Rhaeto-Romance

9.9

A group of languages from Latin spoken in parts of southeastern Switzerland, northern Italy and the Tyrol

noun
/ˌreɪtoʊ roʊˈmæns/

: raeto-romance

The Rhaeto-Romance languages include Romansh and Ladin.

Examples

Ladin is one of the best-known Rhaeto-Romance languages.
The Rhaeto-Romance languages have preserved many features from Latin.
He specializes in the study of Rhaeto-Romance dialects and their development.
Many people in Switzerland speak Rhaeto-Romance dialects.
He specializes in the study of Rhaeto-Romance dialects and their development.
Ladin is one of the best-known Rhaeto-Romance languages.
Many people in Switzerland speak Rhaeto-Romance dialects.

Synonyms

Rhaeto-Romanic

vsRhaeto-Romance

9.9

Languages like Italian that people speak in southeastern Switzerland, northern Italy, and the Tyrol region

is the same name but uses a different conventional spelling

Surface Forms

Rhaeto-Romance singular

Rhaeto-Romances plural

Morphology

Rhaeto-Romance = Romance (semi-transparent) = Rhaeto + Romance

The element 'Romance' is transparent, but 'Rhaeto-' is a scholarly combining form referring to the Rhaetian region and will be unfamiliar to many learners.

Etymology

The word Rhaeto-Romance comes from the old region name Rhaetia in the Alps and the word Romance, which means 'from Rome' or 'from Latin'. So Rhaeto-Romance simply names the Latin-based dialects or languages spoken in parts of southeastern Switzerland, northern Italy, and the Tyrol.