Il mòcheno

Abstract

The aim of this article is to illustrate the Mòcheno language through a discussion of the historical development of the Mòcheno community, the etymology of the word Mòcheno, an overview of its key phonological, morphological, syntactic and lexical properties. It will be shown that the Mòcheno language is a conservative variety exhibiting typical traits of Middle-High German (1050–1350), which belongs to the Southern Bavarian dialects group. The contact with Romance varieties can surely be found but is to be considered marginal.