Sicilianu

Sicilian

Indo-European (Romance, Italo-Romance)

FamilyIndo-European (Romance, Italo-Romance) Speakers~5M ScriptLatin CountriesItaly (Sicily, southern) Official inNo (recognized minority) Vitalitysafe ISO 639-3scn

Sicilian (sicilianu) is a Romance language with ~5M speakers in Sicily, southern Calabria, and parts of Apulia. UNESCO classifies it as a vulnerable language; it is recognized as a minority language by the Sicilian regional government. Its complex history is reflected in lexical strata from Greek (Magna Graecia), Arabic (Emirate of Sicily 831–1091), Norman French (Norman conquest 1061), Catalan (Aragonese rule), and Spanish (Spanish rule 1516–1713). Notable for its 5-vowel system (unlike Italian's 7) and a literary tradition starting with the Sicilian School of Frederick II (13th c.).

Where it is spoken

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87 core words in Sicilian

Water

acqua

ˈakkwa

Fire

focu

ˈfɔku

Sun

suli

ˈsuli

Moon

luna

ˈluna

Star

stidda

ˈstɪɖːa

Night

notti

ˈnɔtti

Rain

chiuvuta

kjuˈvuta

Snow

nivi

ˈniːvi

Wind

ventu

ˈvɛntu

Earth

terra

ˈtɛrra

Stone

petra

ˈpɛːtra

Mountain

muntagna

munˈtaɲɲa

Sea

mari

ˈmari

Mother

matri

ˈmatri

Father

patri

ˈpatri

Daughter

figghia

ˈfiɟɟa

I

iu

ju

You

tu

tu

We

nuàutri

nuˈawtri

Name

nomu

ˈnɔmu

Person

pirsuna

pirˈsuna

Head

testa

ˈtɛsta

Eye

occhiu

ˈɔkkju

Ear

aricchia

aˈrikkja

Nose

nasu

ˈnaːsu

Mouth

vucca

ˈvukka

Tooth

denti

ˈdɛnti

Tongue

lingua

ˈlinɡwa

Hand

manu

ˈmanu

Foot

pedi

ˈpɛdi

Heart

cori

ˈkɔri

Bone

ossu

ˈɔssu

Blood

sangu

ˈsaŋɡu

Poop

cacca

ˈkakka

Love

amuri

aˈmuri

Tree

àrbulu

ˈarbulu

Dog

cani

ˈkani

Cat

jattu

ˈjattu

Fish

pisci

ˈpiʃi

Bird

aceddu

aˈtʃɛɖːu

Butterfly

parpagghiuni

parpaɟˈɟuni

Egg

ovu

ˈɔvu

Bear

ursu

ˈursu

Horse

cavaddu

kaˈvaɖːu

House

casa

ˈkasa

Milk

latti

ˈlatti

Honey

meli

ˈmɛli

Salt

sali

ˈsali

Wine

vinu

ˈvinu

Rice

risu

ˈrizu

Chocolate

cicculatti

tʃikkuˈlatti

Iron

ferru

ˈfɛrru

Wheel

rota

ˈrɔːta

Silk

sita

ˈsita

Book

libbru

ˈlibbru

Eat

manciari

manˈtʃari

Drink

vìviri

ˈviviri

Sleep

dòrmiri

ˈdɔrmɪrɪ

One

unu

ˈunu

Two

dui

ˈduɪ

Three

tri

tri

Four

quattru

ˈkwattru

Five

cincu

ˈtʃiŋku

Hundred

centu

ˈtʃɛntu

Hello

salutamu

salutamu

Thank you

grazii

ˈɡrattsii

Good

bonu

ˈbɔnu

New

novu

ˈnɔvu

Red

russu

ˈrussu

White

biancu

ˈbjaŋku

Black

nìuru

ˈniuru

Green

virdi

ˈvɪrdɪ

Blue

azzolu

adˈdzɔlu

Cuckoo

cuccu

ˈkukku

Computer

computer

komˈpjuter

Sushi

sushi

ˈsuʃi

Tea

tè

tɛ

Coffee

cafè

kaˈfɛ

Sugar

zuccuru

ˈtsukkuru

Orange

aranciu

aˈrantʃu

Ninety-nine

novantanovi

nɔvantaˈnɔvi

Dopamine

dupamina

dupaˈmiːna

Sources

Words compared

Compared with languages in the same classification: Indo-European (Romance, Italo-Romance)

Meaning SicilianCorsicanItalianDante-era ItalianNeapolitanVenetianSardinian
Water acqua /ˈakkwa/ acqua /ˈakwa/ acqua /ˈakkwa/ acqua /ˈakːwa/ acqua /ˈakkwə/ aqua /ˈakwa/ abba /abba/
Fire focu /ˈfɔku/ focu /ˈfɔku/ fuoco /ˈfwɔːko/ foco /ˈfɔko/ fuoco /ˈfwɔkə/ fogo /ˈfoɡo/ fogu /foɣu/
Sun suli /ˈsuli/ sole /ˈsɔle/ sole /ˈsoːle/ sole /ˈsole/ sole /ˈsolə/ sol /sol/ sole /sole/
Moon luna /ˈluna/ luna /ˈluna/ luna /ˈluːna/ luna /ˈluna/ luna /ˈlunə/ łuna /ˈuna/ luna /luna/
Star stidda /ˈstɪɖːa/ stella /ˈstella/ stella /ˈstɛlla/ stella /ˈstella/ stella /ˈstellə/ stela /ˈstela/ isteddu /isˈteɖɖu/
Night notti /ˈnɔtti/ notte /ˈnɔtːe/ notte /ˈnɔtte/ notte /ˈnotte/ notte /ˈnɔttə/ note /ˈnɔte/ notte /ˈnɔtːe/
Rain chiuvuta /kjuˈvuta/ pioggia /ˈpjɔdʒa/ pioggia /ˈpjɔddʒa/ piova /ˈpjɔːva/ chiòve /ˈkjɔːvə/ piova /ˈpjɔva/ proja /ˈproja/
Snow nivi /ˈniːvi/ neve /ˈneve/ neve /neːve/ neve /ˈneve/ neve /ˈneːvə/ neve /neve/ nie /nie/
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Word order compared

Compare with major world languages

Sicilian
Iu vogghiu pruvari un vistitu ca vitti nta na putía di facci a l'hotel
I want to try on a suit I saw ‌in a shop across from the hotel
Ich möchte einen Anzug anprobieren den ich in einem Geschäft gegenüber vom Hotel gesehen habe
मैं होटल के सामने एक दुकान में देखा सूट को पहनकर देखना चाहता हूँ
私は ホテルの 向かいの お店 で 見た スーツを 試着 したいです
我 想 试穿 酒店 对面的 商店 里 看到的 那套西装
أنا أريد أن أجرب بدلة رأيتها في محل مقابل الفندق
Я хочу примерить костюм который я увидел в магазине напротив отеля

Compare with languages in the same classification

Sicilian
Iu vogghiu pruvari un vistitu ca vitti nta na putía di facci a l'hotel
Je veux essayer un costume que j' ai vu dans un magasin en face de l'hôtel
Unë dua ta provoj një kostum që pashë në një dyqan përballë hotelit
Ἐγὼ βούλομαι πειρᾶσθαι ἱμάτιον ὃ εἶδον ἐν καπηλείῳ ἐναντίον τοῦ πανδοκείου
I want to try on a suit I seen ‌in a shop across from the hotel

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