Italian and dialects of Italy

Notes from a presentation given to the Abruzzo and Molise Heritage Society on March 23rd 2003,
by Anna De Fina, Visiting Assistant Professor, Italian Department, Georgetown University.

Comparison of words in Latin and Italian dialects

Latin	Florentine	Central-Southern Dialects	Northern Dialects	English
gentem	gente	ient	sent	people
plangere	piangere	chiagn	pianze	cry
calidus	caldo	cauro	caud	hot

Map of Italian Dialects

Regional words for grembiule o grembiale (apron)
Faudale, Piemonte
Scossale, Liguria
Bigarolo, Lombardia
Traversa, Veneto
Grombale, Trentino
Sinale, zinale, Umbria, Lazio, Marche
Parunnanza, Lazio
Parninza, Abruzzo
Mantile, Abruzzo, Molise, Salento, Sicilia
Mantesino, vantesino,Molise, Campania, Basilicata, Sicilia
Devantale, Sardegna.

The same proverb in different dialects
(From Sabatini, F. (1978) La lingua e il nostro mondo. Torino: Loescher.)

"Meglio un uovo oggi che la gallina domani" = better an egg today than a hen tomorrow

friulano: mior un of ui che une gialine doman.
piemontese: a l'e mej 'n euv ancheuj che na galin-a doman.
emiliano: 1'e mei un ov incu che la galeina edmeng.
toscano: megl'un ovo oggi he una gallina domani.
corso: medu ogji I'ou che dumane a jadina.
romanesco: mejjo 1'ovo oggi ch'a gallina domani.
campano: meglie ll'uove ogge c'a jalline rimane.
salentino: megghiu I'd osce cca la caddina crai.
calabrese: miegliu oje 1'uovu ca dumani a gaddina.
siciliano: megghiu oji 1'ovu ca rumani a jaddina.
sardo: menzus unu ou oje chi no una pudda crasa.

Italian and dialects at different points in time
From Beccaria, G. L.(1988b) Italiano antico e nuovo. Milano: Garzanti

1974 Research
Table1: Use of dialect and Italian (in percent)

1974	Usually dialect	Usually Italian	Alternate between them
At home	51.3	25	23.7
Outside	43.2	35.7	22.1

1982 Research
Table2: Use of dialect and Italian (in percent)

1982	Usually dialect	Usually Italian	Alternate between them
At home	46.1	29.4	23.9
Outside	36.1	44.9	19

Table 3: Regions where dialect is spoken the most

1982	Home	Outside
1	Veneto and Friuli	Sardegna
2	Sicilia (73.1%)	Veneto and Friuli
3	Campania and Abruzzi (58.7%)	Campania and Abruzzi
4	Sardegna (54.2%)	Sicilia

Results from the Doxa Polls (1996) .(Villarini, 1999, in De Mauro, T. & M. Vedovelli, Dante, il gendarme e la bolletta, p. 147. Milano: Laterza)

Table 4: Use of dialect and Italian in all contexts (1996)

Only Dialect	14%
Only Italian	24%
Alternates between them	62%