Sicel language
| Sicel | |
|---|---|
| Spoken in | Sicily |
| Extinct | 3rd century BCE? |
| Language family |
Indo-European
|
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | scx |
Sicel was an ancient language spoken by the Sicels[1] (Greek Sikeloi, Latin Siculi), one of the three indigenous (i.e. pre-Greek and pre-Punic) tribes of Sicily; the Elymians and the Sicani were the other two. According to some authors (Varro, Diodorus Siculus) the speakers of Sicel entered Sicily from the Italian mainland, and the language is quite likely of Indo-European origin. In particular the verb form pibe "drink" is a second-person singular present imperative active exactly cognate with Latin bibe and Sanskrit piba; this is firm evidence recommending the language's Indo-European origin.[2]
While it cannot be stated with certainty that the Sicel language belonged to the Italic subfamily of Indo-European, the Sicels were most probably related to a number of tribes of southern Italy — such as the Italiotes of Calabria, the Oenotrians, Chones, and Leuterni (or Leutarni), the Opicans, and the Ausones — all of which were overrun by Oscan-speaking Samnites, Lucanians, and Bruttii.[citation needed] A close relationship with Latin and Faliscan cannot be ruled out, however: Varro states that Sicel language was strictly allied to Latin as many words sounded almost identical and had the same meaning, such as oncia, lytra, moeton (Lat. mutuum).[3]
[edit] References
- ^ Sicel language - Britannica Online Encyclopedia
- ^ Benjamin W. Fortson IV, Indo-European Language and Culture. Second edition. Malden/Oxford: Wiley-Blackwell, 2009, p. 469.
- ^ Varro De Lingua Latina V 105 and 179.
