FIERI Boston - Language

Italian Language and Dialects
. . . . . .

Home

Italian Proverbs
and Idioms

Neapolitan Proverbs
and Idioms

The Rosary in Italian

Italian Language and Dialects

In Italy, you are likely to hear several different "dialects" depending on which region you are traveling through. These are not just variations of a common language (cf. American vs. British English), but are instead independent languages which have evolved individually from Latin over the past 2000 years. (Even so, the term "dialect" is still used to describe these regional languages.) Each Italian dialect possesses its own unique grammar and vocabulary, and these can vary tremendously.

The "standard" or "grammatical" Italian that you may have learned in school is actually based on the Florentine dialect. Florentine has been accepted as the standard Italian since the Renaissance, mainly owing to Florence's tremendous stature as a center of learning and trade at that time.

Italian dialects include Sardo (Sardinia), Sicilian, Napoletane, Calabrese, Abruzzese, Piemontese, and Ladino (spoken in and around Trieste), and several others. Many poems, books, and songs have been written in these dialects.

In this section, we will highlight some well-known proverbs, idioms, sayings, and prayers, in "standard" Italian as well as in other Italian dialects. If your dialect is not represented here, please send some proverbs, idioms, poems, etc. to fbwebfieri-boston.org. and we will include them in this section. Your feedback is also warmly appreciated!