The salentin (in Italian, salentino ) is the Italian Dialecte spoken in the Province about Lecce, in the Province of Brindisi and in the southernmost part of the Province of Tarente in the area of the Pouilles. It is different clearly from the other dialects spoken in the south about the Italy and approaches more to the Sicilien and the Calabrian, influenced like them by a Greek Substrat or other (the Messapes or Salentins were the vernacular people).

In the surface of this dialect a linguistic enclave, the Greece salentine is located, where the Grico is spoken. It is truly about a Greek Dialecte, which linguistically is different from the dialect salentin, which is to him a Italian Dialecte.

Quotation of Giuseppe De Dominicis (Lecce 1869-1905): “Of rich man, pond E pond! Fenca rria the ista be naked specchiu nnargentatu, pràcetu, sotu… With ffundu, comu sia Ca read celu ale pond stae mmescatu. ” (in Italian “Di fronte, pond E pond! End dove arrived the Vista E uno specchio of argento, placido, fermo… like in fondo it cielo stess mescolato collar pond” - “Opposite, sea and sea! Until where the sight stops, it is a money mirror, calm, closes… as so at the bottom the sky was mixed with the sea”).

The distinction between Pouilles (Apulien) and Salento (salentin) is found in the Phonétique:

• the dialect of Pouilles tends to make sound the groups of the Latin like “NT”, “nc”, ““Nd” mp”, “ng”, “mb” as well as the “S” in “Z”, while the dialect salentin the preserve intact. An inhabitant of Bari will say: “candare” for “cantare” (to sing), “Ankara” for “will ancora” (still), “tembo” for “tempo” (time) and “penziero” for “pensiero” (thought).
• another phonetic characteristic, due to the influence samnite was the transformation of the groups “Nd” and “L” into “N” and “dd” (thus “quann” for “quando” (when), “cavaddu” for “cavallo” (horse)). This characteristic, near to the Its cacuminal, however touched part of Salento since quannu is a form attested in certain speeches salentins.
• the dialects of Pouilles are often characterized by the presence of a " a" palatized in diphthong (Latin " frater" becomes " freutë") or for the transformation of vowel I into “öi” or “I.E.(internal excitation)”, which gives “gaddöine” or “gaddeine” for “gallina” (hen). In the dialects salentins, these vocalic changes are absent: its Vowel system maintains has them and the E open and closed, especially at the end of the mot. Ainsi put (house) is not marked " casë" as in Bari.

Three languages clearly influenced the salentin: the Arab , the French and the Castilian . ----