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Sicel language
Sicel was an ancient language spoken by the Sicels (Greek Sikeloi, Latin Siculi), one of the three indigenous (i.e. pre-Greek and pre-Punic) tribes of Sicily. According to some authors (Varro, Diodorus Siculus) the speakers of Sicel entered Sicily from the Italian mainland, and the language is quite likely of Indo-European origin.
While it cannot be stated with certainty that the Sicel language belonged to the Italic subfamily of Indo-European, the Sicels were most probably related to a number of tribes of southern Italy -- such as the Italoi of Calabria, the Oenotrians , the Chones , the Opicans , and the Ausonians -- all of which were overrun by Oscan-speaking Samnites, Lucanians , and Bruttians .
10-26-2009 08:16:03
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The contents of this article is licensed from www.wikipedia.org under the GNU Free Documentation License. Click here to see the transparent copy and copyright details