Ciarnesian language

Ciarnesian (iazac ciarnesiul, inf. ciarnestei) is a Romance language spoken by approximately 13.1 million people worldwide, primarily in Ciarnesia and Romania.

Geographic Distribution
Ciarnesian is spoken mostly in Ciarnesia and Romania. The language is also spoken by groups of emigrants in Poland, Hungary and the United States.

In Ciarnesia
Ciarnesian is the national language of Ciarnesia and the predominant of the four official languages of Ciarnesia. It is spoken by approximately 84% of the population as a first language.

The Ciarnesian language is used in government publications, public education and legal contracts. Television and radio media must be presented in the Ciarnesian language, except when broadcasted on stations which have a permit to exclusively publish in minority languages.

In Romania
Approximately 6.2% of Romanians speak Ciarnesian, almost exclusively the Carpathian dialect. It is most prominent in the northwestern area of Romania.

Dialects


The Ciarnesian language is composed of two dialects, Carpathian and Alturian. The two dialects have limited mutual intelligibility due to the fact that many Ukranian loanwords are used in the Alturian dialect.

Carpathian dialect
Carpathian (dialeta carpaciul, dialet karpacki) is the main dialect of the Ciarnesian language spoken by the vast majority of the country.

The Carpathian dialect is the original dialect of the Ciarnesian language and was first developed in the mid-1500s. The dialect features more complex grammar than Alturian as well as a much more prominent resemblance to other Romance languages. In addition, Carpathian is the official dialect of the national government, although Ukranei County has adopted the Alturian dialect and raion governments have illegally replaced Carpathian signs in the county with Alturian signs.

Alturian dialect
The Alturian dialect (dialeta alturei, dialet alturski) is spoken by approximately 6.3% of the population and is predominant in Ukranei County where the Ukranian language holds influence.

The Alturian dialect first began to form in the early 1800s as more Ciarnesians began inhabiting areas with Ukrainian majority. Many slang words were developed off of the Ukrainian language due to the fact that many words were shorter and simpler. In addition, the heavy use of Ukrainian loanwords made it easier to teach the language to ethnic Ukrainians.

The name "Alturian" comes from the word alature (united) in the Carpathian dialect which was originally part of the Alturian dialect, but was shortened to altu in the early 1900s. The name signified the unity between Alturians and Ukrainians which is still seen in the politics of modern Ciarnesia.