Sicily

Sicily (Sicilia in Italian) is an autonomous region of Italy and the largest island in the Mediterranean Sea, with an area of 25,700 sq. km and 5 million inhabitants.

Sicilian language

Main article: Sicilian language

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Many Sicilians are bilingual in both Italian and Sicilian, a separate Romance language, descended from Vulgar Latin, with Greek, Arabic, French, Provençal, German, Catalan and Spanish influences. It is important to note that Sicilian is not a derivative of Italian. Although thought by some to be a dialect, Sicilianu is a distinct language, with a rich history and a sizeable vocabulary (at least 250,000 words), due to the influence of the different conquerors of, and settlers to, this land. Sicilian dialects are also spoken in the southern and central sections of the Italian regions Calabria (Calabrese) and Puglia (Salentino); and had a significant influence on the Maltese Language, which was a part of the Kingdom of Sicily (in its various forms) until the late 18th century. With the predominance of Italian in Italian schools, the media, etc., Sicilian is no longer the first language of many Sicilians. Indeed, in urban centers in particular, one is more likely to hear standard Italian spoken rather than Sicilian, especially among the young.

Related Topics:
Italian - Sicilian - Romance language - Vulgar Latin - Greek - Arabic - French - Provençal - German - Catalan - Spanish - Calabria - Puglia - Maltese Language - Kingdom of Sicily

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Sicilian generally uses the word ending {{IPA|}} for singular masculine nouns and adjectives, and {{IPA|}} for feminine. The plural is usually {{IPA|}} for both masculine and feminine. By contrast, in Italian masculine nouns and adjectives that end in {{IPA|}} in the singular pass to {{IPA|}} in the plural, while the feminine counterparts pass from {{IPA|}} to {{IPA|}}.

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The "-LL-" sound (in words of Latin origin, for example) manifests itself in Sicilian as a voiced retroflex plosive with the tip of the tongue curled up and back, a sound which is not part of Standard Italian. In Sicilian, this sound is written simply as "-dd-" although the sound itself is not {{IPA|}} but rather {{IPA|}}. For example, the Italian word bello is beddu in Sicilian.

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In numerous villages, the Arbëreshë dialect of the Albanian language has been spoken since a wave of refugees settled there in the 15th century. While it is spoken within the household, Italian is the official language and modern Greek is chanted in the local Byzantine liturgy. There are also several areas where dialects of the Lombard language of the Gallo-Italic family are spoken. Much of this population is also tri-lingual, being able to also speak one of the Sicilian dialects as well.

Related Topics:
Arbëreshë - Albanian language - Lombard language - Gallo-Italic

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