Changes

Then around the 1690s <ref>Vela Luka od 1490 do 1834 ''by'' Zvonko Maričić (p207)</ref> there were additional twelve households (written in modern Croatian): Draginić, Tulić, Nalošić, Kostričić, Cetinić, Mirošević, Žuvela, Prižmić, Marinović, Dragojević, Barčot and Surjan.

Then around the 1690s <ref>Vela Luka od 1490 do 1834 ''by'' Zvonko Maričić (p207)</ref> there were additional twelve households (written in modern Croatian): Draginić, Tulić, Nalošić, Kostričić, Cetinić, Mirošević, Žuvela, Prižmić, Marinović, Dragojević, Barčot and Surjan.

Old Vela Luka Dialect (Vallegrande Speak) is an off shoot of the language spoken in '''17th-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 '''Latin Dalmatians'''. The modern name, Vela Luka is a old Croatian translation of Vallegrande, Vela meaning ''large'' and Luka meaning ''bay'' or even port. Within the Liber Legum Statutorum Curzola (Statute of Korčula Town) the written version from 1427, Vela Luka the bay is mention as "''vela Luca''". With this record we have Croatian-Slavic language influences in the first half of 15th century. The first written Liber Legum Statutorum Curzola was by the Dalmatian Latins and new Slavic nobility in 1214.   

Old Vela Luka Dialect is an off shoot of the language spoken in '''17th-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 '''Latin Dalmatians'''. The modern name, Vela Luka is a old Croatian translation of Vallegrande, Vela meaning ''large'' and Luka meaning ''bay'' or even port. Within the Liber Legum Statutorum Curzola (Statute of Korčula Town) the written version from 1427, Vela Luka the bay is mention as "''vela Luca''". With this record we have Croatian-Slavic language influences in the first half of 15th century. The first written Liber Legum Statutorum Curzola was by the Dalmatian Latins and new Slavic nobility in 1214.   

Very important to note there is a strong element of Italian Venetian within Vallegrande Speak. By the time of 15th and 16th century the majority of the population of the island of Korčula (more in the west end) spoke Old Croatian with a mix of the Romance Dalmatian language and with heavy influences of Venetian (Lingua Franca of that era). During the rule of the Republic of Venice (from 1420 to 1797) saw the slow disappearance of Romance (Latin) Dalmatian.  

Very important to note there is a strong element of Italian Venetian within Old Vela Luka Dialect. By the time of 15th and 16th century the majority of the population of the island of Korčula (more in the west end) spoke Old Croatian with a mix of the Romance Dalmatian language and with heavy influences of Venetian (Lingua Franca of that era). During the rule of the Republic of Venice (from 1420 to 1797) saw the slow disappearance of Romance (Latin) Dalmatian.  

It also has to be taken into account that some parts of the population were bilingual (''or'' even multilingual).

It also has to be taken into account that some parts of the population were bilingual (''or'' even multilingual).

One could easily say that now the Old Vela Luka Dialect (Staro Luški govor - Vallegrande Speak) is slowly 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 political rule. One of their policies in Dalmatia was Slavicisation of the culture, language and history. Before Yugoslavia came into being the policy was first started to be implemented by Austro-Hungarian Empire, so the original '''Mr Gabrielli''' 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 Govor, English: Luski Speak) is different and has incorporated much of the standardised modern Croatian language (Croatian Literary Standard).  

One could easily say that now the Old Vela Luka Dialect (Staro Luški govor) is slowly 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 political rule. One of their policies in Dalmatia was Slavicisation of the culture, language and history. Before Yugoslavia came into being the policy was first started to be implemented by Austro-Hungarian Empire, so the original '''Mr Gabrielli''' 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 Govor, English: Luski Speak) is different and has incorporated much of the standardised modern Croatian language (Croatian Literary Standard).  

'''Note''': From the late 19th century onwards the old [[Dalmatian Italians#The Cultural and Historical Venetian Presence in Dalmatia |Dalmatian]] culture has been all but disappearing from the region.

'''Note''': From the late 19th century onwards the old [[Dalmatian Italians#The Cultural and Historical Venetian Presence in Dalmatia |Dalmatian]] culture has been all but disappearing from the region.