Corsican (Corsu orLingua Corsa) is aRomance language spoken on the island ofCorsica (France), together withFrench, which is the official language. Similar languages are also spoken on the nearby island ofSardinia (Italy), in the city ofSassari and the historical region ofGallura. Corsican is similar to the dialects of Central Italy, particularly inTuscany. Corsican is spoken by almost 35% of people in Corsica.
According to itsUNESCO classification, the Corsican language is now in danger of becoming extinct. The language is separated into two dialects, "Northern Corsican", spoken in theBastia andCorte areas, and "Southern Corsican", spoken aroundSartene andPorto-Vecchio. The dialect ofAjaccio has been described as in transition. The dialects spoken atCalvi andBonifacio are like theGenoa dialect, also known asLigurian.
In the Sardinian region of Gallura, including the town ofTempio Pausania, and on the island ofLa Maddalena "Gallurese" is spoken. The Corsican language is very important for the Corsican culture, because it is really rich inproverbs.
