Italian became the official language of Italy after the unification of the country in 1861. However, (the plot thickens), the country is home to dozens of languages or dialects. The subject is debatable, really, since linguists argue that some dialects are in fact languages. All these regional dialects or languages evolved from Latin, and not Italian, hence the doubt. Kind of reminds us of the story of the Tower of Babel, doesn’t it? In an effort to understand this debate a little, bellow there is a short explanation of the 6 most well-known dialects and languages of Italy.

Tuscan and Florentine

Standard Italian, the language most spoken in the country and taught in schools originated from the language spoken in Florence, in the region of Tuscany. This has happened because of great authors, such as Dante, Petrarca and Boccaccio, who used this language to write their masterpieces. According to ISTAT, 45.9% of Italians speak standard Italian at home, and around 32% use both Italian and a dialect, only 14% use only an Italian dialect.

Lombard and Milanese

Lombard is considered by some linguists to be a language. It is spoken in the region of Lombardy, in the north of Italy, and in Switzerland, but you may not hear it in the big cities, like Milan, as it is primarily spoken regionally and in smaller towns, by the elderly.  You will be able to tell it is a northern accent because of its distinct pronunciation of the letter ‘Z’, instead of an ‘S’ (cosa,  meaning “thing” becomes coza), this is very typical in Milan, for instance.

Venetian

The Venetian dialect has Germanic and Slavic influences, and on top of that, it sounds similarly to Spanish. It is a particular dialect, characteristic of the region of Veneto. You will notice the different sound of the ‘S’, very similar to the one used in Spanish, not like Standard Italian at all. The charismatic Italian ‘ciao’ comes from the Venetian word ‘s’chiavo’ (slave), an abbreviation of ’s’ciavo vostro’ (your slave) which means “I’m at your service”.

Neapolitan

The Neapolitan dialect is quite different from standard Italian. So much so, that even Italians have difficulty understanding it. This dialect is spoken in the south of Italy, in and around the city of Napoli. Speakers of this dialect are usually regarded as being in a hurry, as they will drop vowels at the end of words. Apparently, Neapolitans, like to sing. So, if you ever find yourself in this region of Italy, it is best to come prepared with the lyrics of the song ‘O sole mio’ (a Neapolitan song) in case you forget your linguistic bases.

Sardinian

Sardinian, or Sardo, original to the island of Sardinia, is recognized as a language and it has a different pronunciation and sound than that of standard Italian, along with a different sentence structure. Out of all the romance languages (including Italian, Spanish and French, for example), it is the most similar to Latin. One of the characteristic features of this dialect is the switch between o’s and u’s. For example, the word “compreso” (understand), becomes “compresu” in Sardo.

Sicilian

Sicilian, spoken mainly in the island of Sicily, in the south of Italy, also deserves language status. This language is popular among Italian Americans, since many immigrants left this region looking for a better life in the U.S. The language has had influences of Greek and Arabic words, that are still noticeable today.