The three major dialects of Cimbrian are spoken in: • The
Seven Communities (), currently only the village of
Roana (Robàan) •
Luserna (Lusern), in
Trentino • The
Thirteen Communities (), currently only the village of
Giazza (Ljetzan) • Some villages in the
Carnic Alps such as
Sappada,
Sauris and
Timau Cimbrian is in danger of extinction both from standard Italian, which is often used in public, and the neighboring regional
Venetian language. It is estimated that about 2,220 people speak Cimbrian. In Trentino, according to the census of 2001, the first in which data on native languages were recorded, Cimbrian was spoken by a majority in the municipality of Lusérn (267 people, 89.9%). In other
municipalities of Trentino 615 persons declared themselves members of the Cimbrian linguistic group, a total of 882 in Trentino. With this, it is seen that the most thriving variety of Cimbrian is that of Lusern with most of the community able to speak Cimbrian, whereas in Giazza and Roana only a few elderly speakers remain. Cimbrian is officially recognised in Trentino by provincial and national law. Beginning in the 1990s, various laws and regulations have been passed by the Italian parliament and provincial assembly that put the Cimbrian language and culture under protection. School curricula were adapted in order to teach in Cimbrian, and bilingual street signs are being developed. A cultural institute (Istituto Cimbro/Kulturinstitut Lusérn) was founded by decree in 1987, whose purpose is to "...safeguard, promote and exploit the ethnographic and cultural heritage of the German speaking minority of the municipality of Luserna while paying special attention to historic and linguistic expressions, to the protection of the environment, and to the economic-cultural development of the Cimbrian community territory." The cultural institute hosts literature competitions for children as well as immersion summer camps. == Phonology ==