Friulians
Friulians, also called Friulans or Furlans are an ethnolinguistic minority living primarily in Italy, with a significant diaspora community. Friulians primarily inhabit the region of Friuli and speak the Rhaeto-Romantic language Friulian, which is closely related to Ladin, spoken primarily in South Tyrol/Alto Adige, and Romansh, native to the Canton of Grisons in Switzerland. About 600,000 Friulians live in the historical region of Friuli and in parts of Venice. Some other thousands live in diaspora communities mainly in the United States, Canada, Argentina, Brazil, Australia, and Belgium. They traditionally speak Friulan, a distinct Rhaeto-Romance language which is the second largest recognized minority language in Italy after Sardinian. Genetically, Friulians cluster with broader Europe populations although still show the greatest genetic similarity with the other Italian populations. Friulians have even served during the First World War, notably at the Battle of Vittorio Veneto, where 7,000 Friulians were captured by the Italian Army. Friulians also served in the Second World War, but only a few records remain on the topic. Friulian stereotypes date back to the literature of the 19th century. The ideal characteristics are described in “Il CIANT DE FILOLÒGICHE FURLANE” as "... salt, onest, lavoradôr!”, which refers to the figure of the “good farmer“. The Agjenzie Regjonâl pe Lenghe Furlane suggests a five-dimensional model to characterise Friulian population:
- A people of farmers, therefore attached to the land and close to nature; organised in strong family structures and small village communities; hard-working with also good entrepreneurial skills; traditionalist and true to its word;
- A people of Christians, thus of believers, set within the great catholic tradition, gifted with the virtues of simplicity, humbleness, austerity, ability to withstand the rigors of life with patience and determination.
