Ligurian:
A lengua minoritäia

Sarvemmo a lengua minoritäia chi core un gran peigo, ghe dixan; inta lengua minoritäia gh’é e reixe da nòstra coltua, de quello che semmo, e sensa reixe no semmo ninte. Coscì dixan, ma no l’é miga de bon fâ. S’attrovià delongo de quelli che pensa che a lengua minoritäia a l’é a roiña de l’umanitæ, apreuvo ch’a mette in mostra e differense tra i pòpoli e ascì tra i scingoli, a l’é o sappello in sciâ marcia verso l’ugualiansa, verso l’unitæ di pòpoli e l’amô universale ch’o l’à da trionfâ. Ançi, sto anatema chì o se porrieiva estende con còmmodo à tutte e lengue che, pe-o solo fæto de existe s’oppoñan a-a cançellaçion de differense; ma se levemmo da mezo i elementi de divixon, compreixi quelli portæ da-e lengue,  aniemo verso un mondo de giustiçia soçiale, donde tutti se veuan ben, perché â pensan tutti pægio. Quelli che â pensa de coscì en pe commun quelli che no creddan che de derê a-e apparense de cöse ghe segge unna realitæ spiituale, che no poemmo vedde, son quelli che creddan solo che à quello che veddan, de vòtte manco à quello. Ma, diggo mi, se derê à l’apparensa no gh’é ninte, se unna lengua a l’é solo che unna mainea de communicâ tra de niatri e uña a va pe l’atra, perché accaxonâ a diverscitæ de lengue de tutte e iniquitæ do mondo? Se o spiito de unna lengua o no l’existe, perché mai piggiâsea con unna cösa chi no existe? No me pâ ni raxoneive e ni scientifico; à meno che no se segge comme o de Sade, che gh’ea cao giastemmâ o Segnô apreuvo ch’o voeiva giastemmâ anche solo che o babaccio de un Dê ch’o trategniva i instinti de persoñe da-o descadenâse, ò donca perché ghe gustava scandalizzâ e oege de gente pie che ô sentivan. Tutte e mainee, o metteiva coscì in mostra a seu dependensa da-o Dê ch’o desprexava e che fiña de no ësighe o condiçionava e seu açioin. Coscì comme i nemixi de lengue minoritäie en condiçionæ inta seu existensa da-e lengue mæxime, che ghe fan fâ quello che veuan lô, scin che saian à sto mondo.

English translation:
The Minority Language

Let us save the minority language, which is in great danger, so they say; in the minority language are found the roots of our culture, of what we are, and without our roots we are nothing. So they say, but it is not at all easy. There will always be those who think that the minority language is the ruin of humanity, since it emphasizes the differences between peoples and even between individuals, is the obstacle on the march toward equality, toward the unity of peoples and the universal love that must triumph. Indeed, this anathema could comfortably be extended to all languages which, by the mere fact of existing, oppose the erasing of differences; but if we remove the elements of division, including those brought by languages, we shall move toward a world of social justice, where everyone loves one another, because they all think the same way. Those who think this way are usually those who do not believe that, behind the appearances of things, there is a spiritual, invisible reality; they are those who believe only in what they see, sometimes not even in that. But, I say, if behind appearance there is nothing, if a language is only a means of communicating among ourselves and one is as good as another, why blame the diversity of languages for all the iniquities of the world? If the spirit of a language does not exist, why on earth take it out on something that does not exist? It seems to me neither rational nor scientific, unless one is like de Sade, who enjoyed blaspheming the divinity because he wanted to blaspheme even that puppet of a God who restrained people’s instincts from breaking loose, or because he enjoyed scandalizing the pious folk who listened. At any rate, he thus revealed his dependence on the God he despised and who, even by not existing, conditioned his actions. Just as the enemies of minority languages are conditioned in their existence by those very languages, which make them act as they will, for as long as they are in the world.