The Carthaginian connection
The shared history of Sardinia & Africa
Sardinian, or sardu as it’s called locally, is known for its conservative nature, preserving many characteristics of Latin that were lost in other Romance languages. This linguistic conservatism partially comes from Sardinia’s geographical isolation, which allowed it to largely avoid the effects of Germanic invasions and the resulting language changes.
[spoken sardu]
Yet, Sardinia’s history is deeply connected with another Latin-speaking region: Roman Africa. Coastal cities in modern-day Tunisia, Libya, Algeria, and Morocco once spoke African Romance, a vulgar Latin similar to Sardinian. These Roman Africans - such as Saint Augustine - were made up of Roman settlers and native populations who adopted Roman customs.
The two regions shared more than language; they were both influenced by Carthaginian rule before coming under Roman control. Cicero himself condemned the connection, saying, “Africa itself is the parent of Sardinia”.
African Romance’s eventual disappearance is an example of Romania submersa, or regions where Romanization faded. Sardinia, meanwhile, held onto its Latin roots, keeping its connection to the Roman past intact.
Notes: Roman Africa isn’t the only time the two regions were united. Italian East Africa was part of Mussolini’s colonial empire, between 1936 and 1941, and included what is now Eritrea, Somalia and Ethiopia.