Lepontic language
 
The language was spoken in the lake region of northern Italy between 700 and 400 BC, however, it is probable it was used also before and after this date but we have no proof of that. Lepontic peoples live in surroundings of very numerous nations. They contacted closely with Ligurians and Rhaetians, non-Indo-European tribes of northern Italy, with Etruscans, Venetians, and that is why their language is considered to be somehow mixed with other ones. Scientists agree to the statement that Lepontic Celts came here during one of the first waves of Celtic expansion over Europe, and lived here until they were eventually assimilated by Latin (or by the later arrived Sennon Gauls, representing the next Celtic wave).

The tongue was written in an alphabet derived from Etruscan, quite unsuited to a Celtic language. For that reason, the phonetic interpretation of some fourty inscriptions we have is not sure. We can only state that Lepontic was a P-Celtic tongue, but of a specific group different from both Brittonnic ang Goidelic. It had an extensive declension system, as can be seen from the following sample : Latumarui Sapsutaipe uinom nashom (For Latumaros and Sapsuta, wine of Naxos). This example shows the typical Indo-European system of noun declension with even one conjunction -pe (Latin -que).

Gauls who came to Northern Italy in the early 4th century BC broke the balance of ethnic groups in the region. Soon nothing is heard about the Lepontic language, and finally Romans assimilate all nations who used to live here. And their languages are still a secret for us.