Phd in LINGUISTICS

Thesis title: Una regione "introvabile": aspetti linguistici della Sabina

This study investigates the Sabine linguistic area, traditionally described in the literature as a "loosely defined entity" due to the difficulty of delineating its precise boundaries and internal articulations. Embedded within the linguistic continuum of Central Italy, the Sabine area is here examined as a dialectal group that shares several features with the dialects of Central Italy while also exhibiting local specificities. The research is based on first-hand data collected between 2023 and 2025 in various localities of the provinces of Rieti and L’Aquila, alongside a critical reassessment of previous linguistic documentation. The aim is to identify and describe distinctive phenomena of both the Sabine and Central Italian types (such as metaphony, vowel harmony, the -a/-i inflectional class, and the romance neuter) from a combined diachronic and diatopic perspective. The analysis seeks to clarify the internal and evolutionary dynamics of the Sabine area, contributing more broadly to the understanding of the dialectal landscape of Central Italy.