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FriendlyThere’s more to Italian
than meets the ear
Many might be surprised to find that
Italy and its 20 regions are very diverse. There are many different
regional dialects in Italy. To make things even more complicated, there
are even dialects within dialects!
Aosta Valley
The Aosta Valley is a true hybrid. The mountainous Aosta Valley is
nestled in the northwestern corner of Italy. Being surrounded by Mont
Blanc, the Matterhorn and Monte Rosa make it a popular skiing
destination. Hikers also come from far and wide to walk the beautiful
trails the valley has to offer. Aosta Valley cuisine is influenced by
Switzerland, France and Germany. Interestingly, it’s completely
bilingual. Both Italian and French are taught in schools and the locals
use both languages frequently.
Tuscany
The darling of tourists the world over, beautiful Tuscany conjures up
thoughts of rolling hills, vineyards and fantastic wine. The dialetto
toscano or Tuscan dialect is an Italo-Dalmation language. Interestingly,
‘standard Italian’ gets its roots from the Tuscan dialect. Florence has
its own slight skew on the Tuscan dialect and it was this specific
variety that spurned standard Italian. Some argue the standard Italian
adoption of the Florentine dialect was down to the fact that it became
fashionable with the ‘cultured’ set due to the number of prestigious
artists that came from the area.
http://farm4.staticflickr.com/3288/2697647301_f2271c44b2_z.jpg?zz=1
Umbria
Umbria is located in central Italy and is flanked by Tuscany. This
picturesque region is most hilly or mountainous and is landlocked.
Umbria has a great variety of different dialects with perhaps the most
notable being that spoken in Perugia. The Perugian dialect, or Perugino,
is generally thought of by those outside of the region as being half
Tuscan and half Roman. However, it’s actually very close to standard
Italian. A notable exception is the fact that the last syllable of a
word can often be dropped, making it incredibly hard to follow, even for
native Italians! The Umbrian dialect also has many words not found in
other Italian dialects, most of which are related to farming.
Sicily
Like so many languages, Sicilian has been shaped by centuries of
foreign occupation. Languages such as Albanian, Arabic, French and Greek
have all influenced the Sicilian dialect. Pronunciation of Sicilian is
famously difficult, specifically the double ‘d’. The language of Sicily
is just as colourful as it’s landscape and mafia history. Perhaps the
most amusing example of this comes from their proverbs, many of which
have an English influence. For example, the Sicilian version of ‘All
things in moderation’ is ‘don’t be too sweet lest you be eaten, don’t be
too sour lest you be stunned’.
http://farm5.staticflickr.com/4023/4309735256_be5e526a53_b.jpg
For those aspiring Italian speakers out there, don’t be daunted by
the myriad of dialects. Remember, if you learn standard Italian you will
still be mostly understood across the country. Whether you want to
learn Italian in Bristol, Cambridge or Liverpool there are language
schools that have sites in cities across the UK. Check out the options
for learning
Italian at UICLanguages.com, you could be cussing like a Sicilian in
no time!
From: www.italianwords.org.uk
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