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{{Featured
{{Featured
|featured banner= Esto arteghio è ‘na rasda ascritta. Grazze þamma sina livella qaletadi, piosevoletadi gio capacitadi utilizza, fú gia ascritta votata.}}
|featured banner= Esto arteghio è ‘na rasda ascritta. Grazze þamma sina livella qaletadi, piosevoletadi gio capacitadi utilizza, fú gia ascritta votata.}}
{{construction}}
{{privatelang}}
{{privatelang}}
{{Infobox language
{{Infobox language
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* Gotho-Luthic — Gotholúthica (500–1100)
* Gotho-Luthic — Gotholúthica (500–1100)
* Mediaeval Luthic — Lúthica mezzevale (1100–1600)
* Medieval Luthic — Lúthica mezzevale (1100–1600)
* Late Mediaeval Luthic — Lúthica siþumezzevale (1600–1740)
* Late Medieval Luthic — Lúthica siþumezzevale (1600–1740)


Later, Lúcia Yamane proposed an even earlier stage, Proto-Luthic (oslúthica), dated to c. 325–500 AD. She argued that Proto-Luthic was not yet a distinct language, but rather a Vulgar Latin ethnolect spoken by Roman and Gothic communities during their prolonged coexistence in the Empire. No texts from this phase survive—if they ever existed, they were likely lost during the Gothic War (376–382) and the sack of Rome (410). As a linguistic construct, Proto-Luthic highlights the role of sociohistorical contact in shaping Luthic, moving beyond a model of simple divergence from Latin.
Later, Lúcia Yamane proposed an even earlier stage, Proto-Luthic (oslúthica), dated to c. 325–500 AD. She argued that Proto-Luthic was not yet a distinct language, but rather a Vulgar Latin ethnolect spoken by Roman and Gothic communities during their prolonged coexistence in the Empire. No texts from this phase survive—if they ever existed, they were likely lost during the Gothic War (376–382) and the sack of Rome (410). As a linguistic construct, Proto-Luthic highlights the role of sociohistorical contact in shaping Luthic, moving beyond a model of simple divergence from Latin.
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A civil code enacted under Theodoric the Great. While nominally covering the entire Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy, its focus was Ravenna, Theodoric’s favored capital. The Codex Ravennas was also written in the Gothic alphabet and, like the Codex Luthicus, shows signs of later scribal modification. It includes four additional leaves containing fragments of Romans 11–15, presented as a Luthic–Latin diglot.
A civil code enacted under Theodoric the Great. While nominally covering the entire Ostrogothic Kingdom of Italy, its focus was Ravenna, Theodoric’s favored capital. The Codex Ravennas was also written in the Gothic alphabet and, like the Codex Luthicus, shows signs of later scribal modification. It includes four additional leaves containing fragments of Romans 11–15, presented as a Luthic–Latin diglot.


During the mediaeval period, Luthic gradually diverged from both Latin and Gothic, taking shape as a distinct language. Latin remained the dominant written medium, but the limited Luthic texts that survive from this era were already transcribed in the Latin alphabet. Between the 7th and 16th centuries, Luthic underwent profound change under sustained contact with Old Italian, Langobardic, and Frankish.
During the Medieval period, Luthic gradually diverged from both Latin and Gothic, taking shape as a distinct language. Latin remained the dominant written medium, but the limited Luthic texts that survive from this era were already transcribed in the Latin alphabet. Between the 7th and 16th centuries, Luthic underwent profound change under sustained contact with Old Italian, Langobardic, and Frankish.


The Carolingian conquest of the Langobards (773–774) brought northern Italy under Frankish rule, cementing Frankish influence. Charlemagne’s renewal of the Donation of the Papal States further bound the region to the papacy, reinforcing Frankish as a prestige language. Yet, as Middle Francia fragmented, the authority of Lothair I became largely nominal, and the Middle Frankish Kingdom declined in importance.
The Carolingian conquest of the Langobards (773–774) brought northern Italy under Frankish rule, cementing Frankish influence. Charlemagne’s renewal of the Donation of the Papal States further bound the region to the papacy, reinforcing Frankish as a prestige language. Yet, as Middle Francia fragmented, the authority of Lothair I became largely nominal, and the Middle Frankish Kingdom declined in importance.
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Biagchi’s Luthicæ is widely regarded as foundational in Luthic linguistics. Beyond grammar, it addressed the relationship between Latin and the vernacular languages of Italy—an uncommon theme at the time—and introduced innovations such as diglot lemmata, enabling direct comparison of Latin and Luthic. His perspective was deeply influenced by Dante Alighieri, particularly Dante’s rejection of language as a fixed entity. Like Dante, Biagchi argued for a historical and evolutionary view of language, a principle that shaped both his scholarship and the subsequent development of Luthic.
Biagchi’s Luthicæ is widely regarded as foundational in Luthic linguistics. Beyond grammar, it addressed the relationship between Latin and the vernacular languages of Italy—an uncommon theme at the time—and introduced innovations such as diglot lemmata, enabling direct comparison of Latin and Luthic. His perspective was deeply influenced by Dante Alighieri, particularly Dante’s rejection of language as a fixed entity. Like Dante, Biagchi argued for a historical and evolutionary view of language, a principle that shaped both his scholarship and the subsequent development of Luthic.


By the early 18th century, Luthic had undergone substantial changes in vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and orthography. Around 1730, a standardised written form began to emerge, enriched by abstract vocabulary borrowed directly from Mediaeval Latin. This process culminated in the 1750s with the spread of printed prayer books and liturgical texts, which cemented Standard Ravennese Luthic as the prestige variety.
By the early 18th century, Luthic had undergone substantial changes in vocabulary, grammar, pronunciation, and orthography. Around 1730, a standardised written form began to emerge, enriched by abstract vocabulary borrowed directly from Medieval Latin. This process culminated in the 1750s with the spread of printed prayer books and liturgical texts, which cemented Standard Ravennese Luthic as the prestige variety.


The study of the Luthic language as an academic discipline can be traced back to Þiuþaricu’s pioneering work. Before Luthicæ, there had been no systematic attempt to analyse the language’s structure, history, and relationship with Latin and the Germanic languages. His writings laid the foundation for future scholarship, shaping the way Luthic was understood both in linguistic and cultural contexts.
The study of the Luthic language as an academic discipline can be traced back to Þiuþaricu’s pioneering work. Before Luthicæ, there had been no systematic attempt to analyse the language’s structure, history, and relationship with Latin and the Germanic languages. His writings laid the foundation for future scholarship, shaping the way Luthic was understood both in linguistic and cultural contexts.
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* (space) essa tazza è þina? → Is that cup (near the listener) yours?
* (space) essa tazza è þina? → Is that cup (near the listener) yours?
* (time) esso domnico garraggio. → I’m going this Sunday.
* (time) esso domnico andraggio. → I’m going this Sunday.


{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:35%; table-layout:fixed;"
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:center; width:35%; table-layout:fixed;"
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The fundamental principle of clause structure is the Verb-Second (V2) word order. This rule dictates that in any declarative main clause, the finite (conjugated) verb must always appear in the second position. The first position is occupied by the sentence’s topic, which can be the subject or another element (such as an adverb or object) moved to the front for emphasis. When a non-subject element occupies the first position, the subject must be inverted and placed after the verb.
The fundamental principle of clause structure is the Verb-Second (V2) word order. This rule dictates that in any declarative main clause, the finite (conjugated) verb must always appear in the second position. The first position is occupied by the sentence’s topic, which can be the subject or another element (such as an adverb or object) moved to the front for emphasis. When a non-subject element occupies the first position, the subject must be inverted and placed after the verb.


dregco þata vato.
: dregco þata vato.
: dregc-o þata vat-o
: drink-1SG the water
: “I drink the water.”


dregc-o þata vat-o
: þata vato dregco.
: þata vat-o dregc-o
: the water drink-1SG
: “The water is what I drink.”


drink-1SG the water
: bii liuvalicu.
 
: bi-i liuv-a-lic-u
“I drink the water.”
: be-2SG adorable
 
: “You are adorable.”
 
þata vato dregco.
 
þata vat-o dregc-o
 
the water drink-1SG
 
“The water is what I drink.”
 
 
bii liuvalicu.
 
bi-i liuv-a-lic-u
 
be-2SG adorable
 
“You are adorable.”
 
 
liuvalicu bii
 
liuv-a-lic-u bi-i
 
adorable be-2SG
 
“Adorable is what you are.”


: liuvalicu bii
: liuv-a-lic-u bi-i
: adorable be-2SG
: “Adorable is what you are.”


In contrast, subordinate clauses (introduced by conjunctions like í, ei, si, or þande) follow a strict Verb-Final (VF) word order, where the finite verb is placed at the very end of the clause.
In contrast, subordinate clauses (introduced by conjunctions like í, ei, si, or þande) follow a strict Verb-Final (VF) word order, where the finite verb is placed at the very end of the clause.


galuovo í, betese sarebbe si eta
: galuovo í, betese sarebbe si eta
 
: ga=luov-o í betes-e sar-ebb-e si eta
ga=luov-o í betes-e sar-ebb-e si eta
: think-1SG that better be-COND.3SG if it
 
: crai togissimu.
think-1SG that better be-COND.3SG if it
: crai tog-iss-imu
 
: tomorrow do-SUBJ.IMPF.1PL
crai togissimu.
: “I think that it would be better if we did it tomorrow.”
 
crai tog-iss-imu
 
tomorrow do-SUBJ.IMPF.1PL
 
“I think that it would be better if we did it tomorrow.”


Yes/no questions and direct commands use a Verb-First (V1) word order. Questions with an interrogative pronoun (e.g., vata) maintain the V2 structure, with the interrogative pronoun in the first position.
Yes/no questions and direct commands use a Verb-First (V1) word order. Questions with an interrogative pronoun (e.g., vata) maintain the V2 structure, with the interrogative pronoun in the first position.


gai þú snele?
: gai þú snele?
 
: ga-i þú snel-e
ga-i þú snel-e
: walk-2SG you fast
 
: “Do you walk fast?”
walk-2SG you fast
 
“Do you walk fast?”


: togi þú svasvi qeþo!
: tog-i þú svasvi qeþ-o
: do-IMP.2SG you as say-1SG
: “Do as I say!”


togi þú svasvi qeþo!
: vata togi þú?
 
: vata tog-i þú
tog-i þú svasvi qeþ-o
: what do-2SG you
 
: “What are you doing?”
do-IMP.2SG you as say-1SG
 
“Do as I say!”
 
 
vata togi þú?
 
vata tog-i þú
 
what do-2SG you
 
“What are you doing?”


Non-finite verb forms (infinitives, participles) and separable verb particles are placed at the end of the main clause.
Non-finite verb forms (infinitives, participles) and separable verb particles are placed at the end of the main clause.


Sa mina fregionda è aþþa festa anaqemando.
: Sa mina fregionda è aþþa festa anaqemando.
 
: s-a min-a fregi-ond-a è aþ=þa festa ana=qem-and-o
s-a min-a fregi-ond-a è aþ=þa festa ana=qem-and-o
: the my friend is to=the party on=come-GER
 
: “My friend is arriving (oncoming) at the party.”
the my friend is to=the party on=come-GER
 
“My friend is arriving (oncoming) at the party.”
 
 
sa mina fregionda qemò aþþa festa ana.
 
s-a min-a fregi-ond-a qem-ò aþ=þa fest-a ana
 
the my friend came to=the party on
 
“My friend arrived (came on) at the party.”


: sa mina fregionda qemò aþþa festa ana.
: s-a min-a fregi-ond-a qem-ò aþ=þa fest-a ana
: the my friend came to=the party on
: “My friend arrived (came on) at the party.”


As a rule, the subject pronoun is omitted unless it is expressed for emphasis, clusivity or clarity. Double emphasis can be used.
As a rule, the subject pronoun is omitted unless it is expressed for emphasis, clusivity or clarity. Double emphasis can be used.


snele bii þú.
: snele bii þú.
 
: snel-e bi-i þú
snel-e bi-i þú
: fast be-2SG you
 
: “Fast is what you really are.”
fast be-2SG you
 
“Fast is what you really are.”
 


====Case usage====
====Case usage====
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* Behaviour: molle vati. “Soft like water”
* Behaviour: molle vati. “Soft like water”
:* Often displaced by the relative adverb: molle svasvi vato. “Soft like water”
:* Often displaced by the relative adverb: molle svasvi vato. “Soft like water”
==Research==
Luthic is a well-documented language, supported by numerous academic departments in Italy devoted either specifically to Luthic or to linguistics more broadly, many of which maintain active research programs on the language. Ravenna serves as a major center of study, particularly through institutions such as the Linguistic Circle of Ravenna (Luthic: Crizzo Rasdavetascapetico Ravenne; Italian: Circolo Linguistico di Ravenna) at Ravenna University. A wide range of lexicographical and technological resources has been developed to support Luthic studies, and the language council Gaforþe folla Rasda Lúthica regularly publishes research at both national and international levels. Scholarly descriptions of the language appear in Luthic, Italian, and English, reflecting the interdisciplinary and multilingual character of current research. The most comprehensive grammar to date is Grammatica le Lúthice Rasde (“Grammar of the Luthic Language”) by Alessandru Fiscar and Luca Vagnar, written entirely in Luthic and spanning more than 600 pages. Several corpora are also available, including the Luthic Online Dictionary Project, which offers a curated lexicon of over 35,000 entries.
The Ravenna School of Linguistics emerged around Giuvanni Laggobardi and his evolving theory of language within the framework of structuralist linguistics. Together with Sognafreþu Rossi, Laggobardi founded the Circle of Linguistics of Ravenna in 1964, modeled after the Prague Linguistic Circle. Beginning in 1970, Ravenna University introduced courses in languages and philosophy; however, students were required to complete their final examinations at the Accademia della Crusca in order to graduate.
In 1990, the Ravenna University Circle of Phonological Development (Luthic: Crizzo Sviluppi Phonologici Ieniversitadi Ravenna) was established, though research on the earliest stages of Luthic phonological history remains limited. A decade later, in 2000, the Ravenna University Circle of Theology (Luthic: Crizzo Thiulogie Ieniversitadi Ravenna) was founded in collaboration with the Ravenna Cathedral, officially the Metropolitan Cathedral of the Resurrection of Our Lord Jesus Christ (Luthic: Cathedrale metropolitana deþe Ostassi Nostri Signori Giesuo Christi; Italian: Cattedrale metropolitana della Risurrezione di Nostro Signore Gesù Cristo; commonly referred to as the Duomo di Ravenna).
===Phonological development===
Research on the earliest stages of phonological development in Luthic has focused on how infants acquire the ability to organize sounds into meaningful linguistic units. Phonological development refers here to the gradual process by which children, during early growth and language acquisition, establish a phoneme inventory and internalize the phonotactic constraints of the language.
* Phoneme inventory and phonotactics
In the initial stages of word production, word-final consonants are rarely realised; consonants occur primarily in word-initial or intervocalic positions. By around six months of age, infants show sensitivity to the prosodic features of the ambient language, which allows them to segment continuous speech into meaningful units. At this stage, they are also able to distinguish stressed from unstressed syllables, reflecting an emerging awareness of the rhythmic and intonational properties of spoken Luthic.
* Around 10 months
Most consonants occur only in word-initial position, notably the voiced stops /d/ and /b/ and the nasal /m/. Voiceless stops /t/, /p/, and, less frequently, /k/ are also attested, sometimes functioning as allophones. A clear preference for front places of articulation is observed. Clicks may occur, primarily in the context of imitative behaviors (e.g., suckling, raspberries). Babbling becomes more structured, shifting from earlier vocal play to canonical reduplicated babbling (CVCV). Consonant clusters remain absent. First words usually emerge around 12 months, commonly in a CVCV format, such as mama (“mother”), papa (“father”), and dada (“give me!”).
* 21 months
The phonetic inventory expands to include the nasal /n/, the voiceless affricate /t͡ʃ/ (an allophone of /t ~ d/, since voicing is not yet contrastive), and the liquid /l/. The preference for anterior articulation persists, often resulting in palatalisation.
* 24 months
Additional fricatives appear, including /f ~ v/ and /s/, which may undergo palatalisation to /ʃ/, typically in intervocalic positions. Voicing begins to function as a contrastive feature. Onomatopoeic expressions become increasingly common (e.g., /aw aw/ for dog barking, /ow/ or more typically /aj/ for pain). Trisyllabic words emerge, generally following a C₁VC₂VC₃V pattern. Consonant clusters are now attested and frequently show consonant harmony (e.g., -mb-, -nd-, -dr-), although voiced–voiceless clusters such as -mp- and -tr- remain rare.
* 30 months
At this stage, children produce approximately equal numbers of phones in both word-initial and intervocalic positions. The voiced stop /ɡ/ and additional consonant clusters are introduced. Coarticulated segments, including labio-velar plosives, begin to occur. Alveolar and bilabial articulations dominate, while labiodental and postalveolar usage increases and velar production declines. Luthic-specific lenition processes become evident, characterised by a rise in fricatives and approximants. Children display greater awareness of syllabic segmentation than of phonemic segmentation.
* Word processes
These phonological processes may happen within a range of 3 to 6 years.
: Nasal assimilation: Non-nasal segments assimilate to a neighboring nasal (e.g., [ˈrɛn.dɐ] → [ˈnen.nɐ]).
: Weak syllable deletion: Unstressed syllables, particularly in initial or final positions, are omitted (e.g., [bɐˈnaː.nɐ] → [ˈna.nɐ]).
: Coda deletion: Final consonants or codas are omitted (e.g., [vɐr] → [vɐ]; [ˈbroː.dɐr] → [ˈbro.dɐ] or [ˈbro]).
: Consonant harmony: One consonant assimilates to another within the word (e.g., [vɐn] → [vɐɱ]; [ˈstɛk.kɐ] → [ˈstɛt.tɐ]).
: Coalescence: Adjacent consonants merge into one with shared features (e.g., [ˈzbaf.fu] → [ˈvaf.fu], realised as [ˈva.fu]).
: Cluster reduction: Consonant clusters are simplified (e.g., [oˈrek̟.k̟jɐ] → [oˈrej.jɐ] or [ˈre.jɐ]).
: Velar fronting: Velar plosives are replaced with alveolars before front vowels (e.g., [ki] → [ti] or [t͡ʃi]).
: Stopping or affrication: Fricatives are replaced by stops or affricates near front vowels (e.g., [si] → [ti] or [t͡ʃi]).
: Gliding: Liquids and taps are replaced by glides (e.g., [ˈkaː.ru] → [ˈka.wu]; [ˈaʎ.ʎo] → [ˈaj.jo]).
* 6 years
By this stage, children typically command an adult-like phonemic inventory. Their ability to produce complex phonotactic sequences and multisyllabic lexical items is largely established, though refinement continues throughout middle childhood.
==Typology==
Luthic has right symmetry, as do other VO languages (verb before object) like English.
{| class="wikitable" style="text-align:left; width:75%; table-layout:fixed;"
|+ Typological correlations
! style="width:40%;" | Correlation
! style="width:30%;" | VO language
! style="width:30%;" | Examples
|-
! Adposition type
| prepositions
| of..., than..., on...
|-
! Order of noun and genitive
| noun before genitive
| father + of John
|-
! Order of adjective and standard of comparison
| adjective before standard
| taller + than Bob
|-
! Order of verb and adpositional phrase
| verb before adpositional phrase
| slept + on the floor
|-
! Order of verb and manner adverb
| verb before manner adverb
| ran + slowly
|-
! Order of copula and predicative
| copula before predicate
| is + a teacher
|-
! Order of auxiliary verb and content verb
| auxiliary before content verb
| want + to see Mary
|-
! Place of adverbial subordinator in clause
| clause-initial subordinators
| because + Bob has left
|-
! Order of noun and relative clause
| noun before relative clause
| movies + that we saw
|}
==Sample text==
: Sacavano so vendu norde þata sòilo·vu, vaiu so forteso vá, van ienu pellegrinu, þamma acchia varma avviluppatu, anaqemò.
: sac-av-ano so vend-u nord-e þata sòil-o=vu vai-u so fort-es-o vá van ien-u pellegrin-u þamma acchi-a varm-a avvilupp-at-u ana-qem-ò.
: dispute-IPFV-3PL DEF.NOM.M.SG wind-NOM.SG north-NOM.SG DEF.NOM.N.SG sun-NOM.SG=CONJ which-NOM.SG DEF.NOM.M.SG strong-CMPR-NOM.M.SG be.PST.3SG when INDF.NOM.M.SG traveler-NOM.SG. DEF.DAT.M.SG cloak-DAT.SG warm-DAT.SG wrap-PTCP-NOM.M.SG on-come-PRF.3SG.
: Disputed the North Wind the Sun-and, which the stronger was, when a traveler, (in) the cloak warm wrapped, arrived.
: Sammirano i í, vaiu fromo þan’acchio þe pellegrini rimuovere magassi, so forteso þamm’aþera duomitu sarebbe.
: samm-irano i í vai-u from-o þan=acchi-o þe pellegrin-i rimuov-ere mag-ass-i so fort-es-o þamm=aþer-a duom-it-u sar-ebbe.
: agree-PRF.3PL 3PL.NOM COMP REL-NOM.SG. first-ADV DEF.ACC.M.SG=cloak-ACC.SG DEF.GEN.M.SG traveler-GEN.SG remove-INF able-IPFV.SBJV-3SG DEF.NOM.M.SG strong-CMPR-NOM.SG DEF.DAT.SG=other-DAT.SG judge-PTCP-NOM.M.SG be-COND.3SG.
: Agreed they that, who first the cloak of-the traveler to-remove might/could, the stronger than-the other considered would-be.
: Þan soffiò so vendu norde ardumente í, mageva, ac þan miese soffiava, þan miese servò so pellegrinu þan’acchio bi se.
: Þan soffi-ò so vend-u nord-e ard-u-mente í mag-ev-a ac þan mies-e soffi-av-a þan mies-e serv-ò so pellegrin-u þan=acchi-o bi se.
: then blow-PRF.3SG DEF.NOM.M.SG wind-NOM.SG north-NOM.SG hard-THM-ADV COMP able-IPFV-3SG but the more-ADV blow-IPFV-3SG the more-ADV fold-PRF.3SG DEF.NOM.M.SG traveler-NOM.SG DEF.ACC.M.SG=cloak-ACC.SG around REFL.DAT.
: Then blew the wind north hard-ly as able-was, but the more blew, the more folded the traveler the=cloak around himself.
: Gio angiamente aggevò so vendu norde þana sforzo. Þan scinò þata sòilo varmamente, gio immediatamente rimuové so pellegrinu þan’acchio.
: Gio angi-a-mente aggev-ò so vend-u nord-e þana sforz-o þan scin-ò þata sòil-o varm-a-mente gio immediat-a-mente rimuov-é so pellegrin-u þan=acchi-o
: and end-THM-ADV give.up-PRF.3SG DEF.NOM.M.SG wind-NOM.SG north-ADJ DEF.ACC.M.SG effort-ACC.SG then shine-PRF.3SG DEF.NOM.N.SG sun-NOM.SG warm-THM-ADV and immediate-THM-ADV remove-PRF.3SG DEF.NOM.M.SG traveler-NOM.SG DEF.ACC.M.SG=cloak-ACC.SG
: And finally gave-up the wind north the effort. Then shone the sun warm-ly, and immediately removed the traveler the=cloak.
: Sva obbligatu fú so vendu norde ad andetare í, þata sòilo so forteso tuaggi vá.
: Sva obblig-at-u fú so vend-u nord-e ad andet-are í þata sòil-o so fort-es-o tu-aggi vá.
: thus oblige-PTCP-NOM.M.SG be.PRF.3SG DEF.NOM.M.SG wind-NOM.SG north-ADJ to confess-INF COMP DEF.NOM.N.SG sun-NOM.SG DEF.NOM.M.SG strong-CMPR-NOM.SG two-GEN.PL be.PST.3SG
: Thus obliged was the wind north to confess that, the sun the stronger of-two was.


==See also==
==See also==
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Wiener, L.  
Wiener, L.  
* 1915 Commentary to the Germanic laws and mediaeval documents. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.
* 1915 Commentary to the Germanic laws and Medieval documents. Cambridge: Harvard University Press.


Winter, W.
Winter, W.
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