Sardinian

Sardinian is a Romance language spoken by the Sardinians on the island of Sardinia, as well as by a significant number of emigrants and their descendants around the world. It is one of the official languages of Italy, along with Italian, and is co-official with Italian on the autonomous island region of Sardinia. It is also an official language of the European Union. Sardinian is a direct descendant of Latin, and it is thought to be one of the most conservative Romance languages. It has retained a number of features of Latin that other Romance languages have lost, such as the case system and the inflection of verbs for person and number. It also has a number of unique features, such as a rich system of verbal pronouns and a strong preference for compound words. The Sardinian language is divided into two main dialects, Logudorese and Campidanese. Logudorese is spoken in the northern half of the island, while Campidanese is spoken in the south. There are also a number of minority dialects, such as Gallurese, Algherese and Tabarchino. Sardinian is a minority language in Italy, and it is estimated that there are only about 1.5 million speakers of the language. However, the language is enjoying a resurgence in popularity, particularly among young people. There are a number of Sardinian language schools and courses available, and the language is also used in a number of radio and television programs.