File:OsqueBritishMuseum.jpg · Wikimedia Commons · See Wikimedia Commons
Oscan was an ancient language spoken in southern Italy that eventually died out as Latin became dominant in the region. It matters to historians and linguists because surviving Oscan texts and inscriptions provide valuable evidence about the early peoples of Italy and how languages changed during the Roman period.
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Key facts
- Native to
- Samnium , Campania , Lucania , Calabria and Abruzzo
- Region
- south and south-central Italy
- Extinct
- >79 AD
- Language family
- Indo-European Italic Osco-Umbrian (Sabellic) Oscan
- Early forms
- Proto-Indo-European Proto-Italic
- Dialects
- Hernican Marrucinian Oscan proper Paelignian Vestinian ?
- Writing system
- Old Italic alphabet , Greek alphabet , later the Latin alphabet
- Iso 639 3
- osc
- Linguist list
- osc
- Glottolog
- osca1245
via Wikipedia infobox
Wikidata facts
- Image
- Denarius-Marsic Federation-Syd 627-1-.jpg
Show 2 more facts
- Commons category
- Oscan inscriptions
Sources (6)
via Wikidata · CC0
~24 min read
Article
Oscan is an extinct Indo-European language of southern Italy. The language is in the Osco-Umbrian or Sabellic branch of the Italic languages. Oscan is therefore a close relative of Umbrian and South Picene.
Oscan was spoken by a number of tribes, including the Samnites, the Lucani, the Aurunci (Ausones), and the Sidicini. The latter two tribes were often grouped under the name "Osci". The Oscan group is part of the Osco-Umbrian or Sabellic family, and includes the Oscan language and three variants (Hernican, Marrucinian and Paelignian) known only from inscriptions left by the Hernici, Marrucini and Paeligni, minor tribes of eastern central Italy. Adapted from the Etruscan alphabet, the Central Oscan alphabet was used to write Oscan in Campania and surrounding territories from the 5th century BC until at least the 1st century AD.