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Volscian language
Volscian alphabet
Volscii lived south from Rome and are often mentioned in Latin sources. They occupied a rather large region in Central Italy, and carried a language obviously related to Umbrian and Oscan, closer to Umbrian. But unfortunately while we know much of Umbrian from its numerous inscriptions, Volscian knowledge is still very poor.

The Volscian alphabet (see the picture) is of Latin origin, with a backwards C for , a sibilant which was also used in Umbrian. As for the other central Italian dialects, such as Marsian, Aequian, Hernican and Sabine, they also seem to belong to the Volsco-Umbrian subgroup, though, close as they were geographically to Rome, were subject to Latin influence very early on.

The grammar of Volscian holds many of the common Osco-Umbrian features. It uses p instead of Indo-European kw, it often loses some final consonants in endings, and the -ns participle ending is changing to -f here, as in Umbrian.

Volscian had also a dialect called Auruncan, quute similar to it. Both of them were assimilated by Roman Latin language very soon after Rome conquered these lands.

 
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