Page 30 - Italian-American Herald - July 2023

30 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | JULY2023 ITALIAN-AMERICANHERALD ITALIAN MADE FUN & SIMPLE
You can research your surname on these two websites:
• surnames.behindthename.com/names/usage/italian/ • cognomix.it/mappe-dei-cognomi-italiani.
Understanding the connection between Sardinian and Corsican
In this issue we will explain the relationship between the Sardinian and Corsican languages.
We begin by acknowledging that Corsica is, by legal definition, French. However, Corsica was part of the Republic of Genoa for centuries until 1768, when the Republic ceded the island to France, one year before the birth of Napoleon Bonaparte in the capital city of Ajaccio. Nonetheless, it’s hardly French. Corsica is one of the “three sister” islands of the Mediterranean, the other two are Sardinia and Sicily. Those other islands are part of Italy. That should immedi- ately tell you something is amiss about Corsica being politically French, but not geographically or culturally.
Corsicans don’t identify as Italians simply because Corsica was never part of a unified Italy and centuries have passed since the island was under Italic rule. Many actually know they are an Italic people and Corsican is considered an Italian dialect connected to the Tuscan varieties from the Italian peninsula, and therefore also to the Florentine-based standard Italian. Corsi- cans who spoke an Italian dialect now must use French after standard Italian was removed as the official language in May 1859. However, many support the Italian national team instead of the French one during football events. This is hardly surprising because Corsica is much closer to Italy than Sardinia. Traveling around the island by boat there is still a view of the island of Elba and of mainland Italy. If you are on Sardinia, or on a boat off the shores of Sardinia, the Italian mainland is hidden by the curvature of Earth and there are no islands in between. This geographic fact is one factor which explains the close relationship between the two languages.
Factually, both Sardinian and Corsican are both neo-Latin languages. However, their histo- ries are different. The Corsican language can be associated with the Vulgar Latin languages of central Italy, while Sardinian is a Vulgar Latin language on its own. On French-owned Corsica, the heritage language is basically an Italian dialect while Italian Sardinians speak a language that loosely resembles Italian and has the status as a distinct language while the heritage language of French Corsicans is an Italian dialect related to Tuscan.
Mind that when we say “Sardinian” here, we mean Campidanese and Logudorese in all their dialects and variants. The language spoken in the Northeastern region of Sardinia, Gallura, is more similar to Corsican than to other Sardinian languages.
Here are some examples to compare: English: What a beautiful day it is. Italiano: Che bella giornata è.
Sardu: Su bòidu die est.
Corsu: Chì bellu ghjornu hè.
] In this issue, we extend our list of Italian surnames that begin with the letter S.
SCARPATO – 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 of 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: SCARPONE, SCARPITTI, SCARPA.
SCARSELLI – This surname derives from the Italian word “scarsella,” meaning
a bag for documents, letters, money and objects. It appears in the bureau of statistics of 16 of Italy’s 20 regions. The four regions where it does not show up are Valle d’Aosta, Basilicata, Sardinia and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.: Variations: SCARCELLO, SCARCIELLO, SCARCELLA, SCARZELLO, SCARZELLA, SCARZELLI, SCARSELLA, SCARSELLO.
SCATENA – This surname is probably from the verb “scatenare,” meaning to unleash, to cause. It appears in the bureau of statistics of 16 of Italy’s 20 regions. The four regions where it does not show up are Sicily, Calabria, Campania and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.
SCHIAVONE – This surname is probably from the Italian word “Schiavo,” meaning slave. It appears in the bureau of statistics in all of Italy’s 20 regions. It is most prevalent in Puglia and least found in Valle d’Aosta.
SCHIAZZA – This surname derives
from the Italian word “chiazza,” meaning stain, blotch. In different dialects the word “schiazza” takes different meanings: to throw, a square, a stone used to wash the clothes in the river. It appears in the bureau of statistics in only 11 of Italy’s 20 regions, mostly regis- tered in Abruzzo.
SCIARRA – This surname derives from
the Sicilian word “sciarra,” meaning to quarrel, used as a nickname, It’s actual origin is from the Arabic word “sharia” meaning “on the right path.” It appears in the bureau of statistics of 19 of Italy’s 20 regions. It is most prevalent in Campania and least found in Trentino Alto-Adige. It is not registered at all in Valle d’Aosta. Variations: SCIARINO, SCIARRONE, SCIARRATTA, SCIAR- RETTA.
SCIMIE – This surname derives from the Italian word “scimmia,” meaning monkey.
It likely started as a nickname. It appears in the bureau of statistics in only 12 of Italy’s 20 regions, mostly registered in Abruzzo.
SCIME – This surname derives from
the Arabic word “sham’s” meaning sun. It appears in the bureau of statistics in only 11 of Italy’s 20 regions. While it is sparse in 10 of the regions where it is present, the 11th region where it is present and extensively widespread is Sicily. This should be of no surprise, since Sicily was occupied by a Muslim conquest which began in June 827 and lasted until 902.
SCIPIONI – This surname derives from the Latin family name “Scipio, Scipionis.” The best-known Roman with this family name was Publius Cornelius Scipio Africanus. Born around 236 B.C., he was a Roman general and statesman, most notable as one of the main architects of Rome’s victory against Carthage in the Second Punic War. Often regarded as one of the greatest military commanders and strategists of all time, his greatest military achievement was the defeat of Hannibal at the Battle of Zama in 202 B.C. This victory in Africa earned him the epithet Africanus, literally meaning “the African,”
but meant to be understood as a conqueror of Africa. The surname is registered in all 20 regions. For obvious reasons, it is most preva- lent in Lazio. Variations: SCIPIONE.