 Italy's fasinating dialects and how they got that way
One of the things that most fasinates me about Italy is the dialects. Last year while going to the Universita di Perugia
I took classes in Italian history, Italian culture/music and advanced Italian conversation. There wasn't any class per
se on just Italian dialects(that I had) so I asked all I could about them from my Italian teachers and did my own research.
The following is what I came up with among other things:
Throughout the centuries, people from many diverse ethnic groups have come to Italy and have left visible traces of their
presence: physical, cultural, and most importante linguistic. We're talking about Phoenicians, Jews, Arabs, Northern Africans,
Etruscans, Greeks, Celts, Normans, Germanic tribes and Romans. Keep in mind that all these groups had mixed backgrounds too.
For example the Etruscans are thought to have originated in what is now Iraq. Ironic isn't it. The Greeks also mixed with the
Persians and others before going into Italy and Spain.
In the 5th century Italy was over run by the barbarian Goths and Lombard Germanic tribes. In 775 Charlemagne from what is now France
conquered the north/central Italy and it became part of the Carolingian empire, while the south was disputed between the Byzantine
empire and the Arab conquerors of Sicily.
By the 12th century city-states had emerged in northern and central Italy and the south united under the Norman French.
The Italian Wars saw 65 years of French attacks on the Italian states, starting with Charles VIII's invasion of Naples in 1494.
However the Peace of Cateau-Cambrésis (1559) saw almost all of Italy fall under the direct or indirect control of the Spanish.
Going back in time Latin of course was the most important linguistic influence and was spoken all over Italy, Spain, France and most of Europe
in general. With the collapse of the Roman Empire, Latin lost it's predominance as the universal language of Europe and it's
offshoots--the so called Romance(Roman)(Latin)languages--gradually developed. (We're talking about the brother or sister languages
of Italian that come from the same mother Latin which are of course: Spanish, French, Portuguese, Catalan, Romanian and
others. Yes, once again you must understand that Spanish is more than just a cousin of Italian. It is a brother or sister of
Italian)(English is a cousin of Italian while Spanish is a brother)(English with it's 70 to 80% Latin base vocabulary is a cousin of Italian)
At any rate time, conquests and the movement of peoples affected the various languages spoken on the Italian peninsula.
(Samething happened in Spain, Portugal, France and Romania.)
The new forms of speech, with their local characteristics, gave Italy its dialects or (languages if you really get down to it.)
Neighboring towns spoke differently and with varying rhythmic cadences. Only in modern times have television, radio, telephone
mass media and education helped the Florentine dialect reach a dominant role as a standard language.(Keep reading that it was
television above education and everything else that has help spread standard Italian. Makes sence when you think about it.
Do children and adults pay more attention to their teachers or to televison?! I rest my case.)
Dialects give people a sense of identity and an attachment to culture and traditions about which they can feel proud. So what
dialects do people in the various regions of Italy speak.? Here is some general info on them.
In the region of Aosta in the far northwestern part of Italy that borders France they speak a French dialect. French is taught
in the schools and is used in official documents, along with Italian.(if you're planning a trip to Aosta then study up on your French.
I do.) Going a little south in neighboring Piedmonte with it's capitol being Torino, the local dialect also intermixes with French. Parlez vous francais?
Now were going on to Lombardy with it's capital being of course Milano. The inhabitants of this region claim to be able to communicate with many
tourists by simply speakiing in dialect. In Italian-speaking contexts, Western Lombard is often incorrectly called a dialect when it really is a seperate
language but then again many of the so called dialects of Italian are seperate languages as are Spanish, French, Portuguese, Catalan and Romanian.
(Remember that the definition of a dialect is a variety of a language used by people from a particular geographic area. If you can understand
someone when they talk or more or less understand them then they are speaking a dialect of your language.)
The Trentino Alto Adige region that borders Austria links Roman and German cultures--and dialects. I remember going through Trentino Alto Adige and in this
one town they were singing German folks songs in Italian. German and Italian are taught in the schools. The Italian people there have a German look about them.
The Venetian dialects in the Veneto region(where I lived for two years) are considered soft and musical; they reflect the wit and cleverness of the local people. Just above Venice is the
region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia their speech patterns are said to be harsh in the Alto Friuli and melodious along the coast.
The dialect of Genoa and surrounding areas on the opposite coast or west coast has the tendency to drop the r when it is between two vowels.
In the Emilia Romagna region, the dialects are gustosi(amusing) and very difficult to comprehend unless the listener is from the city of Bologna the capital of the region.
Tuscany as everybody knows is the cradle of the Italian language. Although it has it's own particular words and accents, Tuscan forms the basic of modern Italian. It's
vernacular was nobilitated by the great Dante Alighieri, Francesco Petraca, and Giovanni Boccaccio. All names that everybody that wants to know anything about Italy
should know by the way.
The dialects of the Marche region are easy and clear and reflect the open and friendly character of its people.
The language spoken in Umbria where I went to school, is a blend of Etruscan and Latin, and is immortalized by Jacoponi da Todi and the well known Saint Francis of Assisi.
The Roman dialect or romanesco is easily understood and made popular by cinema and television. When people ask about the italian language or which is the best Italian, one
often hears that it is "La lingua toscana in bocca romana" (the Florentine dialect spoken by a Roman). The soft sounds of the florentine combined with the so called harsh
utterances of the Roman give the Italian language its pleaseant character.
They say that the language of the Abruzzi and Molise regions is strong, harsh, and deeply expressive. It is characterized by the use of double consonants that bring it closer
to the dialects of Lazio(around Rome)and Campania around Naples. Many words are accented on the last syllable and it is similar to the Pugliese region but without
the elongated and open soudns of the vowel e.
The Neapolitan dialect is vivid and expressive. It is known throughout the world for the beauty and deep feelings of its songs. Who has not heard O sole mio, Funiculi Funicula,
Torna a Surriento and the rest of le canzone napoletana.
The proverbs of Basilicata express the courage and the strength of these old migrants: Si no ma sci ne sciame, si no nun sciami mica! When you have to do something, do it!
In Calabria many names reflect their Greek origin. However it's very interesting to note that Calabrian dialects are related to both Neapolitan and Sicilian dialects with the Southern
two-thirds of the region, the Calabrian dialects are more closely related to Siclian. Molto interessante to say the least and worthy of a much deeper study.
The very colorful and ever popular Sicilian dialects have traces of Greek, Phoenician, Arabic, Spanish and Norman French. Even though the people of the North and Central Italy
have difficulty in understanding them the Sicilian dialects are vivacious and expressive. By the way, all Sicilians speak standard Italian now.
The Sardinian dialect of the island of Sardegna is strong and mysterious like its people. It has a peculiar intontion and harsh sound. Many linguists have studied it for its numerous
guttural sounds and the use of s as a final letter.
In the area of Alghero, in northwestern Sardinia, people speak Catalan, the language spoken in and around Barcelona, Spain.(Catalan is realated to French, Italian and Spanish)
Every year citizens from the two cities exchange visits. Alghero became a Catalan colony in 1354 and has kept the language since this period of foreign domination.
Perhaps the most interesting thing about Sardinia is that there is a town there where they still speak a dialect that is closely realated and sounds
like the Latin that the Romans spoke. It doesn't get much more interesting than that.
Well, there you have it a quick over view of Italian dialects or should we say Italian languages?! It's all so interesting and very worthy of further research.
Last edited by Villa; 12-26-2008 at 09:02 PM.
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