Changes

'''Old Vela Luka Speak''' in Croatian, ''Staro Luški govor''  <ref>Tako su stari govorili. Translated: ''That's how the old folk use to speak''.</ref> (or  

'''Old Vela Luka Speak''' in Croatian, ''Staro Luški govor''  <ref>Tako su stari govorili. Translated: ''That's how the old folk use to speak''.</ref> (or  

alternatively Vallegrande Speak) is an old [[Korcula Dialect]] from the small  town of Vela Luka. The town is on the west end of the island of Korčula.<ref>The č is pronounced ''ch''.</ref> The island of Korčula lies just off the Dalmatian coast in [[Croatia]].<ref>John Everett-Healu. "Dalmatia." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. Oxford University Press. 2005. Encyclopedia.com</ref> The language base of this Korčula Dialect is '''Croatian Chakavian''' <ref>'''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.</ref>  (it is also intermixed with Old Western Shtokavian<ref>[http://ukpmc.ac.uk/articles/PMC2121596/reload=0;jsessionid=7BE5888928AF51ECB79DC33089D0E57A.jvm1 The Land of 1000 Islands] by Igor Rudan

alternatively it could be called Vallegrande Speak) is an old [[Korcula Dialect]] from the small  town of Vela Luka. The town is on the west end of the island of Korčula.<ref>The č is pronounced ''ch''.</ref> The island of Korčula lies just off the Dalmatian coast in [[Croatia]].<ref>John Everett-Healu. "Dalmatia." Concise Dictionary of World Place-Names. Oxford University Press. 2005. Encyclopedia.com</ref> The language base of this Korčula Dialect is '''Croatian Chakavian''' <ref>'''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.</ref>  (it is also intermixed with Old Western Shtokavian<ref>[http://ukpmc.ac.uk/articles/PMC2121596/reload=0;jsessionid=7BE5888928AF51ECB79DC33089D0E57A.jvm1 The Land of 1000 Islands] by Igor Rudan

* "However, the clashes between the [[Directory:Turkey|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 [Dalmazia Veneta]. The newcomers brought their gene pool and a variety of cultural specificities, including the Shtokavian 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)."</ref>). It has very strong elements of ''Italian Venetian'' and it also has small remnants of the extinct Romance (Latin) language, '''Dalmatian''' <ref>PRILOG PROUČAVANJU LEKSIČKIH RAZLIKA IZMEĐU GOVORA BLATA I VELE LUKE (I) by Petar Milat Panža ''(Eng:'' Contribution to the Study of Lexical Differences Between the Speech of Blato and Vela Luka)</ref><ref>'''Encyclopedia Britannica''' {{quote|

* "However, the clashes between the [[Directory:Turkey|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 [Dalmazia Veneta]. The newcomers brought their gene pool and a variety of cultural specificities, including the Shtokavian 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)."</ref>). It has very strong elements of ''Italian Venetian'' and it also has small remnants of the extinct Romance (Latin) language, '''Dalmatian''' <ref>PRILOG PROUČAVANJU LEKSIČKIH RAZLIKA IZMEĐU GOVORA BLATA I VELE LUKE (I) by Petar Milat Panža ''(Eng:'' Contribution to the Study of Lexical Differences Between the Speech of Blato and Vela Luka): ''..... a famous Croatian linguist finally asserted that there is no Slavic studies without Roman studies! He admitted that it is not possible to study the Croatian language with its three dialects - Štokavian, Kajkavian and Chakavian - without studying Romance influences, especially on our Chakavian languages. By the term Romanic influences, we understand remnants from Latin through Dalmatian (Old Dalmatian, Dalmatian-Romance), then remnants from Venetian and all other Italian dialects, and finally the influences of the standard Italian language. Another group worthy of research is the lexicon of Slavic origin, which appears in the speech of Vela Luka, but is not present in the speech of Blato.''

 

</ref><ref>'''Encyclopedia Britannica''' {{quote|

''Romance language formerly spoken along the Dalmatian coast from the island of Veglia (modern Krk) to Ragusa (modern Dubrovnik). Ragusan Dalmatian probably disappeared in the 17th century.}}

''Romance language formerly spoken along the Dalmatian coast from the island of Veglia (modern Krk) to Ragusa (modern Dubrovnik). Ragusan Dalmatian probably disappeared in the 17th century.}}

</ref><ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalmatian_language Dalmatian Language (Wikipedia)]</ref>. The Dalmatian remnants within the dialect have been sometimes referred to as Corzulot. The local dialect is sometimes referred to as 'Naški' <ref>'''Note''': Naški means 'ours' thus meaning ''"our language"'' in Croatian.</ref>  (the '''š''' is pronounced '''sh''').

</ref><ref>[http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Dalmatian_language Dalmatian Language (Wikipedia)]</ref>. The Dalmatian remnants within the dialect have been sometimes referred to as Corzulot. The local dialect is sometimes referred to as 'Naški' <ref>'''Note''': Naški means 'ours' thus meaning ''"our language"'' in Croatian.</ref>  (the '''š''' is pronounced '''sh''').

[[File:242424 1862049509067 689609 o.jpg|thumb|right|500px|A ''Vela Luka-Vallegrande'' postcard from 1903, written in Croatian and [[Italy|Italian]]. Photo taken by Ernesto Furlani.]]

[[File:242424 1862049509067 689609 o.jpg|thumb|right|500px|A ''Vela Luka-Vallegrande'' postcard from 1903, written in Croatian and   [[Italy|Italian]]. Photo taken by Ernesto Furlani.]]

 

===Chronology-Korcula Island Languages===

===Chronology-Korcula Island Languages===

* Illyrian (Delmatae)

* Illyrian (Delmatae)

==Words from the Old Vela Luka Dialect  - Staro Luški==

==Words from the Old Vela Luka Dialect  - Staro Luški==

Old Vela Luka Dialect (Vallegrande Speak) - '''English''' - Croatian

Old Vela Luka Dialect - '''English''' - Croatian

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When the Serbian forces were annihilated in the ''Battle of Kosovo'' by the [[Directory:Turkey|Ottoman Empire]]  (Ottoman Turkish: دولت عليه عثماني) in '''1389''' a large group of peoples started a exodus westward (Byzantine's Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Empire - Turks in 1453). Venetian Dalmatia (Dalmazia Veneta) started to acquire new people in its region (i.e., Eastern Croatians - Hercegovci, Montenegrins, Albanians, Serbs & others) and add to the fact that the Black Plague <ref>Korcula was devastated by the plague in 1529 and 1558.{{citeweb|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/322146/Korcula|title='''"Korcula."''' '''Encyclopædia Britannica'''. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Tue. 8 Mar. 2011. |date=[[2011]]|accessdate=2011-03-8}}

When the Serbian forces were annihilated in the ''Battle of Kosovo'' by the [[Directory:Turkey|Ottoman Empire]]  (Ottoman Turkish: دولت عليه عثماني) in '''1389''' a large group of peoples started a exodus westward (Byzantine's Constantinople fell to the Ottoman Empire - Turks in 1453). Venetian Dalmatia (Dalmazia Veneta) started to acquire new people in its region (i.e., Eastern Croatians - Hercegovci, Montenegrins, Albanians, Serbs & others) and add to the fact that the Black Plague <ref>Korcula was devastated by the plague in 1529 and 1558.{{citeweb|url=http://www.britannica.com/EBchecked/topic/322146/Korcula|title='''"Korcula."''' '''Encyclopædia Britannica'''. Encyclopædia Britannica Online. Encyclopædia Britannica, 2011. Tue. 8 Mar. 2011. |date=[[2011]]|accessdate=2011-03-8}}

* '''Encyclopædia Britannica''': " A plague devastated the town in 1529, depleting the population. The burned houses of infected persons, called kućišta..."</ref><ref>[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=ZyOYDrSkX80C&pg=PA239&dq=Italian+population+Curzola&hl=en&ei=3ptXTcqwOIjSuwPI3NyrBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQ6AEwADgK#v=onepage&q=Italian%20population%20Curzola&f=false The Shores of the Adriatic (Illustrated Edition)] by F Hamilton Jackson (p239)</ref><ref>Plague Epidemic on the Island of Korcula 2007 by Nikola Bačić 2007: " ''13. EPIDEMIC 1617. It swept all of Dalmatia, but left the most severe consequences on the island of Korčula. It appeared first with the sailors of the Venetian ship (as N. Ostojić describes) who wintered in Korčula that year. Suburban homes had to be emptied to turn into dwellings for diseased sailors. The contagion soon spread to citizens and within a few months more than half of the population had died. A particularly devastating disease was, according to the data, for wealthier residents, so many entire noble families who had a reputation for their homeland were extinct.''"</ref> depleted the island's population the Venetian authorities saw a need to bring new families to the island of Korčula. Amongst these were Western Shtokavian Slavic speakers. With these new added migrations the Slavic speakers became a majority. This applies more to west end of the island, with the village of Račišće being the exception (the village is in the eastern part of the island).

* '''Encyclopædia Britannica''': " A plague devastated the town in 1529, depleting the population. The burned houses of infected persons, called kućišta..."</ref><ref>[http://books.google.com.au/books?id=ZyOYDrSkX80C&pg=PA239&dq=Italian+population+Curzola&hl=en&ei=3ptXTcqwOIjSuwPI3NyrBQ&sa=X&oi=book_result&ct=result&resnum=1&ved=0CDAQ6AEwADgK#v=onepage&q=Italian%20population%20Curzola&f=false The Shores of the Adriatic (Illustrated Edition)] by F Hamilton Jackson (p239)</ref><ref>Plague Epidemic on the Island of Korcula 2007 by Nikola Bačić 2007: " ''13. EPIDEMIC 1617. It swept all of Dalmatia, but left the most severe consequences on the island of Korčula. It appeared first with the sailors of the Venetian ship (as N. Ostojić describes) who wintered in Korčula that year. Suburban homes had to be emptied to turn into dwellings for diseased sailors. The contagion soon spread to citizens and within a few months more than half of the population had died. A particularly devastating disease was, according to the data, for wealthier residents, so many entire noble families who had a reputation for their homeland were extinct.''"</ref> depleted the island's population the Venetian authorities saw a need to bring new families to the island of Korčula. Amongst these were Western Shtokavian Slavic speakers. With these new added migrations the Slavic speakers became a strong majority. This applies more to west end of the island, with the village of Račišće being the exception (the village is in the eastern part of the island).

If the translation of the [[Defence of Korcula|Defence of Korčula]] 
from Ottoman Turkish Attack in 1571 (Corcyrae Melenae Opus - Antonii Rosanei), 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.  

If the translation of the [[Defence of Korcula|Defence of Korčula]] 
from Ottoman Turkish Attack in 1571 (Corcyrae Melenae Opus - Antonii Rosanei), 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.  

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 an 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 also 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 possibly the 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 an 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 also 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 possibly the new Slavic nobility in 1214.   

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.  

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 small remnants of the Romance Dalmatian language and with heavy influences of Italian Venetian (''lingua franca'' of that era). During the rule of the Republic of Venice (from 1420 to 1797) saw the 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).