Ladin

Ladin is a group of closely related Romance languages spoken in the Dolomites, a mountain region in northern Italy. It forms part of the wider Rhaeto-Romance subbranch, together with Romansh of Switzerland and Friulian in the eastern Alps.

Ladin comprises several regional varieties that are mutually intelligible to varying degrees. The traditional dialect groups are Gherdëina (Val Gardena), Badiot (Alta Badia), and Fodom (Cortina d’Ampezzo and nearby valleys), though many local forms exist. A standardized written form, Standard Ladin, has been developed for education and media, while spoken language remains highly local. The writing system uses a Latin alphabet with diacritics.

Geographically, Ladin is concentrated in the Dolomites of northern Italy, mainly in the autonomous province of South Tyrol and in parts of Trentino and Veneto, including Val Gardena, Alta Badia, Ampezzo, and the Livinallongo valley. In these areas, Ladin coexists with Italian and German, and local authorities support bilingual education and cultural institutions.

Status and recognition: Ladin is recognized as a minority language under Italian law and enjoys regional protection in autonomous provinces. In South Tyrol, it is used in education, signage, and local government in some communities; cultural associations promote language maintenance and heritage.

Endangerment and revival: UNESCO classifies Ladin as vulnerable, reflecting a relatively small speaker base and pressures from dominant languages. Revival efforts emphasize standardization, education, media, and intergenerational transmission.