What language do we speak in Sardinia?
Sardo is a Romance language. Derived from Latin, it is one of the most conservatives among the Romance languages.
We have two main varieties: Logudoresu (central-northern Sardinia) and Campidanesu (south Sardinia).
Compared to other Latin languages, it didn’t go through the same path of mutations due to the constant contact with other populations that helped shaping Latin over time. Sardo evolved in isolation, maintaining sounds and vocabulary.
Linguists call Sardinia a “natural language laboratory” because it accidentally created the kind of conditions researchers wish they could design—but obviously never could. It lets them watch how languages change (or don’t) under unusually clean conditions.
Unfortunately, the younger generations don’t speak the language fluently and some don’t even understand it.
Here are some examples of Sardo with English translation:
Su tempus est bellu.
→ The weather is nice.
Sa domu est manna.
→ The house is big.
Issu est unu bonu amigu.
→ He is a good friend.
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