Sardinian

Sardinian is documented in continuous texts from the 11th century onward, at a historical period when the Republic of Pisa, at that time a maritime power, exerted its influence (linguistic and otherwise) on the island. In earlier centuries, Sardinian gradually became differentiated from Latin under Byzantine rule, which resulted in Greek influence. Later, Catalan, Spanish, and finally Italian were the main sources of contact pressure on Sardinian qua official languages, endowed with prestige, in subsequent periods, whereas Sardinian dialects were progressively relegated to spoken and informal usage. At present, language shift toward Italian is rampant, and Sardinian, in both its main varieties (Logudorese and Campidanese), now counts as seriously endangered.