagner wrote:

... A dialect of the people which, by all indications, was formed gradually from the 16th century, after several very deadly plagues decimated the population of the city; the bulk of the survivors were of Pisan and Corsican origin, there were even Genovese. Thus was born this hybrid dialect which is now spoken in Sassari, Porto Torres and Sorso, whose base is Tuscan corrupted with traces of Genovese, in addition to not a few Sardinian words.

... un dialetto plebeo che, secondo tutti gli indizi, si stava formando a poco a poco a partire dal sec. XVI, dopo che varie pestilenze mortalissime avevano decimato la popolazione della città; dei superstiti la massima parte era di origine pisana e còrsa, e non mancavano neanche i genovesi. Così nacque quel dialetto ibrido che oggi si parla a Sassari, a Porto Torres ed a Sorso, la cui base è un toscano corrotto con qualche traccia genovese, e con non pochi vocaboli sardi.