Alphabet
Dialects
Grammar
Literature
Pronunciation
| Italian language |
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| Accademia della Crusca Alphabet Dialects Grammar Literature Pronunciation |
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This article is about the phonology of the Italian language. It deals with the phonology and phonetics of Standard Italian as well as with geographical variants.
Contents |
| Front | Back | |
|---|---|---|
| Close | i | u |
| Close-mid | e | o |
| Open-mid | ɛ | ɔ |
| Open | a | |
Notes:
While Standard Italian makes clear distinctions between corresponding open-mid and closed-mid vowels, there is a tendency to use only the close-mid vowels more frequently in Northern Italian dialects, and only the open-mid ones in Southern Italian dialects.[citation needed] While some minimal pairs distinguishing these pairs exist (e.g., pésca /peska/ 'fishing' vs. pèsca /pɛska/ 'peach'), the distinction exists only for professional speakers who have been specifically trained (like actors and television news anchors);[citation needed] most speakers don't hear the contrast, rather context is used to distinguish such word pairs.[citation needed]
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This article contains IPA phonetic symbols. Without proper rendering support, you may see question marks, boxes, or other symbols instead of Unicode characters. |
| Bilabial | Labio- dental |
Dental/ Alveolar |
Post- alveolar |
Palatal | Velar | |
|---|---|---|---|---|---|---|
| Nasal | m | n | ɲ | |||
| Plosive | p b | t̪ d̪ | k g | |||
| Affricate | t̪͡s̪ d̪͡z̪ | t͡ʃ d͡ʒ | ||||
| Fricative | f v | s z | ʃ | |||
| Trill | r | |||||
| Lateral | l | ʎ | ||||
| Approximant | j | w |
Notes:
/s/ and /z/ are in complementary distribution everywhere except between two vowels within the same word, and even in this environment the minimal pairs are very rare (there are fewer than a dozen).[citation needed] Even in Standard Italian, there are many words in which dictionaries now indicate that both pronunciations with /z/ and with /s/ are acceptable. Thus they have merged in many varieties of Italian: when between two vowels within the same word, it tends to always be pronounced [z] in Northern Italy, and [s] in Central and Southern Italy. A notable example is the word casa ('house'): in Northern-Central Italy it is pronounced [ˈkaza]; in Southern-Central Italy it's pronounced [ˈkaːsa].
In popular (non Tuscan) Central and Southern Italian speech, /b/ and /dʒ/ tend to always be geminated ([bb] and [ddʒ]) when between two vowels, or a vowel and a sonorant (/j/, /w/, /l/, or /r/). Sometimes this is also used in written language, e.g. writing robba instead of roba ("stuff" or "property"), to suggest a regional accent, though this spelling is considered incorrect. In Tuscany intervocalic (non geminated) /dʒ/ is realized as [ʒ] (whereas intervocalic [non geminated] /tʃ/ is realized as [ʃ] as in the rest of Centro-Southern Italy).[citation needed]
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Please help improve this article or section by expanding it. Further information might be found on the talk page or at requests for expansion. (January 2007) |
The above IPA symbols and description refer to standard Italian, based on a somewhat idealized version of the Tuscan-derived national language. As is common in many cultures, this single version of the language was pushed as neutral, proper, and eventually superior, leading to some stigmatization of varying accents. Television news anchors and other high-profile figures had to put aside their regional Italian when in the public sphere. However, in more recent years the enforcement of this standard has fallen out of favor in Italy, and news reporters, actors, and the like are now more free to deliver their words in their native regional variety of Italian, which appeals to the Italian population's range of linguistic diversity. Though it is still technically the standard, the loosened restrictions have led to Tuscan being seen for what it is, just one dialect among many with its own regional peculiarities and qualities, many of which are shared with Umbria, Southern Marche and Northern Lazio:
From the Bible, Luke 2, 1-7 (for an English version click here)
You can listen to a rendition of this text as recorded by an Italian native speaker from Milan. One should notice that this speaker sometimes does not respect the standard pronunciation of the letter "e" (as represented in the phonetic translation), and he is at points unable to articulate correctly the rolling R.
2:1 In quei giorni, un decreto di Cesare Augusto ordinava che si facesse un censimento di tutta la terra.
2 Questo primo censimento fu fatto quando Quirino era governatore della Siria.
3 Tutti andavano a farsi registrare, ciascuno nella propria città.
4 Anche Giuseppe, che era della casa e della famiglia di Davide, dalla città di Nazaret e dalla Galilea si recò in Giudea nella città di Davide, chiamata Betlemme,
5 per farsi registrare insieme a Maria, sua sposa, che era incinta.
6 Proprio mentre si trovavano lì, venne il tempo per lei di partorire.
7 Mise al mondo il suo primogenito, lo avvolse in fasce e lo depose in una mangiatoia, poiché non c'era posto per loro nella locanda.
Standard pronunciation:
2:1[iŋ kwej ˈdʒoːrni un deˈkreːto di ˈtʃeːzare auˈɡuːsto ordɪˈnaːva ke sɪ faˈtʃesse un tʃensɪˈmento di ˈtutta la ˈtɛrra.
2 ˈkwesto ˈpriːmo tʃensiˈmento fu fˈfatto ˈkwando kwiˈriːno ˈɛːra ɡovernaˈtoːre ˈdella ˈsiːrja.
3 ˈtutti anˈdaːvano a fˈfarsi redʒisˈtraːre, tʃasˈkuːno ˈnella ˈprɔːprja tʃitˈta.
4 ˈanke dʒuˈzɛppe, ke ˈɛːra ˈdella ˈkaːsa e dˈdella faˈmiʎʎja di ˈdaːvɪde, ˈdalla tʃɪtˈta ddɪ ˈnaddzaret e dˈdalla galiˈlɛːa si reˈkɔ in dʒuˈdɛːa ˈnella tʃitˈta ddi ˈdaːvide, kjaˈmaːta beˈtlɛmme,
5per ˈfarsɪ redʒɪsˈtraːre inˈsjɛːme a mmaˈriːa, ˈsuːa ˈspɔːza, ke ˈɛːra inˈtʃɪnta.
6 ˈprɔːprjo ˈmentre si troˈvaːvano li, ˈvenne il ˈtɛmpo per lɛi di partoˈriːre.
7 ˈmiːze al ˈmondo il ˈsuːo primoˈdʒɛːnito, lo avˈvɔlse ɪn ˈfaʃʃe e llo deˈpoːse in ˈuːna mandʒaˈtoːja, pɔjˈke nnon tʃˈɛːra ˈposto per ˈloːro ˈnella loˈkanda.]
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