Friulian

Friulian, also known as Furlan, is a Romance language spoken in the Friuli region of northeastern Italy. It is part of the Rhaeto-Romance subgroup, together with Ladin and Romansh, and is distinct from Italian though many speakers are bilingual.

The core area for Friulian is the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region, especially the provinces of Udine and Pordenone, with diaspora communities in neighboring regions. The language consists of several dialects that vary gradually across the region, commonly grouped into Western, Central, and Eastern Friulian.

A standardized orthography is used in education and media, while oral varieties remain widely spoken. Friulian is recognized as a minority language under Italian law 482/1999 and receives regional support for use in schools, local administrations, and cultural activities.

There are Friulian-language newspapers, radio and television programs, and it is taught in some schools. Like many regional languages, it coexists with Italian and is most robust in everyday speech in rural and small-town communities. Efforts to standardize and promote Friulian continue through regional institutions and cultural associations.