Romanesco dialect

Romanesco(Italian pronunciation:[romaˈnesko]) is one of theCentral Italiandialects spoken in theMetropolitan City of Rome Capital, especially in thecore city. It is linguistically close toTuscanandStandard Italian, with some notable differences from these two. Rich in vivid expressions and sayings, Romanesco is used in a typicaldiglossicsetting, mainly for informal/colloquial communication, withcode-switchingandtranslanguagingwith the standard language.
The vernacular language of Rome, of which the shortCommodilla catacomb inscription(9centuryCE) might be considered the earliest attestation,is believed to have been regarded as low-prestige,as can be seen in the 11-centurySaint Clement and Sisinnius inscription, featuring a dialogue wherein the saint is given higher moral ground by juxtaposing hisliturgical languagewith the common speech employed by Sisinnius and his servants.
The 13century saw the first works of literature written in Roman vernacular, such asStorie de Troja et de Roma(Stories of Troy and of Rome, an anonymous translation ofMultae historiae et Troianae et Romanae, a historical compilation by another anonymous author) andLe miracole de Roma(The marvels of Rome, translation ofMirabilia Urbis Romae), characterized by a coexistence of Latin and vernacular elements.The status of the dialect as low-class was consolidated in the 1300s, whenDante Alighieridescribed it in his Latin essayDe vulgari eloquentiaas the worst one in Italy, atristiloquium(“offensive speech”),linking it to the uncouthness of the people, criticizing their custom of addressing even people commonly perceived as socially superior by using the informal pronountu,instead of formalvoi(something that had already been remarked bySalimbene di Adamin his chronicle,written twenty-some years before).The work that best represents this phase of the dialect is a chronicle—known in Italian as theCronica dell'Anonimo Romano, and also by the titleVita di Cola di Rienzo(Life ofCola di Rienzo)—written in the latter half of the century by an anonymous Roman author.During the last decades of the 14century, Romanesco came to be perceived, even among people of high social status, as having higher prestige than before, and started appearing in votive and burial inscriptions, as well as in notarial documents.
An analysis published in 2022presents the following as defining characteristics of old Roman vernacular.
Starting with the 16th century, the Roman dialect underwent an increasingly stronger influence from theTuscan dialect(from which modern Italian derives) starting with the reigns of the twoMedicipopes (Leo XandClement VII) and with theSack of Rome in 1527, two events which provoked a large immigration fromTuscany.Therefore, current Romanesco has grammar and roots that are rather different from other dialects in Central Italy.
The path towards a progressive Tuscanization of the dialect can be observed in the works of the major Romanesco writers and poets of the past two centuries:Giuseppe Gioachino Belli(1791–1863), whosesonettiromaneschirepresent the most important work in this dialect and an eternal monument to 19th century Roman people;Cesare Pascarella(1858–1940); Giggi Zanazzo (1860–1911); andCarlo Alberto Salustri(1871–1950), nicknamed Trilussa.
BeforeRomebecame the capital city of Italy, Romanesco was spoken only inside the walls of the city, while the little towns surrounding Rome had their own dialects.  Nowadays, these dialects have been replaced with a variant of Romanesco, which therefore is now spoken in an area larger than the original one. It slightly pervades the everyday language of most of the immigrants who live in the large city.
Romanesco pronunciation and spelling differs from Standard Italian in these cases:
Today, Romanesco is generally considered more of a regional idiom than a true language. Classical Romanesco, which reached high literature withGiuseppe Gioachino Belli, has disappeared.
External forces such as immigration and the dominance of Italian are playing a role in the transformation.