Milanese dialect

Milanese (Milanes, Milanées, Meneghin, Meneghìn) is the central dialect of the Western variety of the Lombard language spoken in the city, the province of Milan and the northernmost part of the province of Pavia.

In Italian-language contexts, Milanese is often (like most non-standard Italian varieties spoken in Italy) called a "dialect" of Italian. However, linguistically, Milanese is a Western Romance language and is more closely related to French, Romansh, Occitan and to other Gallo-Italian languages.

Various dictionaries, a few grammar books, an extensive literature and a recent translation of the Gospels are available in Milanese.

Distribution

The Milanese dialect is essentially concentrated around Milan and its province, reaching into the northernmost part of the province of Pavia. Subdialects of Milanese are spoken in the western part of the province (Castano Primo, Turbigo, Abbiategrasso, Magenta), the eastern part (Gorgonzola, Cassina de' Pecchi, Cernusco sul Naviglio, Segrate, Bellinzago), the parts to the north of the Naviglio Martesana (Carugate, Cassano d'Adda, Inzago, Gessate), certain areas where the dialect becomes transitional (between Saronno and Rho), the southern parts (Binasco and Melegnano), and the northern parts of the Province of Pavia (north of the line between Bereguardo and Landriano, which includes places such as Trovo and Casorate Primo).