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Sicilian
Sicilianu
Spoken in: Sicily, central and southern Calabria, the province of Lecce (Apulia), the southern part of the province of Salerno (Campania) and emigrants in around 30 countries, as well as significant usage in other parts of Italy and in Malta
Total speakers: 4. Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy. Calabria ( Latin: Brutium) is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of This is about the Italian city of Lecce For the football club see U Apulia ( Italian: Puglia) is a region in southeastern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east the Ionian Sea Salerno is a town in southern Italy, capital of the province of the same name in the region of Campania. Campania is a region of Southern Italy in Europe. The region has a population of around 5 Italy (Italia officially the Italian Republic, (Repubblica Italiana is located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe, and on the two largest Malta, officially the Republic of Malta (Repubblika ta' Malta is a European Microstate, comprising an Archipelago of three islands 8 million (Gordon, 2005) 
Ranking: 60-70
Language family: Indo-European
 Italic
  Romance
   Italo-Western
    Italo-Dalmatian
     Sicilian
Language codes
ISO 639-1: none
ISO 639-2: scn
ISO 639-3: scn 
Map of Sicily.
Map of Sicily. This is a list of languages, ordered by the number of native-language speakers, with some data for second-language use List of language familiesA language family is a group of Languages related by descent from a common ancestor called the Proto-language of that family The Italic subfamily is a member of the Indo-European language family's Centum branch The Romance languages (sometimes referred to as Romanic languages, or Neolatin languages) are a branch of the Indo-European language family comprising all ISO 639-1 is the first part of the ISO 639 international-standard language-code family ISO 639-2 is the second part of the ISO 639 standard, which lists codes for the representation of the names of languages ISO 639 -3 (ISO 639-32007 is an international standard for Language codes The standard describes three‐letter codes for identifying languages
Note: This page may contain IPA phonetic symbols in Unicode. In Computing, Unicode is an Industry standard allowing Computers to consistently represent and manipulate text expressed in most of the world's
Dialects of Italy by groups (Sicilian language group in purple).
Dialects of Italy by groups[1][2][3][4] (Sicilian language group in purple).

Sicilian (lu sicilianu, Italian: lingua siciliana, also known as Siculu or Calabro-Sicilian) is a Romance language. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. The Romance languages (sometimes referred to as Romanic languages, or Neolatin languages) are a branch of the Indo-European language family comprising all Its dialects comprise the Italiano Meridionale-estremo language group, which are spoken on the island of Sicily and its satellite islands; in southern and central Calabria (where it is called Southern Calabro); in the southern parts of Apulia, the Salento (where is it known as Salentino); and Campania, on the Italian mainland, where it is called Cilentano (Gordon, 2005). Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy. Calabria ( Latin: Brutium) is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of Apulia ( Italian: Puglia) is a region in southeastern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east the Ionian Sea Salento (Salentu in local dialect is the south-eastern extremity of the Apulia region of Italy. Campania is a region of Southern Italy in Europe. The region has a population of around 5 Ethnologue (see below for more detail) describes Sicilian as being "distinct enough from Standard Italian to be considered a separate language" (Gordon). Ethnologue Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International (formerly known as the Summer Institute of Linguistics a Christian Some assert that Sicilian represents the oldest Romance language derived from Vulgar Latin (Privitera, 2004), but this is not a widely-held view amongst linguists. Vulgar Latin (in Latin sermo vulgaris, "folk speech" is a Blanket term covering the popular Dialects and Sociolects of the Latin For instance, Cipolla describes such a view as radical (2004, p. 151).

It is currently spoken by the majority of the inhabitants of Sicily and by immigrant populations around the world. The latter are to be found in the countries which attracted large numbers of Sicilian immigrants during the course of the past century or so, especially the United States, Canada, Australia and Argentina. The United States of America —commonly referred to as the Country to "Dominion of Canada" or "Canadian Federation" or anything else please read the Talk Page For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Australia topics. For a topic outline on this subject see List of basic Argentina topics. In the past two or three decades, large numbers of Sicilians were also attracted to the industrial zones of northern Italy and indeed the rest of the European Union, especially Germany. The European Union ( EU) is a political and economic union of twenty-seven member states, located primarily in Germany, officially the Federal Republic of Germany ( ˈbʊndəsʁepuˌbliːk ˈdɔʏtʃlant is a Country in Central Europe.

Sicilian is not used as an official language anywhere, even within Sicily. There is currently no central body, in Sicily or elsewhere, that regulates the language in any way. However, the Center for Sicilian Philological and Linguistic Studies in Palermo has been researching and publishing information on the Sicilian language since its inception in 1951[5]. The Centro di studi filologici e linguistici siciliani (Center for Sicilian Philological and Linguistic Studies CSFLS) is a non-profit organization which aims to promote the

The autonomous regional parliament of Sicily has legislated to encourage the teaching of Sicilian at all schools, but inroads into the education system have been slow (Cipolla, 2004).

The language is officially recognized in the municipal statutes of Sicilian towns, such as Caltagirone[6] and Grammichele[7], in which the inalienable historical and cultural value of the Sicilian language is proclaimed. Caltagirone (Caltaggiruni is a town and Comune in the Province of Catania, on the island (and region of Sicily, about 70 km southwest of Grammichele (Greek Echetle (meaning " plowshare " Latin Echetla; Medieval Occhiolà; Grammicheli Further, the Sicilian language is to be protected and promoted under the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages (ECRML). However, the Italian Parliament has yet to ratify this draft law[8].

Contents

Ethnologue report on Sicilian

Other names

Alternate names of Sicilian are Calabro-Sicilian, Sicilianu, and Siculu. The term Calabro-Sicilian refers to the fact that a form of Sicilian, or a dialect closely related to Sicilian, is spoken in central and southern Calabria. Sicilianu is the name of the language in Sicilian itself (Gordon).

The term "Siculu" describes one of the larger prehistoric groups living in Sicily (the Sicels or Siculi) before the arrival of Greeks in the 8th century BC (see below). The Sicels ( Latin: Siculi; Greek: Σικελοί The Greeks ( Greek: Έλληνες) are a Nation and Ethnic group native to Greece, Cyprus and neighbouring regions It can also be used as an adjective to qualify, or further elaborate on, the origins of a person, for example: Siculo-American (siculu-miricanu) or Siculo-Australian (Gordon).

Dialects of Sicilian

As a language, Sicilian has its own dialects, in the following main groupings (Gordon and Bonner 2001):

Other observations

Sicilian is described as "vigorous" (in terms of not being in danger of extinction), although most Sicilians are described as being at least bilingual (being fluent in Italian as the official language of Italy). A dialect (from the Greek word διάλεκτος dialektos) is a variety of a Language that is characteristic of a particular group of Palermo ( Sicilian: Palermu, Greek: Panormus, al-Madinah during Muslim rule is a historic City in Trapani ( Tràpani in Sicilian) is a city on the west coast of Sicily in Italy. Agrigento ( Girgenti in Sicilian) is a city on the southern coast of Sicily, Italy, and capital of the Province of Agrigento The Province of Caltanissetta ( Italian: Provincia di Caltanissetta; Sicilian: Pruvincia di Caltanissetta) is a province Messina (Italian Provincia di Messina; Sicilian: Pruvincia di Missina) is a province in the autonomous island region Enna ( Provincia di Enna; Sicilian: Pruvincia di Enna) is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy The Province of Palermo ( Provincia di Palermo; Sicilian: Pruvincia di Palermu) is a province in the Autonomous region Agrigento ( Provincia di Agrigento; Sicilian: Pruvincia di Girgenti) is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily The Province of Ragusa ( Provincia di Ragusa; Sicilian: Pruvincia di Rausa) is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily The Province of Syracuse ( Provincia di Siracusa; Sicilian: Pruvincia di Sarausa) is a province in the autonomous island region Enna ( Provincia di Enna; Sicilian: Pruvincia di Enna) is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily in Italy Catania ( Provincia di Catania; Sicilian: Pruvincia di Catania) is a province in the autonomous island region of Sicily The Province of Syracuse ( Provincia di Siracusa; Sicilian: Pruvincia di Sarausa) is a province in the autonomous island region Messina (Italian Provincia di Messina; Sicilian: Pruvincia di Missina) is a province in the autonomous island region The Aeolian Islands ( Italian Isole Eolie) are a Volcanic Archipelago in the Tyrrhenian Sea north of Sicily. Pantellaria redirects here For the Brachiopod Genus, see Pantellaria (brachiopod. Calabria ( Latin: Brutium) is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of The Salentino Dialect is the traditional Vernacular of the southern Italian provinces of Lecce, Brindisi and part of Taranto known Apulia ( Italian: Puglia) is a region in southeastern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east the Ionian Sea The strong French influence on Sicilian (elaborated below) raises the prospect that it may be better classified as a Southern Romance rather than Italo-Western language (Gordon). The Southern Romance languages are a sub-group of the family of Romance languages that includes the Sardinian, the Corsican language, with the Gallurese

Early influences

The fact that Sicily is the largest island in the middle of the Mediterranean and that virtually all the peoples of the Mediterranean (and beyond) have passed through it, be that as friend or foe, over the millennia, ensures that the Sicilian language is both rich and varied in its influences. Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy. The language has inherited vocabulary and/or grammatical forms from all of the following: Greek, Latin, Arabic, French, Lombard, Provençal, German, Catalan, Spanish and of course Italian, not to mention prehistoric influences from the earliest settlers on the island. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly Latin ( lingua Latīna, laˈtiːna is an Italic language, historically spoken in Latium and Ancient Rome. Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people Lombard is a language spoken mainly in Northern Italy (most of Lombardy and some areas of neighbouring regions notably the eastern side of Piedmont Provençal ( Provençau) is one of several dialects of Occitan spoken by a minority of people mostly in Provence (in southern France The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. The very earliest influences, visible in Sicilian to this day, exhibit both prehistoric Mediterranean elements and prehistoric Indo-European elements, and occasionally a cross-over of both (Giarizzo 1989 and Ruffino 2001).

Before the Roman conquest, Sicily was occupied by remnants of the indigenous populations (the Sicani, Elymi, Siculi, the third arriving between the second and first millennium BC), as well as by Phoenicians (from between the 10th and 8th centuries BC) and Greeks (from the 8th century BC). Ancient Rome was a Civilization that grew out of a small agricultural community founded on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 10th century BC The term Indigenous Peoples or autochthonous peoples can be used to describe any Ethnic group who inhabit a geographic region with which they have the earliest historical The Sicani ( Greek Sikanoi) or Sicanians were one of three ancient peoples of Sicily present at the time of Phoenician and Greek colonization The Elymians ( Greek Elymoi, Latin Elymi) were an ancient people who inhabited the western part of Sicily during the Bronze The Sicels ( Latin: Siculi; Greek: Σικελοί Phoenicia ( Phoenician: Phoenician nunsvg|12px|נ]]Phoenician nun The term ancient Greece refers to the period of Greek history lasting from the Greek Dark Ages ca The Greek language influence remains strongly visible, while the influences from the other groups are less obvious. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly What can be stated with certainty is that there remain pre-Indo-European words in Sicilian of an ancient Mediterranean origin, but one cannot be more precise than that. Of the three main prehistoric groups, only the Siculi were Indo-European, and their speech is likely to have been closely related to that of the Romans (Ruffino).

The following table illustrates the difficulty linguists face in tackling the various sub-strata of the Sicilian language. The examples are for the English word "twins" (Ruffino).

Stratum Word Source
Modern giamelli Italian gemelli
Medieval bizzuni, vuzzuni French besson
binelli Ligurian beneli
Ancient èmmuli Latin gemulus
cucchi Latin copula
minzuddi Latin medius
ièmiddi, ièddimi Greek didymos

A similar qualifier can be applied to many of the words that appear in this article. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. French ( français,) is a Romance language spoken around the world by 118 million people as a native language and by about 180 to 260 million people The Ligurian language was spoken in pre-Roman times and into the Roman era by an ancient people of north-western Italy and south-eastern France known as the Ligures Classical Latin is the form of the Latin language used by the ancient Romans in what is usually regarded as "classical" Latin literature. Classical Latin is the form of the Latin language used by the ancient Romans in what is usually regarded as "classical" Latin literature. Classical Latin is the form of the Latin language used by the ancient Romans in what is usually regarded as "classical" Latin literature. The Ancient Greek language is the historical stage in the development of the Hellenic language family spanning the Archaic (c Sometimes we may know that a particular word has a prehistoric derivation, but we do not know whether the Sicilians have inherited it directly from the indigenous populations, or whether it has come to them via another route. Similarly, we might know that a particular word has a Greek origin, but we do not know from which Greek period the Sicilians first used it (pre-Roman occupation or during its Byzantine period), or once again, whether the particular word may even have come to Sicily via another route. Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly For instance, by the time the Romans had occupied Sicily during the 3rd century BC, the Latin language had made its own borrowings from Greek (Ruffino). The 3rd century BC started the first day of 300 BC and ended the last day of 201 BC

Pre-classical period

The words with a prehistoric Mediterranean derivation often refer to plants native to the Mediterranean region or to other natural features. Bearing in mind the qualifiers mentioned above (alternative sources are provided where known), examples of such words include:

There are also Sicilian words with an ancient Indo-European origin that do not appear to have come to the language via any of the major language groups normally associated with Sicilian, i. e. they have been independently derived from a very early Indo-European source. The Siculi are a possible source of such words, but there is also the possibility of a cross-over between ancient Mediterranean words and introduced Indo-European forms. Some examples of Sicilian words with an ancient Indo-European origin:

Greek influences

The following Sicilian words are of a Greek origin (including some examples where it is unclear whether the word is derived directly from Greek, or via Latin):

Vulgar Latin was spoken by the Roman occupation troops who garrisoned Sicily after Rome annexed the island (after the end of the First Punic War, ca. The First Punic War ( 264 to 241 BC) was the first of three major wars fought between Carthage and the Roman Republic. 261 BC). A historical feature shared by Sicily, the far south of Calabria, and the province of Lecce, is that during the Roman period, these areas were never completely Latinised. Greek remained the main language for the majority of the population. This helps explain the linguistic differences in these areas and those immediately to the north which were, more or less, Latinised (Hull). It is also why Sicilian is often referred to as a neo-Latin language – it did not descend directly from Latin (although some linguists disagree with that view, see below).

From 476 to 535 AD, the Ostrogothic kingdom ruled Sicily, although their presence did not impact the Sicilian language (Ruffino). The Ostrogoths (Ostrogothi or Austrogothi were a branch of the Goths, an East Germanic tribe that played a major role in the political events of the late The few Germanic influences to be found in Sicilian do not appear to originate from this period. The Germanic languages are a group of related languages that constitute a branch of the Indo-European (IE Language family. One exception might be abbanniari or vanniari (to hawk goods, proclaim publicly) from Gothic bandujan - to give a signal. Gothic is an extinct Germanic language that was spoken by the Goths. Also possible is schimmenti (diagonal) from Gothic slimbs (slanting). Other sources of Germanic influences include the Hohenstaufen rule of the 13th century, words of Nordic and Germanic origin contained within the speech of 11th century Norman and Lombard settlers, and the short period of Austrian rule in the 18th century. The Normans were the people who gave their names to Normandy, a region in northern France. The Lombards ( Latin Langobardi, whence the alternative names Langobards and Longobards) were a Germanic people originally from For the history of these states before 1804 see Holy Roman Empire, Habsburg Monarchy, and articles on each of the component countries.

Arab period

In 535 AD, Emperor Justinian I made Sicily a Byzantine province, and for the second time in Sicilian history, the Greek language became a familiar sound across the island (Hull, 1989). Flavius Petrus Sabbatius Iustinianus ( Greek: Φλάβιος Πέτρος Σαββάτιος Ιουστινιανός; known in English as Justinian I or Greek (el ελληνική γλώσσα or simply el ελληνικά — "Hellenic" is an Indo-European language, spoken today by 15-22 million people mainly As the power of the Byzantine Empire waned, Sicily was progressively conquered by Saracens from North Africa, from the mid 9th to mid 10th centuries. Saracen was a term used by Europeans in the Middle Ages for Fatimids at first then later for all who professed the religion of Islam. North Africa or Northern Africa is the Northernmost Region of the African Continent, separated by the Sahara from Sub-Saharan The Arabic language influence is noticeable in around 300 Sicilian words, most of which relate to agriculture and related activities (Hull and Ruffino). Arabic (ar الْعَرَبيّة (informally ar عَرَبيْ) in terms of the number of speakers is the largest living member of the Semitic language This is understandable since the Saracens introduced to Sicily the most then-modern irrigation and farming techniques and a new range of crops – nearly all of which remain endemic to the island to this day .

Some words of Arabic origin:

Throughout the Arab epoch of Sicilian history, a large Greek-speaking population remained on the island and continued to use the Greek language, or most certainly a variant of Greek heavily influenced by Arabic (Hull). What is less clear is the extent to which a Latin-speaking population survived on the island. While a form of Vulgar Latin clearly survived in isolated communities during the Arab epoch, there is much debate as to the influence it had (if any) on the development of the Sicilian language, following the re-Latinisation of Sicily (discussed in the next section). There are few Sicilian words reflecting an archaic Latin form (as may be found, for example, in Sardinian), so the influence may have been minor (Hull). However, some forms do exist, so the tantalising prospect of a Sicilian form of a Vulgar Latin surviving the Arab period and influencing the modern development of Sicilian remains open (as already mentioned, Privitera puts forward the radical proposition that medieval Sicilian descends directly from a form of Vulgar Latin that survived throughout the Byzantine and Arab periods).

These are some words of Latin origin that may have survived the Arab epoch:

Linguistic development from the middle ages

By 1000 AD the whole of what is today southern Italy, including Sicily, was a complex mix of small states and principalities, languages and religions (Hull). A state is a political association with effective Sovereignty over a geographic Area and representing a Population. A principality (or princedom) is a monarchical feudatory or Sovereign state, ruled or reigned over by a monarch with the title of Prince The whole of Sicily was controlled by Muslim Saracens, although there remained a large Greek speaking and Christian population. The far south of the Italian peninsula was part of the Byzantine empire and predominantly Greek speaking, although many communities were reasonably independent of Constantinople. Constantinople (Κωνσταντινούπολις Konstantinoúpolis, or gr ἡ Πόλις hē Polis, Latin: la CONSTANTINOPOLIS The principality of Salerno was controlled by Lombards (or Langobards) who had also started to make some incursions into Byzantine territory and had managed to establish some isolated independent city-states (Norwich 1992). A city-state is a Region controlled exclusively by a City, usually having Sovereignty. It was into this mix that the Normans thrust themselves in ever increasing numbers during the first half of the 11th century.

Norman French influence

When the two most famous of southern Italy's Norman adventurers, Roger of Hauteville and his brother, Robert Guiscard, began their conquest of Sicily in 1061, they already controlled the far south of Italy (Apulia and Calabria). Geography Southern Italy forms the lower "boot" of the Italian peninsula containing the ankle (Abruzzo and Molise and southern Lazio the toe (Calabria and the heel Roger I (1031 &ndash June 22, 1101) called Bosso and the Great Count, was the Norman Count of Sicily from 1071 to 1101 Robert Guiscard (from Latin Viscardus and Old French Viscart, often rendered the Resourceful, the Cunning, the Wily Apulia ( Italian: Puglia) is a region in southeastern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east the Ionian Sea Calabria ( Latin: Brutium) is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of It took Roger 30 years to complete the conquest of Sicily (Robert died in 1085), (Norwich). In the process, the re-Latinisation and re-Christianisation of Sicily had begun. Christianity ( Greek Χριστιανισμός from the word Xριστός ( Christ)is a monotheistic Religion centered on the life and teachings A long list of Norman words were to become absorbed by the new language during this period, for example:

The following factors that emerged during or immediately after the conquest were to prove critical in the formation of the Sicilian language:

We can see above the main factors that go into framing the Sicilian language as we know it today. The Vulgar Latin base (predominantly from Campania) was similar to the Vulgar Latin in central Italy (and therefore, by implication, reasonably similar to the Vulgar Latin in Tuscany that would eventually form the base for the national language). This base from Campania was influenced by the many Gallic influences present in Sicily at the time, namely Norman, French and Langobardic. Underneath that were remnants of the Arabic and Greek idioms that the new language eventually replaced, but hundreds of words remained in the vocabulary of the changing Romance language.

Other Gallic influences

The Lombard influence is of particular interest. Even to the present day, a Gallo-siculo dialect exists in the areas where the Lombard colonies were the strongest, namely Novara, Nicosia, Sperlinga, Aidone and Piazza Armerina (Hull). The Gallo-siculo ( Gallo-Sicilian) dialects represent a group of dialects found in central-eastern Sicily that date back to migrations from Northern Italy Novara di Sicilia is a Comune (municipality in the Province of Messina in the Italian region Sicily, located about 160 km east Nicosia, known locally as Lefkosia (Λευκωσία Lefkoşa is the Capital and largest city of Cyprus. Sperlinga (Spillinga is a Comune in the Province of Enna, in region of Sicily in southern Italy. Aidone (Aiduni is a town in the Province of Enna, in region of Sicily in southern Italy. Piazza Armerina (Sicilian Ciazza) is an Italian comune in the Province of Enna of the autonomous island region of Sicily. The Siculo-Gallic dialect did not survive in other major Lombard colonies, such as Randazzo, Bronte and Paternò (although they did influence the local Sicilian vernacular). Randazzo (Rannazzu is a town of Sicily, Italy, in the Province of Catania. Paternò (Patirnò is a Town in the Province of Catania, Sicily. The Gallo-Italic influence was also felt on the Sicilian language itself, as follows (Hull):

The origins of another Gallic influence, that of Old Provençal, had three possible sources. Provençal ( Provençau) is one of several dialects of Occitan spoken by a minority of people mostly in Provence (in southern France

  1. As mentioned above, the number of actual Normans in Sicily are unlikely to have ever numbered much higher than 5,000 at any time. Their numbers were boosted by mercenaries from southern Italy, but it is also possible that mercenaries came from as far away as southern France. The Normans made San Fratello a garrison town in the early years of the occupation of the north-eastern corner of Sicily. For the San Fratello (horse, see here San Fratello ( Latin: Apollonia) formerly San Filadelfo, is a Comune To this day (in ever decreasing numbers) a Siculo-Gallic dialect is spoken in San Fratello that is clearly influenced by Old Provençal, leading one to the conclusion that a significant number in the garrison came from that part of France (Privitera 2001). This may well explain the dialect spoken only in San Fratello, but it does not wholly explain the diffusion of many Provençal words into the Sicilian language. Provençal ( Provençau) is one of several dialects of Occitan spoken by a minority of people mostly in Provence (in southern France On that point we are confronted with a further two possibilities.
  2. Some Provençal words may have entered the language during the regency of Margaret of Navarre between 1166 and 1171 when her son, William II of Sicily, succeeded to the throne at the age of 12. William II (French language Guillaume II, 1155 &ndash November 11 1189 Palermo) called the Good, was king of Sicily The Queen's closest advisers, entourage and administrators were from the south of France (Norwich), and many Provençal words entered the language during this period.
  3. The Sicilian School of poetry (discussed below) was strongly influenced by the Provençal of the troubadour tradition (Cipolla 2004 p. 141). The Sicilian School was a small community of Sicilian, and to a lesser extent mainland Italian poets gathered around Frederick II, most of them belonging to his court A troubadour ( IPA:, originally) was a composer and performer of Occitan Lyric poetry during the High Middle Ages (1100&ndash1350 This element is deeply embedded in Sicilian culture, for example, the tradition of Sicilian puppetry (opira dî puppi) and the tradition of the cantastorii (literally sing stories). There is no doubt that Provençal troubadours were active during the reign of Frederick II, Holy Roman Emperor, and that some Provençal words would have passed into the Sicilian language via this route. Frederick II ( December 26, 1194 &ndash December 13, 1250) of the Hohenstaufen dynasty was a Pretender to the title

Some examples of Sicilian words derived from Provençal:

Sicilian School of Poetry

It was during the reign of Frederick II (or Frederick I of Sicily) between 1198 and 1250, with his patronage of the Sicilian School of poetry, that Sicilian became the first of the Italic idioms to be used as a literary language (Cipolla 2004 p. 141). Frederick II ( December 26, 1194 &ndash December 13, 1250) of the Hohenstaufen dynasty was a Pretender to the title The Sicilian School was a small community of Sicilian, and to a lesser extent mainland Italian poets gathered around Frederick II, most of them belonging to his court A literary language is a register of a Language that is used in Literary Writing. The influence of the school, and the use of Sicilian itself as a poetic language, was acknowledged by the two great Tuscan writers of the early Renaissance period Dante and Petrarch. Francesco Petrarca ( July 20, 1304 – July 19, 1374) known in English as Petrarch, was an Italian scholar The influence of the Sicilian language cannot be understated in the eventual formulation of a lingua franca that was to become modern Italian. A lingua franca (from Italian, literally meaning Frankish language, see etymology under Sabir and Italian below is any Language widely Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. The victory of the Angevin army over the Sicilians at Benevento in 1266 not only marked the end of the 136-year Norman-Swabian reign in Sicily, it effectively ensured that the centre of literary influence would eventually move from Sicily to Tuscany (Cipolla 2004 p. 141). Angevin (ˈændʒəvɪn ( French, from Old French, from Medieval Latin Andegavinus from Andegavia Anjou, France) is the name applied Benevento is a town and Comune of Campania, Italy, capital of the Province of Benevento, 50 km northeast of Naples. Swabia, Suabia, or Svebia ( German: Schwaben, Schwabenland or Ländle) is both a historic and linguistic While Sicilian, as both an official and literary language would continue to exist for another two centuries, the language would soon follow the fortunes of the kingdom itself in terms of prestige and influence.

As a side note, there are some Germanic influences in the Sicilian language, and many of these date back to the time of the Swabian kings (amongst whom Frederick Barbarossa enjoyed the longest reign). Frederick I Barbarossa (1122 &ndash 10 June 1190) was elected King of Germany at Frankfurt on 4 March 1152 and crowned Words that probably originate from this era include:

Catalan influence

Following the Sicilian Vespers of 1282, the kingdom was to come under the influence of the Kingdom of Aragon (Runciman 1958), and as a result, the Catalan language (and the closely related Aragonese) would add a new layer of vocabulary in the succeeding century. The Sicilian Vespers is the name given to a rebellion in Sicily in 1282 against the rule of the Angevin king Charles I of Naples, who had taken control The Kingdom of Aragon was an old kingdom in the Iberian Peninsula, corresponding to the modern-day autonomous community of Aragon ( Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official For the whole of the 14th century, both Catalan and Sicilian were the official languages of the royal court (Hughes 1993). Sicilian was also used to record the proceedings of the parliament of Sicily (one of the oldest parliaments in Europe) and for other official purposes (Cipolla 2004, p. 155). TalkParliament#Screen-size. -->A  parliament is a Legislature, especially in those While it is often difficult to determine whether a word has come to us directly from Catalan (as opposed to Provençal or Spanish), the following are likely to be such examples:

Spanish period to the modern age

By the time the Aragonian crown was joined with the Spanish realm in the late 15th century, the Italianisation of written Sicilian in the parliamentary and court records had commenced. Spain () or the Kingdom of Spain (Reino de España is a country located mostly in southwestern Europe on the Iberian Peninsula. By 1543 this process was virtually complete, with the Tuscan dialect of Italian becoming the lingua franca of the Italian peninsula and supplanting written Sicilian (Cipolla 2004 p. 155). The Tuscan Dialect ( dialetto toscano) or the Tuscan Language ( lingua toscana) is an Italian dialect spoken in

Spanish rule had hastened this process in two important ways:

Spanish rule lasted over three centuries (not counting the Aragonian and Bourbon periods on either side) and had a significant influence on the Sicilian vocabulary. The House of Bourbon is an important European Royal house, a branch of the Capetian dynasty. The following words are of Spanish derivation:

Since the Italian Unification (the Risorgimento of 1860–1861), the Sicilian language has been significantly influenced by (Tuscan) Italian. Italian Unification ( Italian: il Risorgimento, or "The Resurgence" was the political and social movement that unified different states of the Italian This process has quickened since World War II due to improving educational standards and the impact of mass media, such that increasingly, even within the family home, Sicilian is not necessarily the language of choice. World War II, or the Second World War, (often abbreviated WWII) was a global military conflict which involved a majority of the world's nations, including The Sicilian Regional Parliament recently voted to make the teaching of Sicilian a part of the school curriculum at primary school level, but as of 2007 only a fraction of schools teach Sicilian. There is also little in the way of mass media offered in Sicilian. The combination of these factors means that the Sicilian language continues to adopt Italian vocabulary and grammatical forms to such an extent that many Sicilians themselves cannot distinguish between correct and incorrect Sicilian language usage.

Distinguishing features of Sicilian

Unique sounds

Sicilian has a number of consonant sounds which, if not unique to Sicilian, certainly set it apart from the other major Romance languages. The most unusual sounds include, but are not limited to, the retroflex consonants or cacuminals (Cipolla 2005). In Phonetics, retroflex consonants are Consonant sounds used in some Languages (They are sometimes referred to as cerebral consonants

Gemination and contractions

Rarely indicated in writing, spoken Sicilian exhibits syntactic doubling or raddoppiamento (Cipolla 2005), which means that the first consonant of a word is lengthened when it is preceded by a vowel in the preceding word, e. Syntactic doubling is an External sandhi phenomenon in Italian and some other Italo-Western languages. g. è bonu [eˈbːonu]. This process of lengthening is also called gemination, which is a general term used for the lengthening of any sound. In Phonetics, gemination happens when a spoken Consonant is pronounced for an audibly longer period of time than a short Consonant.

The letter j at the start of a word can have three separate sounds, depending on what precedes the word (Cipolla 2005). For instance, in jornu (day), the j is pronounced [j] as in English y, [ˈjoɾnu]. However, after a nasal consonant, it is pronounced [dʒ] as in un jornu, [unˈdʒoɾnu] (which English speakers might spell as "unjornu", with the j sound in "jelly"). A nasal consonant (also called nasal stop or nasal continuant) is produced with a lowered velum in the mouth allowing air to escape freely through the Tri jorna (three days) is pronounced [triˈgjoɾna], the j becoming [gj] (like English gu in "ague"), after a vowel.

Another difference between the written and spoken languages is the extent to which contractions will occur in everyday speech. In Traditional grammar, a contraction is the formation of a new Word from one or more individual words Thus a common expression such as avemu a accattari. . . (we have to go and buy. . . ) will generally be reduced to amâ 'ccattari when talking to family and friends (Bonner).

The circumflex is commonly used in denoting a wide range of contractions in the written language, in particular, the joining of simple prepositions and the definite article. Pitch The circumflex accent was first used in the polytonic orthography of Ancient Greek, where it occurred (subject to certain rules on the accented syllable Examples: di lu = dû (of the), a lu = ô (to the), pi lu = pû (for the), nta lu = ntô (in the), etc (Bonner).

Gender and the formation of plurals

Generally speaking, Sicilian has the same ending for feminine nouns (and their adjectives) as does Italian, that being the [a], for example: casa (house), porta (door), carta (paper), but there are exceptions to this rule, for example, soru (sister), ficu (fig). Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy. Whereas Italian uses [o] as the ending for masculine nouns, Sicilian generally uses [u], for example: omu (man), libbru (book), nomu (name). The ending i can be either masculine or feminine, as in Italian the ending e can be of either gender.

Unlike Italian, Sicilian uses one letter, i, to denote the plural for both masculine and feminine nouns, for example: casi (houses), porti (doors), tauli (tables). There are also many exceptions to this rule which are not always shared by Italian, for example: òmini (men), libbra (books), jorna (days), jòcura (games), manu (hand/hands), vrazza (arms), jardina (gardens), scrittura (writers), signa (signs), etc (Bonner).

Omission of initial Latin "i"

In the vast majority of instances where the originating Latin word has had an initial "i", the Sicilian has dropped it completely. This can also happen occasionally where there was once an initial "e", and to a lesser extent "a" and "o". Examples: mpurtanti (important), gnuranti (ignorant), nimicu (enemy), ntirissanti (interesting), llustrari (to illustrate), mmàggini (image), cona (icon), miricanu (American), etc (Camilleri 1998).

Verb "to have"

Unlike Italian, Sicilian only has one auxiliary verb, aviri, to have. In Linguistics, an auxiliary (also called helping verb, helper verb, auxiliary verb, or verbal auxiliary) is a Verb functioning This is a characteristic that it shares with Spanish, Catalan and Romanian. Catalan ˈkætəˌlæn ( català kətəˈla or) is a Romance language, the national and official language of Andorra, and a co-official Romanian or Daco-Romanian ( dated: Rumanian or Roumanian; self designation limba română, ˈlimba roˈmɨnə is a Romance Sicilian also uses the verb "to have" to denote obligation (as is used in languages like English, German and in Spanish, which uses the respective verb tener. English is a West Germanic language originating in England and is the First language for most people in the United Kingdom, the United States The German language (de ''Deutsch'') is a West Germanic language and one of the world's major languages. For example: avi a jiri (pronounced [ˈaviaˈgːiɾi] — English: "[he/she] has to go"; German: "[er/sie] hat zu gehen"; Spanish: tiene que ir). As also occurs in English and Spanish, a preposition is required before the verb in this specific construction.

The verb "aviri" is also used to form the future tense in Sicilian, as it no longer has a Simple Future construction. This is an ancient feature, also found in Sardinian. For example: avi a cantari (pronounced [ˈaviakːanˈtaɾi] or [ˈawakːanˈdaɾi] depending on dialects) — English: "[he/she] will sing" (Bonner).

Verb "to go"

Like French, Spanish, and English, but unlike Italian, Sicilian may use the verb jiri, to go, to signify the act of being about to do something. Italian does not use the verb andare, to go, in this way. For example: vaiu a cantari (pronounced [ˈvaiuakːanˈtaɾi]), in English "I'm going to sing" or, literally, "I go to sing. " In this way, jiri + a + infinitive can also be a way to form the simple future construction (Bonner). .

Tenses and moods

The main conjugations in Sicilian are illustrated below with the verb èssiri, "to be" (Pitrè 1875).

Infinitive èssiri / siri
Gerund essennu / sennu
Past participle statu
Indicative iu tu iddu nuàutri vuàutri iddi
Present sugnu sì esti / è semu siti sunnu / sù
Imperfect era eri era èramu èravu èranu
Preterite fui fusti fu fomu fùstivu foru
Future¹ - - - - - -
Conditional² iu tu iddu nuàutri vuàutri iddi
  fora fori fora fòramu fòravu fòranu
Subjunctive iu tu iddu nuàutri vuàutri iddi
Present sia si'/fussi sia siamu siati sianu
Imperfect fussi fussi fussi fùssimu fùssivu fùssiru
Imperative   tu vassìa³   vuàutri
    sì fussi   siti

1. The Simple Future tense in Sicilian is no longer in use. However the Sicilian language employs several possible methods of expressing the future tense:

1) by simply using the present indicative, usually preceded by an adverb of time:
Stasira vaiu ô tiatru — This evening I [will] go to the theatre.
Dumani ti scrivu — Tomorrow I [will] write to you.
2) by using a compound form consisting of the appropriate conjugation of aviri a ("have to") in combination with the infinitive form of the verb in question:
Stasira aiu a jiri ô tiatru — This evening I will [/must] go to the theatre.
Dumani t’aiu a scrìviri — Tomorrow I will [/must] write to you.
In speech the contracted forms of aviri often come into play:
aiu a → hê; ai a → hâ, avi a → avâ, avemu a → hamâ; aviti a → hatâ
Dumani t'ê scrìviri — Tomorrow I will [/must] write to you (Bonner).

2. The Conditional tense has also fallen into disuse. The Conditional has two tenses:

1) The Present tense, which is replaced by either:
i) the Present Indicative:
Cci chiamu siddu mi duni lu sò nùmmaru — I [would] call her if you [would] give me her number, or
ii) the Imperfect Subjunctive:
Cci chiamassi siddu mi dassi lu sò nùmmaru — I'd call her if you would give me her number; and
2) the Past tense, which is replaced by the Past Perfect Subjunctive:
Cci avissi jutu siddu m’avissi dittu [/diciutu] unni esti / e' — I’d have gone if you would have told me where it is.
Note that in a hypothetical statement, both tenses are replaced by the Imperfect and Past Perfect of the Subjunctive:
Si fussi riccu m’accattassi nu palazzu — If I were rich I would buy a palace.
S'avissi travagghiatu nun avissi patutu la misèria — If I had worked I wouldn’t have suffered the misery (Bonner 2001).

3. The 2nd person singular (polite) of the Imperative does not follow the same pattern as the rest of the tense. The 2nd person singular and plural employ the Present Indicative in place of the Imperative, while the 2nd person singular (polite), because of its formality, employs the Present Subjunctive, which makes it less of a command and more of a request.

Examples of the written language

A range of extracts are offered below to illustrate the written form of Sicilian over the last few centuries, starting with a translation of the Lord's Prayer (Bonner), through to extracts from three of Sicily's more celebrated poets: Antonio Veneziano, Giovanni Meli and Nino Martoglio. The Lord's Prayer, also known as the Our Father or Pater noster, is probably the best-known Prayer in Christianity. Did not Homer who was Greek write in Greek or Horace who was Roman write in latin? And if Petrarch who is Tuscan does not resile from writing in Tuscan why should I be restrained being a Giovanni Meli ( 4 March, 1740 – 20 December, 1815) was a Palermitan Sicilian poet and man of letters Nino Martoglio ( Belpasso, Catania, 3 December 1870 — Catania, 15 September 1921) was a Sicilian writer The Lord's Prayer is written with three variations: a standard literary form from the island of Sicily, a southern Calabrian literary form and a southern Apulian literary form. Calabria ( Latin: Brutium) is a region in southern Italy, south of Naples, located at the "toe" of Apulia ( Italian: Puglia) is a region in southeastern Italy bordering the Adriatic Sea in the east the Ionian Sea

Lu Patri Nostru

Sicilian (Sicily) Calabro-sicilian (southern Calabria) Salentino (southern Apulia, around Lecce) Italian Latin
Patri nostru, ca siti ntrô celu, Patri nostru ca siti 'nto celu Sire nesciu ca stai an cielu Padre nostro, che sei nei cieli, Pater noster, qui es in caelis,
Santificatu fussi lu Vostru nomu. Fussi santificatu u nomu vostru. Cu'bbessa santificatu lu nume tou. Sia santificato il tuo nome. Sanctificetur nomen tuum.
Viatu vinissi lu Vostru regnu. Venissi prestu lu regnu vostru. Cu'bbegna 'mprima lu regnu tou. Venga il tuo regno. Adveniat regnum tuum.
Fatta fussi la Vostra Vuluntati Fussi sempri faciùta a Vuluntà Vostra Cu'bbessa sempre fatta la Vuluntate toa Sia fatta la tua volontà Fiat voluntas tua
Comu ntrô celu accussì ntra terra. Comu 'ndo celu cusì 'nta terra. Comu an cielu cussì an terra. Come in cielo così in terra. Sicut in caelo et in terra.
Dàtini sta jurnata lu nostru panuzzu, Ratandìllu sta jurnata u pani quotidianu, Dànnilu osce lu pane quotidianu nesciu, Dacci oggi il nostro pane quotidiano, Panem nostrum quotidianum da nobis hodie,
E pirdunàtini li nostri piccati E pirdunatindi i nostri piccati E perdunanni li peccati nesci E rimetti a noi i nostri debiti Et dimitte nobis debita nostra
Accussì comu nuiàtri li pirdunemu ê nostri nìmici. Cusì comu nui i rimentimu ê nemici nostri. Cussì comu nui li rimentimu a li nemici nesci. Come noi li rimettiamo ai nostri debitori. Sicut et nos dimittimus debitoribus nostris.
E nun lassàtini cascari ntrâ tintazzioni, E non 'ndi rassàti mi carimu ntâ tentazzioni, E nu' lassare cu cadimu 'n tentazzione, E non ci indurre in tentazione, Et ne nos inducas in tentationem,
Ma scanzàtini dû mali. Ma levatindi r'avanzi u mali. Ma 'lléandenni te lu male. Ma liberaci dal male. Sed libera nos a malo.
Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen. Amen.

Extract from Antonio Veneziano

Celia, Lib. Did not Homer who was Greek write in Greek or Horace who was Roman write in latin? And if Petrarch who is Tuscan does not resile from writing in Tuscan why should I be restrained being a 2

(ca. 1575–1580)

Sicilian Italian English
Non è xhiamma ordinaria, no, la mia, No, la mia non è fiamma ordinaria, No, mine is no ordinary flame,
è xhiamma chi sul'iu tegnu e rizettu, è una fiamma che sol'io possiedo e controllo, it's a flame that only I possess and oversight,
xhiamma pura e celesti, ch'ardi 'n mia; una fiamma pura e celeste che dientro di me cresce; a pure celestial flame that in me grows;  
per gran misteriu e cu stupendu effettu.   da un grande mistero e con stupendo effetto. by a great mystery and with great effect.
Amuri, 'ntentu a fari idulatria, l'Amore, desiderante d'adorare icone, Love, wanting to worship idols,
s'ha novamenti sazerdoti elettu; è diventato sacerdote un'altra volta; has once again become a high priest;
tu, sculpita 'ntra st'alma, sì la dia; tu, sculpita dientro quest'anima, sia la dia; you, sculpted in this soul, are the goddess;
sacrifiziu lu cori, ara stu pettu. il mio cuore è la vittima, il mio seno è l'altara. my heart is the victim, my breast is the altar.

(sourced directly from Arba Sicula Volume II, 1980)

Extract from Giovanni Meli

Don Chisciotti e Sanciu Panza (Cantu quintu)

(~1790)

Sicilian English
Stracanciatu di notti soli jiri; Disguised he roams at night alone;
S'ammuccia ntra purtuni e cantuneri; Hiding in any nook and cranny;
cu vacabunni ci mustra piaciri; he enjoys the company of vagabonds;
poi lu so sbiu sunnu li sumeri, however, donkeys are his real diversion,
li pruteggi e li pigghia a ben vuliri, he protects them and looks after all their needs,
li tratta pri parenti e amici veri; treating them as real family and friends;
siccomu ancora è n'amicu viraci since he remains a true friend
di li bizzarri, capricciusi e audaci. Giovanni Meli ( 4 March, 1740 – 20 December, 1815) was a Palermitan Sicilian poet and man of letters Year 1790 ( MDCCXC) was a Common year starting on Friday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar (or a Common year of all who are bizarre, capricious and bold.

(Meli 1995)[9]

Extract from Nino Martoglio

Briscula 'n Cumpagni

(~1900; trans: A game of Briscula amongst friends)

Sicilian Italian English
— Càrricu, mancu? Cca cc'è 'n sei di spati!. Nino Martoglio ( Belpasso, Catania, 3 December 1870 — Catania, 15 September 1921) was a Sicilian writer Year 1900 ( MCM) was an exceptional Common year starting on Monday (link will display the full calendar of the Gregorian calendar . . — Nemmeno un carico? Qui c'è un sei di spade!. . . — A high card perhaps? Here's the six of spades!. . .
— E chi schifiu è, di sta manera? — Ma che schifo, in questo modo? — What is this rubbish you're playing?
  Don Peppi Nnappa, d'accussì jucati?   Signor Peppe Nappa,[10] ma giocate così?   Who taught you to play this game?
— Misseri e sceccu ccu tutta 'a tistera, — Messere e asino con tutti i finimenti, — My dear gentlemen and donkeys with all your finery,
  comu vi l'haju a diri, a vastunati,   come ve lo devo dire, forse a bastonate,   as I have repeatedly told you till I'm blue in the face,
  ca mancu haju sali di salera!   che non ho nemmeno il sale per la saliera!   I ain't got nothing that's even worth a pinch a salt!

(Martoglio 1993)[11]

Influences on the Italian language

As one of the most-spoken languages of Italy, Sicilian has notably influenced the Italian lexicon. In fact, there are several Sicilian words that are nowadays part of the Italian language; they usually refer to things closely associated to Sicilian culture, with some notable exceptions (Zingarelli 2007):

Language situation today

Sicilian is estimated to have millions of speakers. However, it remains very much a home language spoken among peers and close associates. The regional Italian dialect has encroached on Sicilian, most evidently in the speech of the younger generations. Italian ( or lingua italiana) is a Romance language spoken by about 63 million people as a First language, primarily in Italy.

Poets in Sicily sometimes write in Sicilian. However, most speakers (especially the youngest ones) are literate just in Italian, not Sicilian; this implies a poor knowledge of the written language in all its formal grammar and spelling rules, in contrast to a still-wide diffusion of informal spoken Sicilian in the island.

The education system does not support the language. Local universities do not carry courses in Sicilian, or where they do it is described as dialettologia, that is, the study of dialects.

See also

Notes

  1. ^ Ali, Linguistic atlas of Italy
  2. ^ Linguistic cartography of Italy by Padova University
  3. ^ Italiand dialects by Pellegrini
  4. ^ AIS, Sprach-und Sachatlas Italiens und der Südschweiz, Zofingen 1928-1940
  5. ^ Centro di studi filologici e linguistici siciliani (CSFLS)
  6. ^ Gazzetta Ufficiale della Regione Siciliana: Statuto del Comune di Caltagirone
  7. ^ Gazzetta Ufficiale della Regione Siciliana: Statuto del Comune di Grammichele
  8. ^ Cardi, Valeria. Italy moves closer to ratification of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Eurolang. December 12, 2007
  9. ^ This collection of Giovanni Meli's poetry was edited and translated by Prof. Sicily ( Italian and Sicilian: Sicilia) is an autonomous region of Italy. The Sicilian School was a small community of Sicilian, and to a lesser extent mainland Italian poets gathered around Frederick II, most of them belonging to his court The Gallo-siculo ( Gallo-Sicilian) dialects represent a group of dialects found in central-eastern Sicily that date back to migrations from Northern Italy Siculo Arabic (or Sicilian Arabic) was a variety of Arabic spoken in Sicily and Malta between the ninth and the fourteenth centuries Gaetano Cipolla.
  10. ^ Peppe Nappa is a character of the Commedia dell'arte, similar to Pulcinella o Arlecchino. Commedia dell'Arte ( Italian: "the comedy of artists" is a form of Improvisational theatre that began in Italy in the 16th century Pulcinella, often called Punch or Punchinello in English Polichinelle in French is a classical character that originated Commedia dell'Arte ( Italian: "the comedy of artists" is a form of Improvisational theatre that began in Italy in the 16th century
  11. ^ This collection of Nino Martoglio's poetry was edited and translated by Prof. Gaetano Cipolla.

References

External links

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