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Nones . . . the Language Nones . . . the Language he Nones, or Anauni, are one of the oldestpeople in Trentino Alto Adige, and one of theoldest in the Alps. They originate fromRhaetian tribes, a people of Mesopotamian

origin who over the centuries marched up the Danubefrom the Black Sea arriving and settling to the centralAlps and their southern slopes. They were a veryadvanced people, had their own alphabet and its own sys-tem of writing. They were experts in metalwork and agri-culture. Roman historians relate they had no king but selfmanaged and governed themselves. In contrast to theGermans, they lived in many towns and not in scatteredfarmsteads. 500 years before Christ, the Anauni were set-tled in the Valley, The name of the valley, its people andthe river (the Nos) that runs through it are of Rhaetianas well as semetic origin. The Nones peacefully acceptedRoman rule, while the Rhaetian tribes to the north had tobe subdued by force. The Nones were integrated into theRoman civilization, so that in 46 AD, the RomanEmperor Tiberius Claudius issued an edict grantingthem the privilege of Roman citizenship. In the verysame edict the emperor also claims to be particularlypleased to confer citizenship, since many of the Noneswere found in his personal guard while others were high-ranking officers in the Roman legions, and others servedas magistrates administering justice in the very city ofRome. There developed a combining of the Roman lan-guage with Rhaetian. This combination still remains asthe source of the Nones language, a form of RhaetianLadin language This very ladin language is in evidence isseveral other valleys in the Trentino Alto Adige and as aconsequence establishes the Nones as one of theProvince`s linguistic minorities.

Even with the fall of the Roman Empire, and with thearrival of the barbarians, the Nones did not lose theircultural and linguistic identity. Indeed, during the MiddleAges, the people of the valley rose up repeatedly pre-serving and expanding the privileges of the Valley. Whenthe Trentino Alto Adige was granted its autonomy byItaly, the Nones claimed recognition of their status as aminority language. In the 2011 census, in a secret anddirect ballot, 10,000 declared themselves “ladini” claim-ing the same rights enjoyed by Ladin of the Valley ofBadia and the Val Gardena in South Tyrol and the LadinVal di Fassa in the Trentino. While the origin of theminority of the Nonesi dates back to 2000 years ago, thesettlement of the Ladin Dolomites dates back a thousand

years later. While the origin of the minority of theNonesi dates back to 2000 years ago, while the settlementof the Ladin Dolomites dates back a thousand years later.The identity of these latter people who settled in thoseareas is not well defined.. Ladin is officially recognized inthe Trentino and South Tyrol by provincial and nationallaw. Italy signed the European Charter for Regional orMinority Languages of 1991, but has not ratified it so far.The charter calls for minority rights to be respected andminority languages, to which Ladin belongs, to be appro-priately protected and promoted. Starting in the 1990s,the Italian parliament and provincial assembly havepassed laws and regulations protecting the Ladin lan-guage and culture. A cultural institute was founded tosafeguard and educate in the language and culture.School curricula were adapted in order to teach in Ladin,and street signs are being changed to bilingual.

There is a great deal of evidence regarding the antiquityand uniqueness of the “nones language. The noted lin-guist , William Bertagnolli, has compiled written a collec-tion in 3 volumes of nones poetry from the 1850 to1910. Another eminent nones linguist, Prof. EnricoLent, drafted in 1964, the vocabulary of the languagenònesa. In 2005, yet another nones linguist, Ilaria Debiasipublished the grammar of the language nonesa. BothItalian and non-Italian linguists have written extensivelyregarding the nones. Nones poetry continues to flourishtoday. The status of the ladino nones minority has beenaffirmed and recognized by the schools who teach thelanguage, its history and its culture. Such developmentsreinforced the identity and validity of the Nones Ladinominority.

Written by Doctor Sergio de Carneri

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Tavola Clesiana