#88 Sicilian Tongues and Landscape

How Dialects Work in Italy

Hello Friend,

Italy is a land of rich culture, history and diversity. As a travel writer, I have had the chance to explore this fascinating country and immerse myself in its various dialects. These dialects have shaped and influenced the Italian language in unique ways.

Did you know that there are over 30 different dialects spoken in Italy? Each region has its distinct dialect, making Italy a linguistic mosaic. From the rolling "R" sounds in Tuscan to the fusion of Spanish and Italian in Sicilian, each dialect tells a story of its region's past.

But how do these dialects work in Italy? For starters, the Italian language is derived from the Tuscan dialect. This dialect became the standard language during the Renaissance, with its capital, Florence, being the centre of the art and literary world. As a result, it became the language of literature, politics and education.

Despite this, the Italian language continues to be influenced by regional dialects. So don't be surprised if you hear variations of words or accents as you travel through Italy. It only adds to the charm and authenticity of this beautiful country.

So the next time you visit Italy, pay attention to the different dialects and see how they shape the language. Because as a wise man once said, "Language is the road map of a culture."

Photo by Rachel Claire

It's not a case of a variation in vocabulary. Each dialect has its own active life with different accents, sayings, poetry and stories, which are unique from one another as one fingerprint to another.

The Italian language has a long and involved history that evolved after the fall of the Roman Empire. The formation of Roman-Barbarian kingdoms caused the breakdown of Classical written Latin used by intellectuals into a spoken Latin used by everyday people.

Spoken Latin then came into contact with the languages of the Germanic invaders, developing into different languages. The use of Latin was replaced by different dialects based on a "vernacular", which varied from region to region.

There are half a dozen dialects on the island of Sicily alone due to the influence of Spanish, Arab, French, German, and Swedish invaders, who left their imprint on Sicily. There are many slight local variations in language and accent from one province to the next.

This considerable variation in languages created obvious communication problems and the fragmentation of Italy, keeping the country divided until the mid-1800s.

The first step to creating a united Italy was to develop a lingua franca, which proved to be quite a challenge as each of the major cities of Italy had equal rights to claim.

Sicily had a strong case as it was the home of the first Italian school of language and poetry, which was developed in the Sicilian court of Swedish emperor Frederick II in the 12th Century.

But the dialect of Florence won out; it became the language of politics, administration, and commerce, and with the economic expansion of Florence, the adoption of its dialect as the standard Italian language was assured.

Apart from the selection of the Florentine language, dialects continued to flourish until recent times.

Photo by Polina Chistyakova

Dialects are linked to national identity; a person's origin can be clearly understood by how they speak, from accent to the use of certain slang words characteristic of particular dialects.

The dialects of Sicily are formed by elements such as landscape, the isolation of each town by a mountainous landscape, and the historical influence of foreign conquerors who created a rich and complex language source.

It is common to travel short distances from one town to another to find a dialect so diverse it is like another language.

Mountain-top towns like Saint Fratello in the province of Messina were invaded by the French, whose population survived the rebellion of the Sicilian Vespers against the French invaders to maintain its French-based dialect. Listening to conversations at the local cafe is like being in a Parisian coffee room.

Sadly, these dialects are slowly disappearing as a new generation educated in standard Italian overtakes past generations fluent in ancient dialects.

The conversations in these colourful dialects will disappear into silence until one day, and no one will hear these languages anymore as the endless evolution of languages continues.

The expansive post-World War migration has dispersed these dialects worldwide, including Australia. Families of migrants and now second-generation Sicilians have maintained the dialects and created new ones.

There are many areas in Queensland, Sydney, and Melbourne where Sicilian and other Italian dialects are still spoken. After 50 years of migration, a strange hybrid of dialect and English has emerged, combining Italianised English with Sicilian dialects; it's a unique phenomenon.'

I grew up listening to my grandparents Sicilian dialect, which I strangely hear spoken around me even today in the small, paese I live in.

What kind of dialects do you hear around you?

Let me know, I’m interested.

From

Rochelle

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About me

My name is Rochelle Del Borrello (@rochelledelborrello), and I'm a writer, ESL teacher and blogger based in Sicily, Italy. Over the past decade, I've been writing about Sicily online, as a travel writer and on my blog. I started 'A Load off my Mind' to share more of my writing, thoughts, and discoveries directly and regularly with you. My newsletter is a way of sharing what is happening in my creative life in Sicily—part slice of life, part travel memoir and all with my philosophical yet honest point of view.

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