![]() ![]() Meanwhile, many more have languished-but there’s no intrinsic grammar or linguistic reason that Italian is more of a language than Neapolitan. Some European Romance languages like Italian have risen to the top (based on what royals spoke, who’s had political power, etc.) and were then written down and taught in schools. There are also non-Romance languages in Italy, including some from the Slavic, Germanic and Albanian families. Most of the languages of Italy are Romance languages, meaning that they developed in parallel to Italian out of Common Latin (as did French, Spanish, Portuguese, etc.). However, there are enough grammar and vocabulary differences to cause plenty of problems in understanding. That is, they have the same root as languages descended from Latin, and some speakers could make themselves understood to each other in certain situations. ![]() Most linguists avoid the whole question, but when they do dare to distinguish the two, it’s usually concerning levels of mutual intelligibility, which is itself a fraught concept.Įven by that standard, the languages of Italy are definitely languages: A Sardinian speaker understands Friulian as much as and no more than a French speaker understands Spanish. “Dialect” is more of a political designation than a linguistic category: It’s used to show which languages (and therefore speakers) a government/society chooses to empower and how. So what’s the actual difference between a language and a dialect? There isn’t one, really. Italians’ use of the term “dialects” reinforces that these are not written down or taught, and are thus seen as somehow less than a “real language.” The difference between dialects and languages What Learners Should Know About the Many Languages of Italy If language is a window into a culture, then imagine how much more you’ll see from peering into a more homey, familial, unofficial and regional language. But it’s so much more interesting (and satisfying) to piece together the verb conjugations of Neapolitan, for example.ĭon’t believe me? Just try to conjugate the verb “to be” in Neapolitan as pillow talk-personally, I don’t think I’ve ever done anything more grammatically thrilling.Īnd then there’s the wisdom and enthusiasm one gets from speaking to people in an ultra-local language. There are tons of resources out there to hold your hand through everything from your first steps in standard Italian to advanced, dastardly grammar. One great reason is that they’re an incredibly fun challenge! ![]() ![]() So if Italians don’t respect their own languages enough to even call them languages, why should you, the non-Italian visitor, bother learning any of them? Italians usually-and rather erroneously, in the eyes of many linguists-refer to Neapolitan and the others as i dialetti (the dialects). That’s right, those are languages, not dialects. Italy is home to 28 indigenous languages (and six non-indigenous) according to the count by Ethnologue. This blog post is available as a convenient and portable PDF that youĬlick here to get a copy. The 5 Main Italian Dialects to Be Aware Of.The difference between dialects and languages.What Learners Should Know About the Many Languages of Italy.In this overview, I’ll discuss major considerations for travelers to Italy, some languages (or dialects) to be aware of and a few phrases in Sicilian and Neapolitan that you’ll find useful if you’re ever in the area. It’s fine if you alight in Naples and can order a pizza in flawless Italian.īut to really impress your friends, you’ll need to order a real local specialty like the octopus in broth, and you’ll have to do it in the Neapolitan language: o’ bror’ e purp’. SeptemItalian Dialects: Everything You’ve Ever Wanted to Know (and Then Some) ![]()
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