Venetian (lingua veneta ) is a Romance language with about four million speakers in and around Venice.
As with other Italian languages, it is often referred to a dialect, in particular by Italian speakers, but it is in fact a separate language (itself with several dialects).
If you would like to contribute any Venetian phrases, please do.
An extract from the Venetian version of the Little Prince.
Co gaveo sie ani gò visto , na volta , un dixegno propio beło in te un libro che’l parlava deła foresta vergine, che’l se ciamava Storie vecie. Sto dixegno el faxea vedare un serpente boa che’l se magnava na bestia. Eco quà ła copia del dixegno
A long time ago, when I was six years old, in a book about primeval forests, called 'True Stories from Nature', I saw a magnificant drawing. It was a picture of a boa constrictor in the act of swallowing an animal. Here is a copy of the drawing.
Pare nostro, che Te si ente i siełi,
che’l sie santifegà el To nome,
che’l venne el To Renjo,
che ła se fai ła To vołontà
tanto in sieło cofà in tera.
El pan nostro cotidian dane ancó
e dezmétane i nostri dèbiti
come che nialtri che łi dezmetemo a i nostri debitori
e no sta’indurne in tension
ma dełiberane da’l małe,
Amen
A Venetian grammer (in Italian).
www.linguaveneta.net.