Intemelio dialect



Intemelio is a Ligurian dialect spoken historically from the Principality of Monaco to the Italian province of Imperia.

History
Since the Renaissance the Ligurian language was spoken in all the territories of the Republic of Genoa; in the western area of the Republic one of its groups (spoken mainly on the coast between Monaco and Sanremo) was called Intemelio and was centered on Ventimiglia.

In the actual Italian area of Ventimiglia there is the most renowned Intemelio: the "Ventimigliese", that stretches from the coast until Piedmont.

The Royasc dialect is connected to the "Ventimigliese", as a mountainous version of the Intemelio that has some Occitan influences.

In Sanremo the local intemelio dialect is heavily influenced by the Genoese dialect.

Current use
Intemelio is used by nearly 10,000 people in the area of Ventimiglia of the province of Imperia, but other 40,000 are able to understand it and speak a few sentences of this dialect in western Liguria.

A few thousand speak fluently the local variants of Intemelio in France and Monaco: Monegasque, and Brigasc.

Anecdote
The Ligurian area of Seborga speaks the "Ventimigliese" dialect Intemelio and the so-called Principality of Seborga considered the possibility of using this dialect as the official language.