For a diachronic analysis of Bolognese: History of a dialect at the heart of Emilia-Romagna

The phonetic evolution of Bolognese from Vulgar Latin to the present-day situation can be reconstructed with the help of two basic tools: 1) constant comparison with those related Emilian-Romagnol dialects which have remained at a less innovative phase of their development (notably the very conservative dialects spoken on the high Bolognese Apennine); 2) the application of the results given by articulatory phonetics to the different development phases studied by historical phonetics. In the case of Bolognese, this leads to the conclusion that an old vowel system made up of 7 elements, not identical but comparable to that of Tuscan and in general of Central Italian dialects, has given an inventory of 16 phonemes as a result of an ancient quantity distinction depending on the syllable being open or closed. Many consonants which are typical of Bolognese and the oriental part of the region of Emilia-Romagna can also be explained in their historical development thanks to articulatory phonetics and to the comparison between different dialects.

Keywords: Bolognese, Lizzanese dialect (Lizzano in Belvedere), Emilian-Romagnol dialects, Galloitalian dialects, historical phonetics, Aemilian.