#112 The language question in Italy

Are dialects that complicated?

Hello Friend,

As I have mentioned before, I've asked my readers on my Sicilian-themed travel blog Sicily Inside and Out to send me any questions they may have about visiting Italy or anything they are curious to know about the culture.

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I saw your blog and have a question about language.

My boyfriend and I live in NYC. He is Sicilian. He may be starting a part-time position in Palermo. I may be there part-time with him.

I thought it'd be good to learn Sicilian so I could have a better connection with his family in a small village in Trapani and with local people.

He prefers that I learn Italian rather than Sicilian. Part of that may be due to him having a PhD and socialising with more affluent Italians here. 

Can you offer guidance?

Thank you!

Thanks for your email and for your great question about languages in Sicily.

Most people here in Sicily speak Italian, so it'll be worthwhile to concentrate on this before tackling Sicilian.

I've been living here for nearly 20 years, and it isn't easy to pick up the dialect because it varies from place to place. The dialect in Trapani is very different from those spoken in the province of Messina or Catania. I imagine the Palermo dialect would influence it.

I'm convinced that to speak a dialect well, you'd have to be born here or brought up speaking and hearing it regularly.

Most people speak standard Italian (the Tuscan dialect), younger people don't even know the older Sicilian dialect, and most people choose to use and speak Italian. Usually, older people speak it, perhaps within small family groups or communities. And even if it is used, it will be mixed in with Italian anyway.

There are plenty of Italian schools online that can offer you basic introductions to Sicilian. But as I said before, there are variations between each province, so it depends on how different the dialect is in Trapani.

If you have a decent level of Italian, you can always ask the locals for specific phrases or words they use in their dialect. If your boyfriend's family is friendly, they'd happily teach you a few words. 

The best thing you can hope for is to pick up some words and phrases from the local dialect while you are here, depending on how good your ear for languages is or how exotic the local dialect's accent and pronunciation are. It's always an excellent way to start a conversation when shopping at the markets or grabbing a coffee at your local bar.

Sicilian is a very complex dialect with Arab, French, Spanish, Latin and Germanic influences. 

I recently wrote a short post about Dialects in Italy in my newsletter if you want to read a little more.

I hope this helps.

Don't hesitate to send me any more questions.

Good luck with everything. I'm sure you'll love Palermo; it's a great city with so much history and a bohemian atmosphere.

Regards 

Rochelle

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