Monegasque (gentilé)

The national of the principality of Monaco are called Monégasques (Ethnonyme). This Gentilé is in connection with the Toponyme in the language Monégasque (see low).

The first characteristic is that the prone Monegasques are minority in Monaco and in the official short speeches, the formulas, such as “ Monégasques and natives ” or “ Monégasques and inhabitants of the Principality ”, are regularly employed.

This Gentilé shows a double characteristic:

its radical is not identical to that of the Toponyme;
its suffix is relatively unusual.

The Toponyme Monaco is in Italian, i.e. pure Italian literary (based on the dialect Toscan). The Monégasque is a speech Ligure, i.e. an Italian dialect . Indeed, the inhabitants of Monaco (as of the 11th century according to Pierre Nozzle), like the Grimaldi (but later), came mainly from Genoa and its area (speeches intéméliens). The Rock, strategic issue like port easy to defend, was undoubtedly slightly inhabited previously by other people of Romance language, undoubtedly intermediaries between the speeches niçois and the speeches intéméliens. In language Monegasque, the Toponyme is Mùnegu and the Gentilé Munegàscu, Munegàschi, Munegàsca, Munegàsche (as one sees the U Monegasque corresponds here to the O Italian). The term Monégasque is thus directly resulting from the Italian (written form), from where it comes from the speech Monégasque.

As for - asque it is a rare suffix being used in particular with the formation as Gentilé S. the specialists in the Romance Langues proved that it is about a suffix coming from the ligure Substrat, i.e. a suffix due to people of Antiquity, the Ligures (which overflowed the territory of the current Ligurie). One finds such gentilés but of small number of the Suisse to the Corsica .

In the north of the Principality, the commune of is Turbie whose inhabitants bear the name of Turbiasques ; they are Turbiasques which was shown, appears it, keenest against the “ intruding ” come from the republic of Genoa. It is same Turbiasques which having resisted to the Romans with other alpine people had caused the erection of the Trophée of the Alps to mark the final victory of Rome. In the same way, the inhabitants of Èze, always in the the Alpes-Maritimes, are the Ézasques and those of Tende, of the Tendasques . In the same way, the inhabitants of are Sanremo (in Italy) also Sanrémasques ?

With regard to Bergamo or Like in Lombardy (Italy), the terms comasque bergamask or are well attested and for a long time in French.

The definitely local character of gentilé Monégasque is underlined by the fact that in Italian, there is perfect Homonymie for Monaco between two different cities (and one will excuse us to quote the anecdote who wants that the poet Guillaume Apollinaire let himself there take in his time):

Mònaco di Bavièra is called in French Munich and German München: its gentilé is very regularly monachese, monachesi, monachese, monachesi (Signorelli dictionaries).
Principàto di Mònaco : gentilé is then monegasco, monegaschi, monegasca, monegasche .

(In several languages or dialects (but not in French) the Monaco toponym corresponds to the common noun meaning “monk” as to accredit the perhaps historical anecdote which wants that François Grimaldi known as Malizia conquered the fortress of Monaco in 1297 after being himself introduced armed but disguised there as a monk - the episode corresponds to holding of the blazon of Monaco which is two monks holding up a sword - and to have launched to its easily deceived: the habito not F it Monaco! i.e. “Do not judge a book by its cover! ”.)

For the field of the Occitan, (Monaco takes part in the occitan field, as with the ligure field):

the toponym is Mónegue (it is about a Proparoxyton, i.e. of a word accentuated on the third syllable starting from the end and that only the niçois (and part of vivaro-alpine) preserve proparoxytons in the occitan field, like besides all the close Italian dialects (Intémélien) and especially like the Latin sung in the churches).
In the Standard mistralienne of the occitan, adapted to the niçois, one writes Móunegue . Gentilé is Mounegasc, Mounegasca (plural Mounegasc, Mounegasca ) for the name and mounegasc, mounegasca (plural mounegasc, mounegasqui ) for the adjective.
In the traditional Standard of the occitan, adapted to the niçois, it is Mónegue (the ó being read like French or ). Gentilé is monegasc, monegasca (plural monegascs, monegascas ) for the name and monegasc, monegasca (plural monegascs, monegasqui ) for the adjective.

In Spanish, there is Mónaco and monegasco, monegascos, monegasca, monegascas .

In English, it is Monaco and Monegasque (without accent).

German known as Monaco but adapted gentilé in Monegasse, Monegassen, Monegassin, Monegassinnen ; the adjective is monegassisch and the Glottonyme is C-W communication Monegassisch .

The Dictionnaire of ethnic names of France of André Roland de Denus (1889) provides “ethnic names” following:

Monacois which is a form awaited in French,
Monagaste who rests on a confusion (even final that in dynaste ) and
Monégasque which is the form which was essential.

Pierre Desproges, in his opus the foreigners are null undoubtedly, employs gentilé the Monacotiens : it is certainly about the creation of a “humorist” but the term really does not shock in modern French.

External bonds

Article '' Monegasque '' of the TLFi

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