Vallegrande Speak from Vela Luka

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The island of Korcula is marked red. Dalmatia (the dark purple) within todays modern Croatia

Vallegrande Speak (in Croatian, Luški) [1] is a old Korcula Dialect from the town of Vela Luka. The town is on the west end of the island of Korčula.[2] The island of Korčula lies just off the Dalmatian coast in Croatia.[3] The language base of this Korčula dialect is Chakavian Croatian [4] (it is also intermixed with Shtokavian).[5] The dialect has remnants of the extinct Latin Romance language, Dalmatian. The Dalmatian remnants within the dialect have been sometimes referred to as Corzulot.

Additionally it has influences of Venetian.[6] The local dialect is sometimes referred to as Naski or more correctly Naški.[7] The š is pronounced sh. Sir John Gardner Wilkinson, [8] a 19 century English historian, referred to the Dalmatian Slavic dialect as Illirskee.[9]

One of Korčula's old names was Curzola. The island was from 1420 to 1797 part of the Republic of Venice. The Old-Slavic term was Krkar. According to Nikola Ostojic (Compendio Storico dell Isola di Curzola) the Greeks named it "Black Corfu" (Kórkyra Melaena) after their homeland and the dense woods on the island. [10] Vela Luka in the past was called Vallegrande.


A Vela Luka-Vallegrande postcard from 1903, written in Croatian and Italian. Photo taken by Ernesto Furlani.

Chronology-Korcula Island Languages

  • Illyrian (Delmatae)
  • Greek
  • Latin (Romans)
  • Romance Dalmatian
  • Slavic (Old Croatian-Chakavian)
  • Venetian
  • Slavic - Shtokavian
  • Italian (standardise language arrived)
  • Serbo-Croatian (standardise language)

Modern times

  • Croatian (standardise language)

Additional History

Trying to re-tell the history of this part of the world (Dalmatia part of Croatia) is fraught with problems. The Yugoslav Communist party was the main driving force in all social matters within the former Yugoslavia. It created historic falsehoods to promote its own aggressive political authoritarian agenda.

We can definitely confirm that from the 9th century onwards there were two ethnic communities living on the island in the middle ages, one being descendants of the Roman Empire and the other being of Slavic descent. [11][12] Two languages, the Romance Latin language called Dalmatian and the old Slavic Chakavian language became the norm on the island. With time these languages started to overlap. The written language was Latin. The fact that Slavs from the then neighbouring Kingdom of Croatia also spoke old Slavic Chakavian could indicate that this group of Slavs came from the same tribal group.

When the Serbian forces were annihilated in the Battle of Kosovo by the Ottoman Empire in 1389 a large group of peoples stated to migrate westward. Venetian Dalmatia started to acquire new people in its region (i.e., Croatians, Serbs, Albanians & others). When the Black Plague [13][14] depleted the island's population the Venetian authorities saw a need to bring new families to the island of Korčula. Amongst these were Shotkavian Slavic speakers. With these new added migrations the Slavic speakers became a majority (this applies more to west end of the island).

If the translation of the Defence of Korčula 
from Ottoman Turkish attack in 1571, originally written by Antun (Antonio) Rozanovic is untainted, we can see that the majority of the defenders of the island were by 1571 of Slavic decent. If we use this as a reference then from the mid 16th century onwards the majority of Korčula's population was indeed of Slavic origins.

The Vallegrande Speak evolved in the first half of the 19th century. Vela Luka's early beginnings, from the late 18th century, started with the population of the neighbouring Blato [15] setting up a town in the large bay of Vallegrande (modern: Vela Luka). Vallegrande Speak is an off shoot of the language spoken in 18th century town of Blato. Etymology of Vallegrande would translate as large bay. From Latin grandis means large, big whilst ' valle ' in local dialect means bays. Valle (plural) is most probably of Romance (Latin) Dalmatian origin which was spoken by Roman Dalmatians.

It is believed that there were two hamlets in the bay, Vela Luka and Bobovišċa.

One could easily say that the old Vallegrande Speak is becoming extinct. Successive Yugoslavian governments, be it the Communist Yugoslavian regime (1945-92) or the earlier Kingdom of Yugoslavia, pushed a Pan-Slavic and Croatian Nationalistic authoritarian political rule. One of their policies in Dalmatia was Slavicisation of the culture, language and history. So Mr Gabriel became Gabrijeliċ. It takes only one generation to change a language, two generations for it to cease to exist. Today's dialect in Vela Luka (Luški) is different and has incorporated much of the standardised modern Croatian language.

Note: From the late 19th century onwards the old Dalmatian culture has been all but disappearing from the region. The last Italian-language government school was abolished in Korčula on the 13th of September 1876.[16][17]

  • Information below taken from Beginnings of Formal Education - Vela Luka:
“ Italian language was not only the official language in all public Dalmatian establishments, but also was the spoken language in a significant number of white-collar, civil service and merchant families in the cities and major markets within towns [18] ”

Arneri Lords of Korcula

Historic quote taken from Researches on the Danube and the Adriatic written by Andrew Archibald Paton in 1861. Chapter 4 - The Dalmatian Archipelago on page 164.

  • Signor Arneri from the town of Korčula stated to Andrew Archibald Paton:
“ These three pears you see on the wall," said he, "are the arms of my family. Perussich was the name, when, in the earlier part of the fifteenth century, my ancestors built this palace; so that, you see, I am Dalmatian. All the family, fathers, sons, and brothers, used to serve in the fleets of the Republic (Editors notes: Republic of Venice); but the hero of our race was Arneri Perussich, whose statue you see there, who fought, bled, and died at the Siege of Candia,[19] whose memory was honoured by the Republic, and whose surviving family was liberally pensioned; so his name of our race. We became Arneri, and ceased to be Perussich [20][21] ”
  • Andrew Archibald Paton (1811-1874) was a British diplomat and writer from the 19 century he visited Korčula in the early 1860s.

Words from the Vallegrande Speak-Korcula dialect of Croatia

(Vallegrande Speak - English - Croatian)

Template:Col-break
  • adio - goodbye - doviđenja
  • afitat - rent (Venetian:afìt)
  • aimemeni or ai me meni - poor me or oh dear!
  • alavia - done properly or it's Ok! - u redu
  • apoteka - pharmacy (Venetian: apoteca, Greek: Apotheke)
  • arbol - ship's mast (In Venetian it means tree)
  • aria - air - zdrak (Venetian: aria)
  • arma - armed (Venetian: arma)
  • ašeta - a type of tool
  • avižat [22] - to arrive - došao
  • bala - dance - plesati (Venetian: baleto)
  • baleta - bullet - metak (Venetian: bal)
  • banda - side - strana (In Venetian it means side & flank)
  • balun - football (Venetian: balón)
  • banak - bench (Venetian: banca) [23]
  • baraka - shed or shack (Venetian: baràca)
  • barba - uncle - stric (Venetian: barba)
  • bareta - cap, hat (Venetian: baret)
  • barilo - barrel (Venetian: barìla)
  • barka - type of local boat (Venetian: bàrca)
  • bašje - lower
  • bat - a type of hammer (Venetian: batu meaning to strike)
  • bevanda - wine with water - vino sa vodom (Venetian: bevànda "watery wine")
  • beštija - animal - životinja (Latin: bestia also beast)
  • beštimat - swear (Venetian: bestiemàr)
  • bičve - socks - čarape
  • bićerin - small glass (Venetian: bicér "glass")
  • bira - beer - pivo (Venetian: bira)
  • Brigela - local nickname (Venetian: brighela joker)
  • brokva - nail
  • bobon - lolly
  • boca - bottle - flaša (Venetian: boca)
  • bonaca - the sea is dead calm (Venetian: bonàça)
  • botilja - bottle (Romance Dalmatian: botaila)
  • botun - button (Romance Dalmatian: botaun)
  • bravo - well done
  • buka - noisy (Romance Dalmatian: mouth)
  • bukva - herring
  • bura - local wind (Venetian: bora)
  • burlsa - bag
  • butiga - shop
  • buža - hole - rupa (Venetian: bus or buxa)
  • cilo - wine without water - vino bez vode
  • cukar - sugar - šečer (Venetian: sucaro)
  • čakule - gossip
  • čagalj - jackal
  • čejadih - people - narod
  • čorav - blind (Venetian: ciòro "blind person")
  • damižana - a netted bottle
  • daska - small plank
  • daž - rain - kiša
  • Defora in old Venetian means "from the outside".
  • dobota - nearly - ((Venetian: dedoto or doboto)
  • dreto - straight (Romance Dalmatian: drat)
  • Di - where - gdje
  • Di greš?- Where are you going?
  • ižejat - to work out or improvise
  • ipo - half
  • iza - after or above
  • izija - ate
  • faca - face - lice (Venetian: faca)
  • fabrika - factory - tvornica (Latin: fabrica- manufacture or to craft, trade, art, trick, device)
  • fabrikat - to trick
  • falso - fake (Venetian: falso "liar")
  • fatiga - work - radi
  • feral - a gas or petroleum lamp for attracting fish (night fishing). Also in Venetian feral means "lamp".
  • fermai - stop - stani
  • feta - slice (Venetian: feta)
  • figura - figure (Venetian: figura)
  • fjaka - When one feels sleepy on a lazy summer day afternoon.
  • forma - shape (Venetian: forma)
  • fraja - to go out and have a good time (Venetian: fraja-happy company or happy bunch)
  • frigati - to fry (Romance Dalmatian: fregur)
  • frižul - a spot to have a chat (within the town)
  • forca - power (apply with strength)
  • fortuna - strong wind
  • fratar - priest (Latin: frater meaning brother)
  • fuga - gap (Latin: flight, escape)
  • fumar - chimney (Venetian: fuma meaning smoke)
  • fumati - smoking - pušiti
  • furešti - foreigner - stranac
  • gače - pants
  • gira - a fish from Croatia.
  • gre - I'm going
  • grintav - they are in a bad mood
  • griža - a form of very hard stone
  • gundula - type of boat
  • gusti - enjoyment (Venetian: gusto-pleasurable)
  • gusto - thick
  • gustrina - underground rainwater reservoir
  • guzica - bottom
  • hoča - lets go
  • kacavida - screwdriver
  • kadena - chain (Romance Dalmatian:kataina)
  • kajić - type of local boat
  • kajiš - belt
  • Kalafat - means masters (shipyard workers) who filled the fissures between boards on a wooden boat.
  • kamara - bedroom - soba (Latin: camera-vault, vaulted room)
  • kantat - to sing - pjevati (Latin: canto)
  • kapula - onion - luk (Romance Dalmatian: kapula)
  • karoca - small carriage (Venetian: carosa)
  • kašeta - small wooden box
  • katrida - chair - stolica (Romance Dalmatian: katraida)
  • katun - corner (Latin: cantus)
Template:Col-break
  • klapa - an a cappella form of music [24] (Venetian:clapa "singing crowd")
  • keleh - the floor
  • kolbuk - hat
  • koltrine - curtains
  • konoba - cellar
  • kontra - against - protiv (Latin: contra)
  • korač - hammer
  • kormilo - rudder
  • krepa - died - umro (Venetian: crepar meaning die also means crack)
  • kužina - Kichten - kuhinja (Venetian: cuxìna)
  • kužin - cousin - rođak (Venetian: cuxìn)
  • lacun - bed sheets
  • lapis - pencil - olovka (Venetian: apis)
  • lavadin - washbasin (Venetian: lavandin)
  • leć - sleep - spavati
  • lešada - a type of fish soup (boiled)/ Lesada in Venetian means boil.
  • leut - type of local boat
  • levant - local wind
  • libro - book - knjiga
  • licenca - licence - dozvola (Venetian: icenca)
  • lipo - nice or beautiful - ljepo
  • očetavat - to unhook, sort out
  • mahnit - crazy, unstable, nuts
  • maistral - local wind
  • makina - machine
  • makina od pranja- washing machine
  • Malandrin - Local nickname. In Venetian it means: dishonest or crook
  • mapa - map (Venetian: mapa)
  • Maragun - wood worker (Venetian: Marangòn)
  • mat - mother - majka
  • mećat - to throw
  • meja - a stone wall in the field (stone fence)
  • mezo - in between (Venetian: mèzo "half")
  • mlinko - milk
  • mola - let go
  • motika - local agricultural tool
  • mudante - underwear (Venetian: mudande)
  • noštromo - boatswain
  • parlaš - talking - govoriti (Venetian: he speaks)
  • parti - leaving
  • pamidora - tomato (Italian pamidore)
  • pandur - policemen - policija (Venetian: panduro)
  • panja - bread - kruh
  • papit - this word is used when feeding a child - jedi djete (Venetian: papa-means baby food)
  • patalone - pants
  • perun - fork (Venetian: pirón from Greek: pirouni)
  • piat - plate
  • pikolo - small, little (Venetian: picolo)
  • Pelišac - Pelješac (other names used: Stonski Rat, Puncta Stagni, Ponta di Stagno and Sabioncello)
  • pirula - pill - tableta (Venetian: pirola)
  • pistun - piston (Venetian: piston)
  • pitura - paint (Venetian: pitura-painting)
  • piz - weight (Latin origin, Venetian: pexa meaning weighing)
  • poć na ribe - going fishing - ići na ribanje
  • popričat - lets discus
  • postelja - bed - krevet
  • postoli - shoes - cipele
  • pripovidat - to tell a story
  • probi - penetrate
  • prskat - to shower (mini)
  • prat- wash
  • pule - baby donkey
  • punte - pionts
  • punistra - window (Latin: fenestra)
  • puntižel - plak
  • regeta - light sheet metal
  • rič - word
  • ritko - not often
  • senjat - to mark
  • setemana - week - tijedan (Venetian: setemana)
  • skula - school - škola
  • spim - I'm sleeping
  • spiza - food - hrana
  • soldi - money - novac (Latin: solidus)
  • soto - underneath - ispod (Venetian: sot or soto)
  • sritan - happy or lucky - sretan
  • stezi - tighten
  • šegac - saw
  • šestan - attractive or good looking (Venetian:sesto-grace, well mannered)
  • šija - reverse - natrag
  • šiloko - local wind (Venetian: siròco)
  • škoj - island - otok
  • škver - shipyard - brodgradilište
  • špina - tap (Venetian: spina)
  • špirit - spirit
  • šporko - dirty (Venetian: spórco)
  • štrada - street - ulica
  • šufit - attic or loft (Venetian: sofìta)
  • šugaman - beach towel
  • tata - father - otac
  • torta - a type of cake
  • tavajola - tablecloth (Venetian: toaja)
  • teće - leaking
  • terpeza - table - stol
  • tira - pull
  • tudin - small round steel bar
  • ura - hour - jedan sat
  • vala - bay (vale - bays)
  • vapor - ferry - trajekt (Venetian: Bapor meaning steamship)
  • vara vamo - move on or move over there
  • vedro - clear sky
  • vela - big - veliko
  • vida - screw
  • Vi ga niste vidili - You did not see him.
  • zeje - local dish
  • zamuti - to stir
  • zrcalo - mirror - ogledalo
Template:Col-end
Vela Luka (Croatia) on the island of Korčula in the 1890s.

Names of Bays, Fields and Parts of the Town

  • Guvno
  • Bobovišċa (once not part of Vela Luka)
  • Bad
  • Kale
  • Vranac
  • Gradina (bay)
  • Bradat (field)

See also

External Links

Notes & References

Dalmatia's Coat of arms
  1. ^ The š is pronounced sh.
  2. ^ The č is pronounced ch.
  3. ^ John Everett-Healu. "Dalmatia." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. Oxford University Press. 2005. Encyclopedia.com
  4. ^ Editors note: Slavic tribes invaded the region of Roman Dalmatia in the early Middle Ages. Prior to the arrival of the Slavs, Roman Dalmatia was mainly inhabited by a Roman Latin-Illyrian population. Recent DNA studies have stated that more than three quarters of today's Croatian men are the descendants of Europeans who inhabited Europe 13 000-20 000 years ago (prior to the arrival of the Slavs). The first primary source (factual-that its authenticity isn't disputed) to mention the Croatian-Hrvat identity in the Balkans was Duke Branimir (Latin: "Branimiro comite dux cruatorum cogitavit" c. 880 AD). Branimir was a Slav from Dalmatia.
  5. ^ The Land of 1000 Islands by Igor Rudan
    • "However, the clashes between the Ottoman Empire and Venetian Republic produced extensive migrations from the mainland areas, especially from today's Bosnia and Herzegovina, to the eastern parts of the islands of Brač, Hvar, Korčula, and Pag. The newcomers brought their gene pool and a variety of cultural specificities, including the “Shokavian” dialect of the Croatian language to the predominantly “Chakavian” area. The most extensive migrations to these islands occurred during the Cypriote (1571-1573), Candian (1645-1669), and Morean wars (1684-1699). The newcomers were given land and awarded special privileges “The Paštrović Privileges”."
  6. ^ Concerning the Number of Italians/Pro-Italians in Dalmatia in the XIXth Century by Šime Peričić
    • "It is true, then a small colony of Italians were in Sibenik, on the island of Korcula, Hvar and Vis, and other places of the province."
  7. ^ Note: Naški means "ours" thus meaning "our language" in Croatian.
  8. ^ Dalmatia and Montenegro: With a Journey to Mostar in Herzegovina by Sir John Gardner Wilkinson. (p33)
    • Sir John Gardner Wilkinson (October 5, 1797 – October 29, 1875) was an English traveller, writer and pioneer Egyptologist of the 19th century. He is often referred to as "the Father of British Egyptology".
  9. ^ Illyricum was a Roman province named after one of the Indigenous groups in the region.
  10. ^ Historical Compendium of the Island of Korcula by Nikola Ostojic (p.5)
    • Corcira Melaena (Greek:Kórkyra Melaena)
  11. ^ When Ethnicity Did not Matter in the Balkans: by John Van Antwerp Fine. (p103)
  12. ^ Smiciklas, CD V, (p237); N. Klaic, Povijest Hrvata u Razvijenom, (p130)
“ In 1262 the Venetian praised the Slavs and Latins on the island of Korcula for submitting to the prince Venice had sent. ”
  • ^ Korcula was devastated by the plague in 1529 and 1558.""Korcula." Encyclopædia Britannica. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Tue. 8 Mar. 2011." (2011). Retrieved on 2011-03-8.
    • Encyclopædia Britannica: " A plague devastated the town in 1529, depleting the population. The burned houses of infected persons, called kućišta..."
  • ^ The Shores of the Adriatic (Illustrated Edition) by F Hamilton Jackson (p239)
  • ^ In Croatian blato means mud.
  • ^ The Italians of Dalmatia by Luciano Monzali (p83)
  • ^ Editor's Note: The island of Korcula was part of the Austro-Hungarian Empire (1815 to 1918). It was was part of the Kingdom of Dalmatia. In the neighbouring Kingdom of Croatia-Slavonia a Croatian nationalistic movement was established and alongside that, within the Balkan region a Pan-Slavic movement was growing (the beginnings of the ill fated Yugoslavia). These political on goings started to be felt in the Kingdom of Dalmatia. The Austrians in the 1860s started to introduce (a process of Croatisation) within the Kingdom of Dalmatia a standardised Croatian language sometimes referred to as Illirski. It then replaced Italian altogether. In effect the government undertook culture genocide. For centuries the Italian language was the official language of the Dalmatian establishment. It was also the spoken language in white-collar, civil service and merchant families.Privately Italian schools were still being run in the Kingdom of Dalmatia, i.e the city of Zadar.
  • ^ The Early Beginnings of Formal Education - Vela Luka (beginnings of literacy and Lower Primary School 1857 – 1870) (p.8 written in Croatian)
  • ^ The Siege of Candia (modern Heraklion, Crete) was a military conflict in which Ottoman forces besieged the Venetian ruled city and were victorious. Lasting from 1648 to 1669, it is considered by some to be the longest siege in history.
  • ^ Researches on the Danube and the Adriatic: by Andrew Archibald Paton. Chapter 4. The Dalmatian Archipelago. (p164)
  • ^ Otok Korčula (2nd edition) by Marinko Gjivoje, Zagreb 1969.
    • Editors note: Here is a perfect example of a Slavic family surname becoming later Venetian in character. According to Marinko Gjivoje, Perussich in modern Croatian is Piruzović. The book outlines A-Z about the island of Korcula, from traditions, history, culture to wildlife, politics & geography. (p46-p47)
  • ^ The ž is is pronounced zh.
  • ^ Venetian-English English-Venetian: When in Venice Do as the Venetians by Lodovico Pizzati (p19)
  • ^ The traditional Klapa was composed of up to a dozen male singers (in recent times there are female Klape groups). Klapa singing dates back centuries. The arrival of the Slavic-Croatians to Dalmatia and their subsequent settlement in the area, began the process of the cultural mixing of Slavic culture with that of the traditions of the Roman population of Dalmatia. This process was most evident in the coastal and island regions of Dalmatia. In the 19th century a standard form of Klapa singing emerged. Church music heavily influences the arrangements of this music giving it the musical form that exists today.

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