++ [ originally posted by Erik ] ++
Lou - Italian is a relatively easy language but the problem is that nobody actually speaks it. All those f*cking dialects drove me up the wall when I went to live there.
Sorry, amico mio...just saw this :redface:
In theory, they're all supposed to speak the "real" Italian (ie, Fiorentino, basically)
The first time my family went back there, my dad was excited to use his Zenaise (Genovese dialect). He began speaking it to a gas station attendant in Recco---he had no idea what my father was saying.
In the last 15 years or so, there has been a push to "revive and save" the dialects
But you're correct, actually
Pillow, for example:
guanciale in Italian
luahjeh (that's how it's prononced, anyway) in Zenaise
Uncle/aunt
Italian zio/zia
Zenaise:barba/lalla
It's like knowing 2 languages, really.
Again, my apologies for not responding to this sooner.:down: