Following is a filmed news report from 2022 regarding Friulian education inscriptions for children. Not only does the speaker refer to the Friulian language as: il furlan, but she also calls it: la marilenghe (literally, mother tongue), which is an affectionate name for our language. I have transcribed the speaker’s words as she has spoken them, to preserve her use of Friulian. Language notes follow the transcription.
La decision di zovâsi dal insegnament da la lenghe e da la culture furlane za adotade di passe sessantesîs par cent da lis fameis e je une vere e proprie oportunitât pai fruts piçui. Une sielte che i gjenitôrs a àn timp fin al vincjevot di Zenâr par cjapâ. Baste lâ sul portal internet www {vu vu vu} punto istruzione punto it {i te} o informâsi li da segretarie da la scuele. Insegnament da la marilenghe a la scuole da l’infanzie, a la primarie e a la secondarie di prin grât al è di al mancul trente oris par an, cence gjavâ nuie a chês atris materiis. Chê dal furlan al è un patrimoni culturâl unic che o vin di salvâ, l’à ricuardât Eros Cisilino, president da l’Agjenzie Regjonâl pe Lenghe Furlane. Une da lis manieris miôr par fâlu al è propit chê di zovâsi dal insegnament da la marilenghe pai fruts. A son lôr avignî nestri e da la nestre lenghe.
The decision to take advantage of Friulian language and culture education, already adopted by over sixty-six percent of families, is a real opportunity for young children. It is a choice that parents have until the twenty-eighth of January to make. Just visit the website www dot istruzione dot it or inquire at the school secretary’s office. Teaching of the Friulian language in kindergarten, primary and lower secondary schools is at least thirty hours per year, without affecting other subjects. Friulian is a unique cultural heritage that we must preserve, as reminded by Eros Cisilino, president of the Regional Agency for the Friulian Language. One of the best ways to do this is precisely by taking advantage of the teaching of Friulian for children. They are our future and the future of our language.
(i) We hear some fluctuation with regard to how the speaker pronounces the letter z. For instance, at the beginning when she says: la decision di zovâsi, we hear her pronounce the z like the j of English, or like the soft g of Italian. Then, at the end, when she says: zovâsi dal insegnament, we hear her pronounce the z like the z of English. Both pronunciations are entirely acceptable, and both are commonly used in Friulian. My guess is that her usual pronunciation in spontaneous language situations is the latter.
(ii) When di + la come together, the standard contracts this to: de. That said, many Friulians do not observe this at all, using instead: da la. This speaker uses the latter. She also uses: da lis, which is a contraction of di + lis, and which the standard contracts to: des. Da la scuele = de scuele; da lis scuelis = des scuelis. On the subject of scuele (school), we hear the speaker say it once as scuele, which aligns with the standard, and once as scuole, which is not standard.
These observations are in no way meant to be criticism of the speaker’s pronunciation. On the contrary, her pronunciation is beneficial because it provides opportunities to understand variations in the language. I encourage you to listen for more features on your own, such as how she pronounces other instances of z; or consider the following: ARLeF in full is Agjenzie Regjonâl pe Lenghe Furlane (Regional Agency for the Friulian Language), which uses a standardised contraction: pe, from par + la. The speaker from the news report uses this standardised contraction when she states the name of the Agency because the name has been officialised. But how do you think she handles the contraction of par + la when speaking spontaneously? The answer is given at the end of the next entry.