Dongje, dongie, dongia, dongjo... Viodìn di sclarî dute la cuistion

In the Friulian language (in lenghe furlane), the word dongje means (la peraule dongje e vûl dî): by, beside, alongside, next to. For example (par esempli), we have read that a young cyclist (o vin let che un zovin ciclist) fell into a canal by the road (al è colât intun canâl dongje de strade), after having been struck by a hit-and-run driver (dopo di jessi stât pocât di un pirate de strade).

Using the word dongje (doprant la peraule dongje), we can also say in Friulian (o podìn ancje dî par furlan): I was walking alongside him (i cjaminave dongje); he made me go next to him (mi à fat lâ dongje di lui); il canâl al cor dongje de strade (the canal runs next to the road); he slipped beside a stream (al è sbrissât  dongje di un torint); I left the wet towel by the fire (o ài lassât il suieman bagnât dongje dal fûc) and so on (e cussì vie).

In the standard language (te lenghe comune), the pronunciation of this word is (la pronunzie di cheste peruale e je): dongje. In the videoclip below (tal filmât chi sot), the lector uses this pronunciation at minute 0.28 and at minute 2.27 (il letôr al dopre cheste pronunzie al minût 0.28 e al minût 2.27); however (ma però), not all Friulians say this word like that (no ducj i furlans a disin cussì cheste peraule). At minute 2.41 (al minût 2.41), this same lector uses another pronunciation (chest stes letôr al dopre une altre pronunzie): dongie. It would appear (al somearès) that this lector’s usual pronunciation (che la pronunzie abituâl di chest letôr) is that of (e sedi chê di): dongie.

The entire chapter can be read (si pues lei dut il cjapitul) on the website of Glesie Furlane (sul sît de Glesie Furlane).

A third pronunciation of the word is possible (une tierce pronunzie de peraule e je pussibile): dongia. For example (par esempli), using the Friulian of Dograva (doprant il furlan di Dograva), we can say (o podìn dî): i ài lassât il suiaman bagnât dongia dal fôc, which means (che al vûl dî): I left the wet towel by the fire.

All the variants (dutis lis variantis) that we read below (che o leìn chi sot) are possible in the Friulian language (a son pussibilis in lenghe furlane):

o ài lassât / i ài lassât
il suieman bagnât / il suiaman bagnât
dongje / dongie / dongia
dal fûc / dal fôc

To tell the truth (par dî il vêr), another possibility is (une altre pussibilitât) is that of saying (e je chê di dî): dongjo. For example (par esempli), they speak like that at For Davuatri (a fevelin cussì a For Davuatri), in Carnia (in Cjargne). But that’s enough for now (ma per cumò vonde cussì), let’s stop there (fermìnsi culì)!

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Final remark: What is described above falls under the broader theme of the pronunciation of gj in Friulian, or the absence thereof in certain variants: it is not only the word dongje that is affected. Take for example the feminine noun gjambe (leg). A Friulian who says dongje will also say gjambe; but if he says dongie, then he will say giambe; and if he says dongia, then he will say giamba; and if he says dongjo, then he will say gjambo. We sometimes hear unexpected variation in a lector’s pronunciation during the readings of the Bible; this is due to hesitation on the part of the lector between (a) using his native pronunciation or (b) spontaneously but inconsistently modifying his pronunciation to align with the standard spelling used in the text from which he is reading.

Cjapât il pirate che al à fat svolâ un zovin ciclist intun canâl

Yesterday we read (îr o vin let) about the despicable behaviour (dal compuartament ignobil) of a hit-and-run driver (di un pirate de strade) in Bevaçane di Lignan (a Bevaçane di Lignan) who ran into a young cyclist (che al à pocât un zovin ciclist).

Due to having hit him from behind (par vie di vêlu cjapât daûr), the car sent the young man flying (la machine al à fat svolâ il zovin) into the canal alongside the road (intal canâl dongje de strade). The driver did not help the young man (il vuidadôr nol à judât il zovin), but (ma), before hightailing it out of there (prin di scjampâ a ruede lavade), he made sure to pull off the young man’s bike (al à viodût di tirâ vie la bici dal zovin) which had got stuck to the car’s bumper (che e jere restade incjastrade intal parecolps de machine).

Good news (buine notizie): the hit-and-run driver has been caught (il pirate al è stât cjapât). A witness helped law enforcement (un testemoni al à judât lis fuarcis dal ordin) to identify the driver (a identificâ il vuidadôr), and video footage from cameras (e i filmâts des telecjamaris) had picked up the number plate of the car (a vevin cjapât sù il numar di targhe de machine). The hit-and-run driver is a sixty-three year old man (il pirate al è un om di sessantetrê agns). / Riferiment: La Vôs dai Furlans.

Un pirate de strade al è un automobilist che no si ferme a judâ daspò di vê fat un incident stradâl. Chi sot o viodìn un om che al è stât cjapât sot di un pirate. Al è stât ferît in maniere grave.

Un zovin: a lad, a young man. As has been mentioned elsewhere, Friulians do not all pronounce the letter z in the same way. For some, it sounds like English j, whereas for others it sounds like English z. Moreover, the word zovin ends in the sound of ŋ, which is the sound heard in English words such as hang, ring, long, nothing and so on. This means that, using approximated English spellings, zovin is pronounced either jòving or zòving.

In the variant of Friulian spoken at Dograva, the sound of English z is used in zovin. At Dograva, we can say: il zovin al è colât ta un canâl dongia da la strada, which means: the young man fell into a canal beside the road. In the standard language, we should rather have: il zovin al è colât intun canâl dongje de strade, where zovin may take either the sound of English j or English z, depending on the speaker. Note also the difference between dongje (standard) and dongia (Dograva). The Dograva form dongia takes the sound of English j.

The notes above about the pronunciation of z do not apply to the -zion ending. The z here sounds either like ts or ss. For example, the feminine nouns stazion and informazion, which mean station and information, are pronounced by some speakers as statsiòn and informatsiòn, and by others as stassiòn and informassiòn. These latter pronunciations are what we hear at Dograva.

Restâ incjastrât: to get stuck. We can say: la bici e je restade incjastrade intal parecolps, which means: the bike got stuck to the bumper; and we can also say: la bici e je restade incjastrade sul denant de machine, which means: the bike got stuck to the front of the car. Whereas the feminine noun biciclete means bicycle, the shortened form bici is also used, and aligns with English bike. An example: doi zovins in bicicleta (two lads on bicycles); doi zovins in bici (two lads on bikes).

Pocât di un pirate de strade, un zovin in bici al cole intal canâl

Another cyclist (un altri ciclist) has been struck by a car (al è stât tamponât di une machine). Last time (la ultime volte), the cyclist was an elderly man of eighty-eight years of age (il ciclist al jere un vieli di otantevot agns); he died on account of his injuries (al è muart par vie des feridis). This time (cheste volte), the cyclist is a young man (il ciclist al è un zovin) of twenty-one years of age (di vincjeun agns). Here is what happened (ve ce che al è sucedût):

In Bevaçane di Lignan (a Bevaçane di Lignan), a young man was riding along a road (un zovin al stave lant dilunc di une strade) next to a canal (dongje di un canâl). A car hit him from behind (une machine lu à cjapât daûr). The car struck him so violently (la machine lu à pocât cussì fuart) that he fell into the canal (che al è colât intal canâl), and the bicycle got stuck to the bumper of the car (e la biciclete e je restade incjastrade intal parecolps de machine). The driver pulled it off the bumper (il vuidadôr le à tirade vie dal parecolps) and then took off (e po si è slontanât) without even helping the young man (cence nancje judâ il zovin)!

On the left, the road (a çampe, la strade); on the right, the canal (a drete, il canâl):

A gentleman who was passing by (un siôr che al passave di chês bandis) raised the alarm (al à dât l’alarme): the firemen arrived (a son rivâts i pompîrs), and they got the young man out of the water (e a àn puartât fûr de aghe il zovin), who was taken to hospital by helicopter (che al è stât puartât in ospedâl cul elicotar).

Law enforcement (lis fuarcis dal ordin) are looking for the hit-and-run driver (a stan cirint il pirate de strade). / Riferiment: La Vôs dai Furlans.

Tamponâ, pocâ: to strike, to hit. Examples: the cyclist was struck from behind (il ciclist al è stât pocât daûr); the driver hit a van (il vuidadôr al à tamponât un furgon); trê machinis si son tamponadis (three cars ran into each other); according to road rules, whoever hits from behind pays for damages (daûr dal codiç de strade cui che al poche daûr al paie i dams). Related: lâ a sbati. Examples: the driver crashed into a pole (il vuidadôr al è lât a sbati cuintri di un pâl); the car hit a tree (la machine e je lade a sbati cuintri di un arbul).

Un pirate (de strade): a hit-and-run driver. Examples: the hit-and-run driver has not been identified (il pirate de strade nol è stât identificât); the hit-and-run driver ran over a pedestrian (il pirate al à tirât sot un pedon); the elderly man was run over by a hit-and-run driver (il vieli al è stât cjapât sot di un pirate).