is an extinct
Celtic Language , the language of the
Lepontii , that was spoken in parts of
Cisalpine Gaul between
700 BC and
400 BC . Sometimes called '''Cisalpine Celtic''', it is considered a dialect of the
Gaulish Language and thus a
Continental Celtic language (Eska 1998).
The language is only known from a few inscriptions discovered that were written in the alphabet of
Lugano , one of five main varieties of
Northern Italic Alphabet s, derived from the
Etruscan Alphabet . These inscriptions were found in an area centered around
Lugano , including
Lago Di Como and
Lago Maggiore . Similar scripts were used for writing the
Rhaetic and
Venetic languages, and the
Germanic Runic Alphabet s probably derive from a script belonging to this group.
Lepontic was assimilated first by
Gaulish , with the settlement of Gaulish tribes north of the
River Po , and then by Latin, after the
Roman Republic gained control over Gallia Cisalpina during the late
Second and
First Century BC .
The grouping of all of these inscriptions into a single Celtic language has been disputed, and some (including specifically all of the older ones) are said to be in a non-Celtic language related to
Ligurian (Whatmough 1933, Pisani 1964). Under this view, which was the prevailing view until about 1970, Lepontic is the correct name for the non-Celtic language, while the Celtic language is to be called . Following Lejeune (1971), the consensus view became that Lepontic should be classified as a Celtic language, albeit possibly as divergent as
Celtiberian , and in any case quite distinct from Cisalpine Gaulish. Only in recent years, there has been a tendency to identify Lepontic and Cisalpine Gaulish as one and the same language.
While the language is named after the tribe of the ''Lepontii'', which occupied portions of
Rhaetia (in modern
Switzerland and
Italy ), in the
Alps , bordering Cisalpine Gaul, the term is currently used by many Celticists to apply to all Celtic dialects of ancient Italy. This usage is disputed by those who continue to view the ''Lepontii'' as one of several indigenous pre-Roman tribes of the Alps, quite distinct from the
Gaul s who invaded the plains of Northern Italy in historical times.
- Eska, J. F. (1998). The linguistic position of Lepontic. In ''Proceedings of the twenty-fourth annual meeting of the Berkeley Linguistics Society'' vol. 2, Special session on Indo-European subgrouping and internal relations (February 14, 1998), ed. B. K. Bergin, M. C. Plauché, and A. C. Bailey, 2–11. Berkeley : Berkeley Linguistics Society.
- Eska, J. F., and D. E. Evans. (1993). "Continental Celtic". In ''The Celtic Languages'', ed. M. J. Ball, 26–63. London : Routledge. ISBN 0-415-01035-7.
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- Tibiletti Bruno, M. G. (1978). "Ligure, leponzio e gallico". In ''Popoli e civiltà dell'Italia antica'' vi, ''Lingue e dialetti'', ed. A. L. Prosdocimi, 129–208. Rome : Biblioteca di Storia Patria.
- Tibiletti Bruno, M. G. (1981). "Le iscrizioni celtiche d'Italia". In ''I Celti d'Italia'', ed. E. Campanile, 157–207. Pisa : Giardini.
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