The Sardinian Alphabet - Vowels, Consonants, Numerals & more

Q: How many letters are in the Sardinian alphabet?

The Sardinian alphabet has 23 letters [2] for native words. Out of these, 5 are vowel letters (a, e, i, o, u) and 18 are consonants. The letters j, k, w, x, y are not used in native Sardinian words , though they may appear in foreign loanwords.

Q: Why is Sardinian considered a conservative Romance language?

Sardinian is called conservative because it preserved many Latin features: • Vocabulary - retains many Latin words unchanged or minimally changed • Phonology - maintains Latin sounds better than other Romance languages • Examples - Latin "domo" → Sardinian "domu" (vs. Italian "casa", Spanish "casa") • Isolation - geographic isolation on Sardinia preserved archaic features This makes Sardinian the closest living language to Latin in many respects!

Q: What are the main dialects of Sardinian?

Sardinian has several major dialectal varieties: • Logudorese - northern and central Sardinia, considered most conservative • Campidanese - southern Sardinia, more innovative features • Limba Sarda Comuna - standardized written form for official use • Other varieties - including Nuorese and Barbaricino All varieties use the same alphabet system !

Q: What is the status of Sardinian in Italy?

Sardinian has protected status in Italy: • Regional language - recognized by Italian law 482/1999 [1] • Official status - co-official with Italian in Sardinian regional administration • Education - taught in some schools alongside Italian • Media - used in regional broadcasting and publications This protection helps preserve this unique language !

Q: How do accented vowels work in Sardinian?

Sardinian uses accented vowels for stress indication : • Grave accents (à, è, ì, ò, ù) - most common, indicate stressed syllable • Acute accents (é, ó) - less common, also indicate stress • Function - help clarify pronunciation and distinguish words • Example - città (city) with stress on final syllable These accents are essential for correct pronunciation !

Q: What makes Sardinian phonology unique?

Sardinian has several distinctive phonological features : • Preserved Latin k - Latin "centu" → Sardinian "kentu" (vs. Italian "cento") • Retroflex sounds - characteristic cacuminal consonants in some dialects • Vowel system - maintains Latin five-vowel system clearly • Conservative clusters - preserves consonant clusters lost in other Romance languages These features make Sardinian phonologically distinct from other Romance languages!

Q: How does Italian influence Sardinian today?

Italian has significant influence on modern Sardinian: • Bilingualism - most Sardinian speakers also speak Italian • Loanwords - many modern concepts borrowed from Italian • Code-switching - speakers often mix Sardinian and Italian • Generational shift - younger speakers more dominant in Italian Despite this, efforts continue to preserve and revitalize Sardinian !

Q: What is the Acadèmia de su Sardu?

The Acadèmia de su Sardu is an important institution: • Purpose - promotes and standardizes the Sardinian language [2] • Standardization - develops unified orthography and grammar • Research - conducts linguistic research on Sardinian dialects • Cultural preservation - preserves Sardinian literature and oral traditions The Academy plays a crucial role in Sardinian language planning !

Sardinian Alphabet at a Glance

23 letters excluding J, K, W, X, Y from standard Latin alphabet
Most conservative Romance language preserving ancient Latin features
Spoken by approximately 1 million people on Sardinia island, Italy
Accented vowels: à, è, é, ì, ò, ó, ù for stress and pronunciation
Recognized as co-official regional language in Sardinia
Multiple regional varieties (Campidanese, Logudorese, etc.)

Uppercase Vowels:

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

Lowercase Vowels:

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

Uppercase Consonants:

[bee]

[chee]

[dee]

[eh-fee]

[jee]

[ah-kah]

[eh-lee]

[eh-mee]

[eh-nee]

[pee]

[koo]

[eh-ree]

[eh-see]

[tee]

[vee]

[dzeh-tah]

[bee]

Uppercase B, called "bi". Pronounced like "b" in "boy".

[chee]

Uppercase C, called "ci". Pronounced like "k" before a, o, u; like "ch" before e, i.

[dee]

Uppercase D, called "di". Pronounced like "d" in "dog".

[eh-fee]

Uppercase F, called "effi". Pronounced like "f" in "fun".

[jee]

Uppercase G, called "gi". Pronounced like "g" in "go" before a, o, u; like "j" in "joy" before e, i.

[ah-kah]

Uppercase H, called "acca". Silent in Sardinian, used to modify c and g sounds.

[eh-lee]

Uppercase L, called "elli". Pronounced like "l" in "love".

[eh-mee]

Uppercase M, called "emmi". Pronounced like "m" in "mother".

[eh-nee]

Uppercase N, called "enni". Pronounced like "n" in "name".

[pee]

Uppercase P, called "pi". Pronounced like "p" in "pen".

[koo]

Uppercase Q, called "cu". Usually followed by "u", pronounced like "k".

[eh-ree]

Uppercase R, called "erri". Trilled r sound in Sardinian.

[eh-see]

Uppercase S, called "essi". Pronounced like "s" in "sun".

[tee]

Uppercase T, called "ti". Pronounced like "t" in "top".

[vee]

Uppercase V, called "vi". Pronounced like "v" in "victory".

[dzeh-tah]

Uppercase Z, called "tzeta". Pronounced like "dz" or "ts" in Sardinian.

Lowercase Consonants:

[bee]

[chee]

[dee]

[eh-fee]

[jee]

[ah-kah]

[eh-lee]

[eh-mee]

[eh-nee]

[pee]

[koo]

[eh-ree]

[eh-see]

[tee]

[vee]

[dzeh-tah]

[bee]

Lowercase b, called "bi". Pronounced like "b" in "boy".

[chee]

Lowercase c, called "ci". Pronounced like "k" before a, o, u; like "ch" before e, i.

[dee]

Lowercase d, called "di". Pronounced like "d" in "dog".

[eh-fee]

Lowercase f, called "effi". Pronounced like "f" in "fun".

[jee]

Lowercase g, called "gi". Pronounced like "g" in "go" before a, o, u; like "j" in "joy" before e, i.

[ah-kah]

Lowercase h, called "acca". Silent in Sardinian, used to modify c and g sounds.

[eh-lee]

Lowercase l, called "elli". Pronounced like "l" in "love".

[eh-mee]

Lowercase m, called "emmi". Pronounced like "m" in "mother".

[eh-nee]

Lowercase n, called "enni". Pronounced like "n" in "name".

[pee]

Lowercase p, called "pi". Pronounced like "p" in "pen".

[koo]

Lowercase q, called "cu". Usually followed by "u", pronounced like "k".

[eh-ree]

Lowercase r, called "erri". Trilled r sound in Sardinian.

[eh-see]

Lowercase s, called "essi". Pronounced like "s" in "sun".

[tee]

Lowercase t, called "ti". Pronounced like "t" in "top".

[vee]

Lowercase v, called "vi". Pronounced like "v" in "victory".

[dzeh-tah]

Lowercase z, called "tzeta". Pronounced like "dz" or "ts" in Sardinian.

[ah (stressed)]

[eh (stressed)]

[ee (stressed)]

[oh (stressed)]

[oo (stressed)]

[ah (stressed)]

[eh (stressed)]

[ee (stressed)]

[oh (stressed)]

[oo (stressed)]

[dzeh-roo]

[oo-noo]

[doo-ohs]

[trehs]

[bah-toh-roh]

[keem-beh]

[sehs]

[seh-teh]

[oh-toh]

[noh-eh]

[dzeh-roo]

Zero, called "tzeru" in Sardinian.

[oo-noo]

One, called "unu" in Sardinian.

[doo-ohs]

Two, called "duos" in Sardinian.

[trehs]

Three, called "tres" in Sardinian.

[bah-toh-roh]

Four, called "bàtoro" in Sardinian.

[keem-beh]

Five, called "chimbe" in Sardinian.

[sehs]

Six, called "ses" in Sardinian.

[seh-teh]

Seven, called "sete" in Sardinian.

[oh-toh]

Eight, called "oto" in Sardinian.

[noh-eh]

Nine, called "noe" in Sardinian.

;

Period used to end declarative sentences.

Comma used to separate clauses and items in lists.

;

Semicolon used to connect closely related independent clauses.

Colon used to introduce lists, explanations, or quotations.

Question mark used at the end of questions in Sardinian.

Exclamation mark used at the end of exclamations in Sardinian.

Double quotation marks used for direct speech or quotations.

Apostrophe used in contractions and elisions.

Opening guillemet, quotation mark used in Sardinian typography.

Closing guillemet, quotation mark used in Sardinian typography.

Expand All Collapse All

How many letters are in the Sardinian alphabet?

Why is Sardinian considered a conservative Romance language?

What are the main dialects of Sardinian?

What is the status of Sardinian in Italy?

How do accented vowels work in Sardinian?

What makes Sardinian phonology unique?

How does Italian influence Sardinian today?

What is the Acadèmia de su Sardu?

References:

[1] Regione Autonoma della Sardegna. "Sardinian Language and Culture". Retrieved from Sardinia Regional Gov
[2] Acadèmia de su Sardu. "Sardinian Orthography and Grammar". Retrieved from Sardinian Academy
[3] Unicode Consortium. "Basic Latin Unicode Block (U+0000-U+007F)". Retrieved from Unicode Basic Latin