Iguvinas
Umbrian
Indo-European (Italic, Sabellic, Osco-Umbrian) · historical / hidden variety
Umbrian was a Sabellic (Osco-Umbrian) Italic language spoken in ancient Umbria and known almost entirely from the Iguvine Tablets — seven bronze tablets from Iguvium (modern Gubbio) recording the elaborate priestly rituals of the Atiedian Brotherhood. It shows characteristic Sabellic innovations such as rhotacism of intervocalic /s/, loss of final consonants, and the development of -nd- > -nn-, distinguishing it sharply from sister Latin.
Where it is spoken
87 core words in Umbrian
Sources
- Buck, C. D. (1928) A Grammar of Oscan and Umbrian, with a Collection of Inscriptions and a Glossary. Boston: Ginn & Co.
- Poultney, J. W. (1959) The Bronze Tables of Iguvium. American Philological Association Monograph 18.
- Untermann, J. (2000) Wörterbuch des Oskisch-Umbrischen. Heidelberg: Winter.
- Weiss, M. (2010) Language and Ritual in Sabellic Italy: The Ritual Complex of the Third and Fourth Tabulae Iguvinae. Leiden: Brill.
- Glottolog: Umbrian
Words compared
Compared with languages in the same classification: Indo-European (Italic, Sabellic, Osco-Umbrian)
| Meaning | Umbrian | Faliscan | Proto-Japonic-Koreanic | Iberian | Messapic | Venetic | Nicaraguan Sign Language |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Water | utur /ˈutur/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | ouriom /ˈouriom/ | — /—/ |
| Fire | pir /pir/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Sun | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Moon | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Star | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Night | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Mountain | ukar /ˈukar/ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Mother | matrer /ˈmatrer/ | mate /ˈmate/ | *əma /əma/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | matur /ˈmatur/ | — /—/ |
| Father | patre /ˈpatre/ | pater /ˈpater/ | *əpa /əpa/ | — /—/ | ana /ˈana/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| I | — /—/ | eko /ˈeko/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | eχo /ˈexo/ | — /—/ |
| You | tu /tuː/ | tu /tuː/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| We | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Name | nome /ˈnome/ | nomen /ˈnomen/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Eye | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Tooth | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Tongue | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Hand | manuv-e /maˈnuwe/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Foot | persi /ˈpersi/ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Heart | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Bone | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Blood | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Love | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Tree | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Dog | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Cat | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Fish | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Bird | auif /ˈawif/ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| House | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Salt | salu /ˈsalu/ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Wine | uinu /ˈwiːnu/ | uinom /ˈwiːnom/ | — | — | — | — | — |
| Eat | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Drink | — /—/ | pipafo /ˈpipafoː/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| One | unu /ˈunu/ | oinos /ˈoi̯nos/ | — /—/ | ban /ban/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Two | dur /dur/ | duo /ˈduo/ | — /—/ | bi /bi/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Three | trif /trif/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | irur /irur/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Hello | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Thank you | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Good | — /—/ | duenom /ˈduenom/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| Red | rofa /ˈrofa/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ | — /—/ |
| White | alfu /ˈalfu/ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
| Black | atru /ˈatru/ | — | — | — | — | — | — |
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