Page 20 - Italian-American Herald - March 2023

20 ITALIANAMERICANHERALD.COM | MARCH2023
ITALIAN-AMERICANHERALD
I
M A A A D D DE E E F F FU U UN N N & & & S S SI I IM M MP P PL L LE E E
I
I
T
T
TA
A
A
L
L
L
I
I
I
A
A
AN N N M M
It’s been awhile since we have looked at very basic Italian greetings and salutations.
So, let’s review some common greetings and the proper way to address people and some
common greetings.
Unlike modern-day English, Italian has three
subjective pronouns that all translate into English as the word “you.” Tu is the informal way to address
falso amico is more as a matter of opinion, rather than a matter of major linguistic proportion.
This month’s proverb
It comes from Sardinia.
Sardu: Marzu entosu, Abrili proidosu. Italiano: Marzo ventoso, Aprile piovoso. English: Literal: Windy March, rainy April. Equivalent: March, in like a lion, out like a la
nd, and anyone with whom you have an informal relationship. “Lei” is the formal way to address superiors,
professionals and someone with whom you don’t have an informal relationship. Finally, there is “voi,” which is used at all times when addressing more than one person. (In the southern part of Italy, voi is sometimes used as a way to address one person respectfully.
Now let’s review some simple phrases using these forms:
b. .
a
af
fa
am
mi
il
ly
ym
me
em
mb
be
er
r,
,a
af
fr
ri
ie
en
am
mb
Tu come stai? Lei come sta? Voi come state?
Come ti chiami tu? Come si chiama Lei? Come vi chiamate voi?
(All three mean, “How are you?”)
What is your name? What is your name? What are your names?
Parli italiano tu?
Parla italiano Lei? (All three mean, “Do you speak Italian?”) Parlate italiano voi?
Learn these phrases and we’ll examine this concept a little more in depth in future lessons. Now let’s look at some common Italian greetings and salutations.
This issue’s surnames column resumes with surnames beginning with the letter R.
ROSSI – This surname derives from the nickname “rosso,” meaning red, to indicate someone with red hair. Although few Italians have red hair, it is a popular surname. One might say that it is the much like the name Smith in the United States. Therefore, no question as to how many regions one would find this surname registered with the Bureaus of Vital Statistics, all 20 regions. It is most prevalent in Lombardia and least present in Val d’Aosta. Variations: Rosso, Rossa, Russi, Russo, Ruggiu, Rubiu, Rosselli, Rossello, Rossellini, Rissiello, Rossillo, Rossetti, Rossetto, Rossettini, Rossitti, Rossitto, Rossini, Rossino, Rossotti, Rossotto, Rossini, Rossone, Rossuto, Russello, Russino, Russotti, Russotto, Russiani, Russolillo.
ROVERE – This surname derives from “rovere,” to indicate a place with oaks. It is not a very common name, but is found in all 20 regions, albeit is small numbers. It is most prevalent in Piemonte and least in Molise. Variations: Roveri, Roverani, Roveratto, Roverati.
RUFFINI – This surname derives the first name Ruffino or Rufino, in use since the 5th century. The Latin first name Rufinus derives from the Roman family name “Rufus” from “ruber,” meaning red (hair or beard). It is not a very common name, but is present in 18 regions, albeit in small numbers. The two regions that do not have this surname registered are Basilicata and Calabria. Variations: Ruffino, Rufini, Rufino, Ruffinelli, Ruffinoni, Ruffinengo.
RUGGERI – This surname derives from the first name Ruggiero, introduced in
Southern Italy after the Norman domination. It comes from the first name Hrodger, consisting of “hroth” meaning glory and “gaira” meaning lance. It is present in all
20 regions. It is most prevalent in Puglia and least found in Val d’Aosta. Variations: Ruggiero, Ruggieri, Rugieri, Roggeri, Roglieri, Roggerone, Ruggeri, Ruggiero.
RULLO – This surname derives from the first name Rollo of German origin, imported in Italy by the Normans. It is present in 19 regions. It is most prevalent in Campania and least found in Friuli Venezia-Giulia. It is not present in Val d’Aosta. Variations: Rulli, Rolli.
RUSSO – This surname derives from the dialect word “ruscetto, ruscetta,” meaning man or woman with red hair or complexion that is linked to the ginger hair or a reddish complexion of an ancestor. It is among the most popular Italian surnames. It is present in all 20 regions. It is mostly present in Campania and least found in Val d’Aosta. Variations: Ruscitti, Ruscitto.
RUSTICI – This surname derives from the Latin word “rusticus,” meaning who lives in the country, farmer. It is registered with vital statistics in only 14 regions. Variations: Rustichelli.
RIZIERO – This surname derives from the first name Risio that is an abbreviation of Riziero or from Rizzo or Riccio, to indicate someone who has curly hair. While the surname is distantly “related” to the very popular surname Rizzo, this particular surname is sparse, to say the least. It is merely found in nine regions. Variations: RISIO.
In the next issue, we explore Italian surnames that start with the letter S.
Buon giorno Buona sera Buona note
Good morning or good day (Generally used until 4 p.m.)* Good evening (Generally used after 4 p.m.)*
Good night
*In general, the expression buon pomeriggio (good after- noon) is not in common usage. It is used most frequently on TV, radio, and public gatherings by the announcer or lecturer to greet the audience.
Other greetings and/or salutations include:
Salve! A general greeting meaning hello.
Ciao! This well-known word means hello and goodbye.
However it should only be used informally. Never use in formal conversations.
A più tardi! A domani! Arrivederci! ArrivederLa! Addio.
See you later!
See you tomorrow! Goodbye!
Good-bye! (very formal)
Goodbye (Specifically used when saying goodbye to someone who you don’t expect to see for an extended period.)
This month’s falso amico
This month’s falso amico in some cases is a falso amico and in some cases it is not. The word is gelato. As is a known fact, Italy is famous for gelato, which in English best translates to as ice cream, but truthfully isn’t ice cream. Ice cream is made with cream and is 10 to 20 percent fat.
Gelato is made from milk and a small amount of cream. It is 4 to 9 percent fat.
Ice cream is also churned for a greater amount of time, which incorporates more air into the product, making it lighter. Gelato is denser, so it feels silky smooth on the tongue.
Gelato is also served at a higher temperature, to accentuate its silky smooth texture. Ice cream is held at lower temperatures, which makes it very firm and complements its mouthfeel.
The flavor of gelato is also more intense, since it isn’t intensely cold, and doesn’t numb the tongue. In any event the most common and accepted translation of gelato in English is ice cream. Now comes the case where gelato becomes a falsissimo amico (very false friend) when consumers erroneously use the word gelati to sell a product that no Italian would even want to look at, let alone to eat. Gelati, best loosely translated, would be ice creams. An example: How many ice creams should I order? Quanti gelati dovrei ordinare? In conclusion, depending on how this word is used in English, its classification as a
You can research your surname on these two websites:
• surnames.behindthename.com/names/usage/italian/ • cognomix.it/mappe-dei-cognomi-italiani.