Corsican

Corsican refers to things connected with Corsica, particularly its people and language. Corsica is an island in the Mediterranean that forms a territorial collectivity of France.

The Corsican language is a Romance language of the Italo-Dalmatian branch, closely related to Tuscan and to varieties of Italian. It is spoken mainly on Corsica and by Corsican communities abroad. It has two principal dialect groups, Northern Corsican and Southern Corsican, with some mutual intelligibility but also distinctive features. Corsican is written in the Latin alphabet and has several orthographic traditions. It has borrowed extensively from Italian and, in more recent times, from French.

The Corsicans are the inhabitants of Corsica. In modern France, many Corsicans are bilingual in French and Corsican; use of Corsican varies by generation and region, with revitalization efforts in education, media, and cultural programs.

Corsica's history includes ancient habitation, and rule by Pisa and Genoa before becoming part of France in 1769. The language has long been marginalized in official settings, but has seen revival efforts in schools, radio, television, and cultural associations.

Corsican culture features distinctive folk music, traditional polyphonic singing, cuisine such as cheeses and cured meats, and a strong island identity formed by its landscape and history.