Calabrian/Italian words I grew up with
This might not interest anyone here, but as I began to learn Italian, I realized that a lot of words my family uses are from Italian - or, more specifically, from the Calabrian dialect. I've start making a list of those words, but it's pretty difficult, because they feel as normal to me as Portuguese words (never mind that even as child I did find it curious that no one outside of my family used them), so I can't immediately think of them. I'll have to add them to the list as they come up in conversation.
Now, American movies might lead you to think that all Italian descendants know is buongiorno, ciao, grazie, mamma mia, bellissimo, etc. Well, maybe that's actually the case in the USA, but I learnt some more interesting words. XD Here are the ones I have been able to remember and verify so far:
nasca - That means "nose" in the Calabrian dialect, although the standard Italian word for it is "naso". My great-grandmother used that word a lot when talking about my aunt's big nose, so the family mostly ended up adopting it as a word for "big nose".
stunato - Yes, we pronounce it with a "u" there. There was an entry with that spelling, but it's been deleted, so you get the standard Italian spelling in the link. This word means "crazy", even though it has a totally different meaning in standard Italian ("off-key"). Often used to refer to our pets when they do something bizarre. Ex.: *watching the dog start barking for no reason* "Esse cachorro é meio stunato." = "That dog is kind of crazy."
scattare - This one also exists in standard Italian with the same meaning, which is something like, "to throw a fit." Often used when our pets get really angry and agitated about something. Ex.: "Ela está se scattando." = "She's throwing a fit."
fissa - Equivalent to standard Italian "fessa", meaning "idiot". Curiously, we only use it in the feminine. Ex.: "Ela é uma fissa mesmo." = "She's really an idiot."
Incidentally, Calabrian seems to be closely related to Sicilian, so don't mind if I link to Sicilian entries, since there are no Calabrian ones.
spiccicato - To be honest, I never quite understood this word, even though my grandmother uses it quite often. Now I know it means "identical". It also exists with that meaning in standard Italian.
magara - It means "witch". In standard Italian, it'd be just "maga", or "strega".
cazzo - I'm not translating this one. :D
There is another word I remembered today, but I can't figure out how to spell it, so I can't even look it up.
Incidentally, how sad is it that the only Russian word I inherited is kartófel’ (картофель, "potato")?
Now, American movies might lead you to think that all Italian descendants know is buongiorno, ciao, grazie, mamma mia, bellissimo, etc. Well, maybe that's actually the case in the USA, but I learnt some more interesting words. XD Here are the ones I have been able to remember and verify so far:
nasca - That means "nose" in the Calabrian dialect, although the standard Italian word for it is "naso". My great-grandmother used that word a lot when talking about my aunt's big nose, so the family mostly ended up adopting it as a word for "big nose".
stunato - Yes, we pronounce it with a "u" there. There was an entry with that spelling, but it's been deleted, so you get the standard Italian spelling in the link. This word means "crazy", even though it has a totally different meaning in standard Italian ("off-key"). Often used to refer to our pets when they do something bizarre. Ex.: *watching the dog start barking for no reason* "Esse cachorro é meio stunato." = "That dog is kind of crazy."
scattare - This one also exists in standard Italian with the same meaning, which is something like, "to throw a fit." Often used when our pets get really angry and agitated about something. Ex.: "Ela está se scattando." = "She's throwing a fit."
fissa - Equivalent to standard Italian "fessa", meaning "idiot". Curiously, we only use it in the feminine. Ex.: "Ela é uma fissa mesmo." = "She's really an idiot."
Incidentally, Calabrian seems to be closely related to Sicilian, so don't mind if I link to Sicilian entries, since there are no Calabrian ones.
spiccicato - To be honest, I never quite understood this word, even though my grandmother uses it quite often. Now I know it means "identical". It also exists with that meaning in standard Italian.
magara - It means "witch". In standard Italian, it'd be just "maga", or "strega".
cazzo - I'm not translating this one. :D
There is another word I remembered today, but I can't figure out how to spell it, so I can't even look it up.
Incidentally, how sad is it that the only Russian word I inherited is kartófel’ (картофель, "potato")?