Lesson 2: Sicilian ortography

A treaties in Sicilian orthography does not exist. Because of the strong influence of other languages, the Sicilian language has been in evolution, maybe, more than any other language. As a matter of fact after quite sometime of the last linguistic imposition, which was the Italian language, we have, what we can call, the first serious, and maybe the last up to now, attempt at establishing the rules for a Sicilian orthography.

These were done by Giorgio Piccitto and published in 1947. This course will follow, in the majority of cases, G. Piccitto’s orthography rules.

Double Consonants

Generally some consonants almost always have a strong sound, even if they are located at the beginning of the word; but if they double up in the pronunciation, they do not double up in the written language. Such consonants are: b, c, d, g,, m, n, r, and z:

Bbabbu stupid

Bbeddu beautiful

Bbruttu ugly

Dduppiu double

Ddoppu after

Dduttùri doctor

Ggìgghiu eye-lash

Ggià already

Ggiàrnu pale

Mmùrmuru murmur

Mmerda escrement

Nnimìcu enemy

Nnomu name

Rrizza sea urchin

Rrota wheel

Zzappùni mattock

Zzappagghiùni gnat

While:

Ccà here

Cci to you, to them

Cchiù more

Ddocu there, next to you

Ddà there

are written with the same strong sound with which they are pronounced, that is with a double consonant.

The double consonant appears very often in the Sicilian written language as already seen in the above example and in the following:

Abbecceddàriu first grade book

Abbannunàri to abandon

Famigghia family

Stràzziu torment

Allammicàtu hungry, empty-stomach

Sunnu they are

Nùmmaru number

Libbru book

Digraph

By digraph is indicated the union of two letters forming one sound. Some of these groups are : gn, ch, gh, dr, tr

gn has a nasal sound as in canyon: ogni every

lignu wood

ch has a guttural sound as in kill cherubbìnu cherub

chiovu nail

gh has a guttural sound as in ghetto ghiàcciu ice

ghicàri to arrive

dr has a palatal sound as in drift droga drug

dragu dracon

tr has a palatal sound as tree trenu train

truccu trick

Some digraph have a cacuminal sound, which means that the sound is made by the tongue reaching the top of the palate. These digraphs are:

dd has the palatal sound as the d in good, wood:

addumàri to light

iddu he, him

dr as above drittu strait

ddr as a strong dr addrizzàri to make strait

tr as above truvàri to find

ttr as a strong tr attrici actress

Contrasting Pairs

Some words in Sicilian change meaning by the addition of a consonant that they have in common, that is with a certain consonant they have one meaning and by doubling that same consonant the word has a different meaning:

nanu dwarf annu grandfather

lana wool lanna tin, can

scanàri to knead scannàri to slaughter

pupa doll puppa stern

mina mine minna breast

pala shovel palla ball

nudu naked nuddu nobody

casàta houseful cassàta Sicilian cake

copia copy coppia couple

moda fashion modda spring, soft

gridu yell griddu cricket

una one unna wave