Data collected by the Latin Union, engaged to promote the cultural heritages of their 37 member states.

Data on Calabrian:

Alternative names: Calabriano, Calabro

Classification: Indo-European language family, Romance language, variation of Italian

The term “Calabrian” covers several dialects belonging to the Southern Italian dialect group (alongside Neapolitan).

Area: Europe, Southern Italy, region of Calabria

Number of speakers: No available data at this point.

Ethnologue estimates 7 000 000 speakers for the totality of the Calabrian-Neapolitan language group.

Language status: No official status.

Historical observations:

Up until the 3rd century BC, Calabria was a Greek colony. Subsequently, it fell under Roman, Byzantine, Arab, and Ostrogoth control, before being occupied by the Normand Robert de Guiscard in 1060 AD. Calabria eventually became the centre of the Kingdom of Sicily, and was later governed by the Kingdom of Aragon, by the Angevins, and by the Bourbons. In 1860, Calabria was integrated into Italy.

Sources & additional bibliography:

CARPANETO, Giorgio (1997), L’Italia dei dialetti, Rendina Editori.

RITORTO, Rocco (1998), “In Calabria quale dialetto?”, in La città del sole, n° 4.

WALTER, Henriette (1994), L’aventure des langues en occident, Laffont.

For more information on Calabrian:

http://www.italiadonna.it/public/percorsi/02014/calabriad.htm