Page 26 - Italian-American Herald - August 2023

26 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | AUGUST2023 ITALIAN-AMERICANHERALD ITALIAN MADE FUN & SIMPLE
What’s the difference between a language and a dialect?
In our first summer lesson we focused on Italian as compared to its sister languages. In the July summer lesson, we pointed out the fact that Corsica, an island belonging to France, has an Italic language that is an Italic which many Italians, especially from Tuscany and Liguria, would easily understand. We then went on to point out that the Sardinian language, which is never classified as an Italian dialect, is recognized as a distinct Romance language and would be almost 100 percent unintelligible to Italians.
Now we will answer the question, “Are the numerous dialects of Italy really dialects?” The answer is Italian dialects are quite different languages, with different lexicons and a different grammar. According to Ethnologue, an annual reference publication which provides statistics and other information on the living languages of the world, Italy is home to 28 Indigenous languages and six non-Indigenous languages. However, the use of the word dialect persists. Based on the fact that the word dialect is universally accepted in Italy, we will refer to these variations of communication as “dialects,” rather than as languages.
All areas of Italy have a dialect. In current times, not everyone speaks a dialect. If you go back some 70 to 80 years, you would be hard pressed finding someone whose main language was standard Italian. People spoke the local dialect with everyone and learned Italian in school. Then Italian media, through television, radio, online and written communications changed
the game. Nowadays, many if not most people in Italy generally speak standard Italian with
an accent and a few “localized words” thrown in, and they reserve dialect to a marginal role
or cannot even speak the local dialect because they were never exposed to it. Especially in
the cities, the youth are more likely to speak mostly Italian and a limited, very watered-down version of the dialect or no dialect at all.
The so-called Italian dialects, with the exception of those in central Italy that are closely related to Italian, are actually true independent Romance languages, like French or Spanish. So those who speak only Italian cannot understand them, except in a very partial way, as is the case with other Romance languages, spoken in other countries. The dialects of the Northwest are closer to the ancient French langue d’oil than to standard Italian and are the dialects now most threatened with extinction.
Normally an Italian can understand only those dialects that are closely related to his own. So, if you are Milanese, you can understand other dialects of the north quite well, but certainly not those of the south or the islands. If you are Neapolitan you can understand, quite well, the dialects of the mainland south, but you will understand nothing or almost nothing of the very different dialects of the north.
Let’s look at an example. Piedmontese and Lombard are mutually intelligible, but a Sicilian wouldn’t understand a thing when listening to these two Northern dialects.
ENGLISH: My grandfather always came back from the vegetable garden with a bag of potatoes, onions, beans, and a couple of strawberries for us children.
ITALIAN: Mio nonno tornava sempre dall’orto con un sacco di patate, cipolle, fagioli e un paio di fragole per noi bambini.
LOMBARDO: Ol nono al torneva sempar dol cioss cont on sacch da pomm da terra, scigoll, fasœu e on pari da maostar par nun fioritt.
PIEDMONTESE: El pare grand turnava semper dal’ort cun un sach ed tartifle, siule, fasöj e un paira ed frole per nui masnà.
SICILIANO: Me nannu s’arricampava sempri râ nuara c’un saccu ri patati, cipuddi, fasola e un paru ri frauli pi nuatri picciriddi.
Since all these three languages are Romance, there is some intelligibility when these languages are written, but when spoken it is very difficult to understand – so as you can see, southern dialects and northern dialects aren’t mutually intelligible.
In the next issue, we return to our regular lesson format. We hope you have enjoyed delving into some background on the origins and difference of the languages of Italy.
This month we extend our list of Italian surnames that begin with S.
SCARPONE – This surname derives from the Italian word “scarpa,” meaning shoe.
It started as a nickname for a shoemaker.
It appears in the bureau of statistics in 17
of Italy’s 20 regions. It is most prevalent in Campania and least found in Basilicata. The three regions where it does not show up are Valle d’Aosta, Umbria and Puglia. Variations: SCARPITTI, SCARPA.
SCIULLO – It appears in the bureau of statistics in 14 of Italy’s 20 regions. It is most prevalent in Abruzzo and least found in Trentino Alto-Adige. Variation: SCIULLI.
SCORANNO – This surname derives from the name of the town of Scorrano in the Salento area in the Puglia region. It appears in the bureau of statistics in 17 of Italy’s 20 regions. As might be expected, it is most prevalent in Puglia.
SCURTI – This surname derives probably from the adjective “corto,” meaning short to indicate a short person. Also derived from the dialect verb “scurtà,” meaning to finish. It appears in the bureau of statistics in 17
of Italy’s 20 regions. It is most prevalent in Abruzzo. Variation: SCURTO.
SCUTTI – This surname derives from the dialect word “scutu,” meaning shield. It is present in 15 regions of Italy’s 20 regions. It is most prevalent in Abruzzo. Variations: SCUTTO, SCUTI, SCUTO.
SEBASTIANI – This surname derives from the Latin first name Sebastianus. It appears in the bureau of statistics in all of Italy’s 20 regions. It is most prevalent in
Lazio which is probably due to the fact that St. Sebastian was martyred in Rome and
is buried there. Even though St. Sebastian was martyred in Rome, he is venerated
in many other parts of Italy, especially Sicily. Variations: SEBASTIANELLI, SEBASTIANUTTI.
SERAFINI – This surname derives from first name Serafino, derived from the Hebrew “Serafim,” from “seraf” meaning to burn. It is a very common surname. It appears in the bureau of statistics in all of Italy’s 20 regions. It is most prevalent in Lazio and least in Val d’Aosta.
SETTE – This surname derives from
the Italian word “sette,” meaning seven. It evolved from a nickname into a surname
of ancestral families used when a seventh child was born into a family. It appears in the bureau of statistics in 19 of Italy’s 20 regions, mostly in Veneto. The missing region is Basilicata.
SGUERZO – This surname derives from the adjective “guercio” meaning blind, It started out as a nickname and evolved into a surname. It is found in only 4 regions: Liguria, Toscana, Piemonte and Lombardia.
SIGISMONDI – This surname derives from the first name Sigismondo, of German origin, consisting of “sigis” meaning victory and “munda” meaning protection. It appears in the bureau of statistics in 19 of Italy’s 20 regions, mostly in Abruzzo. The missing region is Val d’Aosta. Variations: SIGISMONDO, SISMONDI, SISMONDA, SISMONDO, SIMONDINI, SIMONDI.
You can research your surname on these two websites:
• surnames.behindthename.com/names/usage/italian/ • cognomix.it/mappe-dei-cognomi-italiani.