Spasell is a dialect, a code or a gergo, of Insubric language, spoken until XIX century by inhabitants of Vallassina, when they went out from the valley for businness and they didn't want to be understood by the people. It is characterized by code-words conventionally defined basing on characteristics of the thing or on onomatopeias; other words have a unknown origin. It has been noted by Carlo Mazza, vicar of Asso, in his book Memorie storiche della Vallassina of 1796. He informs us that several gergos has been created in the time, because in the time the words were introduced in the current language, riducing the differences between "official" language and "secret" language. After a list of terms, the vicar proposes, as example, the translation of Pater Noster in this language, evidencing that it's totally incomprehensible also by the Insubric speakers. Current distribution of Human Language Families A language family is a group of related languages said to have descended from a common proto-language. ... The Indo-European languages comprise a family of several hundred related languages and dialects [1], including most of the major languages of Europe, as well as many spoken in the Indian subcontinent (South Asia), the Iranian plateau (Southwest Asia), and Central Asia. ... The Italic subfamily is a member of the Centum branch of the Indo-European language family. ... The Romance languages, a major branch of the Indo-European language family, comprise all languages that descended from Latin, the language of the Roman Empire. ... The Gallo-Romance branch of Romance languages includes French, Oïl languages, Catalan, and Occitan, among other languages. ... Gallo-Italic is a language family within the Gallo-Romance languages. ... The term Lombard refers to a group of related dialects spoken mainly in Northern Italy (most of Lombardy and some areas of neighbouring regions), in Southern Switzerland (Ticino and Graubünden). ... Western Lombard is a Lombard language spoken in Italy, in Lombard provinces of Milan, Monza, Varese, Como, Lecco, Sondrio, little part of Cremona (Crema and neighbors), Lodi and Pavia, and Piedmont provinces of Novara, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola and little part of Vercelli (Valsesia), and Switzerland (Canton Ticino and part of... The group of dialects Comasco-Lecchese of Insubric language is spoken in parts of province of Como and province of Lecco, especially around the capital cities and north of them. ... Vallassinese is a dialect of Insubric language spoken in Vallassina valley (about 6,000 speakers). ... ISO 639-1 is the first part of the ISO 639 international-standard language-code family. ... ISO 639-2 is the second part of the ISO 639 standard, which lists codes for the representation of the names of languages. ... ISO 639-3 is in process of development as an international standard for language codes. ... The term Lombard refers to a group of related dialects spoken mainly in Northern Italy (most of Lombardy and some areas of neighbouring regions), in Southern Switzerland (Ticino and Graubünden). ... Articles with similar titles include the NATO phonetic alphabet, which has also informally been called the “International Phonetic Alphabet”. For information on how to read IPA transcriptions of English words, see IPA chart for English. ... Phonetics (from the Greek word φωνή, phone meaning sound, voice) is the study of the sounds of human speech. ... Unicode is an industry standard designed to allow text and symbols from all of the writing systems of the world to be consistently represented and manipulated by computers. ... Western Lombard is a Lombard language spoken in Italy, in Lombard provinces of Milan, Monza, Varese, Como, Lecco, Sondrio, little part of Cremona (except Crema and neighbours), Lodi and Pavia, and Piedmont provinces of Novara, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola and little part of Vercelli (Valsesia), and Switzerland (Canton Ticino and part... Alternative meaning: Nineteenth Century (periodical) (18th century — 19th century — 20th century — more centuries) As a means of recording the passage of time, the 19th century was that century which lasted from 1801-1900 in the sense of the Gregorian calendar. ... Panorama of Asso in spring. ... Insubric (or Western Lombard for its collocation in Lombardy region) is officially a Lombard language variety spoken in Italy and Switzerland (Canton Ticino), but its so different from Orobic (or Eastern Lombard), that its often considered as another language. ...

EL «PATER NOSTER» IN SPASELL

Masett che stanziê in la creuggia di salvestri,

ch'el vost oden s'ingalmissa,

ch'el stanzia el nost bosin piatt,

che se rusca quel che vu tubè

sora i masett de la luscia, quant in quella di sciatt.

Refilên el sbêg de stobold,

e che no va stanzien nippa in del scimêe i nost lenarii,

come anch'el nost'oden szabolda ai olter ghielma;

Fêen taruscia la schigna che ne rusca el Naja de Tameu.

Per tagiorala no lassên sciobigà in nient de loffi.

A M E N.

Some Spasell words in Classical Milanese orthography: The classical Milanese orthography is the orthography used for the Insubric language, in particular for Milanese dialect, from the major poets and writers of this literature, such as Carlo Porta, Carlo Maria Maggi, Delio Tessa etc. ...

• albarej - eggs
• arton - bread
• astregg - omlet
• bajaff - weapon
• bald - day
• ballina - hour
• bell - sun
• bella - moon
• belledra - sheep
• bighês - lover
• boffaroeu - firearm
• bolla - people, community
• boschiroeura - hazelnut
• bosin - master
• bronza - bell
• bruna - night
• brunej - eyes
• calcant - beggar
• calcosa - street
• Capellura - Our Lady
• Capelluu - God
• cer - white
• croeuggia - house
• croeulla - storm
• daga - sword
• degoeuj - salad
• fangôs - shoes
• faree - black
• ficcà el vel - to go
• fogatta - red
• foja - fear
• follon - fear
• fortin - vinegar
• fraina - snow
• fratessa - pocket
• ghisalba - blind
• gialdin - coin
• gianderoeu - peach
• gnifell - son
• griera - prison
• gringaja - bell
• inciappinà - to become drunk
• infioeura - chestnut
• ingalmì - to understand
• lescia - garlic
• levesa - chestun
• loffi - bad
• longôs - year
• longosin - month
• lumà - to see
• lumart - mirror
• luscia - water, rain
• luscià - to cry
• luscia del Capelluu - blessed water
• luscion piatt - sea
• mager - good
• manìa - woman
• masett - father
• masett de la luscia - cloud
• masetta - mother
• mugenga - cow
• muginghera - cowshed
• naja de tamoeu - devil
• nold - grandfather
• percà - to see
• picch - hammer
• pisto - priest
• prumm - pig
• quella di sciatt - earth, ground
• rabbaja - polenta
• refald - hot
• refilà - to give
• ruscà - to do
• ruspanda - hen
• ruspandon - cock
• saltarella - hare
• sbalada - death
• sbeg - bread
• sbelledrà - to sing
• sbertì - to kill
• sbertidor - executioner
• sboja-tambell - notary
• scabi - wine
• scabià - to drink
• scajà - to pay
• sciucchesta - pint
• sciucch - mug
• scoffenà - to work
• scoloeu - hat
• scoloeu de la croeuggia - roof
• scovagioeu - handkerchief
• seguacc - lake
• sgorattin - bird
• sguinz - fish
• silvestra - candelight
• slenza - rain
• spiazz - priest
• spiazz de la bolla - vicar
• spolverenta - flour
• stanzià - to be, to have, to stay
• stobald - today
• sudà - to inebriate
• szabolda - to be silent
• tabacca - beard
• tabacchin -
• tambell - cards
• tambosna - pumpkin
• tamera - night
• tavolà - to come
• tavolà la fraina - to snow
• tisell - cold
• toff - gun
• traversa - tablecloth
• tubà - to say
• vedrosin - glass
• vertera - door

Bibliography

• Carlo Mazza, Memorie storiche della Vallassina, 1796 (PARTE SECONDA, CAPO XII)