lingue

Lingue is the Italian plural of lingua and is commonly used to refer to languages or tongues. In everyday Italian, lingue denotes the various languages spoken or studied, as in discussions of multilingual populations, language policy, or linguistic description. The singular lingua can mean both the anatomical tongue and a language, so the plural lingue emphasizes multiple languages or tongues.

Etymology and cognates: Lingue derives from the Latin lingua, meaning tongue or language. This root is shared with many Romance languages, such as Spanish lengua and French langue, and it is related to English terms like language and lingual.

Usage and scope: In linguistic and cultural contexts, lingue appears in phrases that describe the diversity of languages within a region or country. It also appears in comparative linguistics when listing the languages under study or observation. While the term is specific to Italian, it participates in a broader Indo-European family of words for speech, language, and mouth anatomy.

Distinctions: In Italian, lingue is distinct from dialetti (dialects), which refer to regional varieties of languages rather than separate languages themselves. The concept of language, including standard varieties and languages with official status, is typically addressed using lingue in the plural, and lingua in the singular when referring to one language or to the organ.

See also: Lingua, Language, Linguistics, Dialetto.