Venetian dialect, the language spoken in
Venetian dialect
The Venetian dialect is represented by colorful expressions, which is nice to know.
The cadence in speech is slurred with loud sounds and with the pronunciation of double consonants as if it were one.
The Venetian dialect, also called "dialeto del mar" (dialect of the sea), was the official language of the Venetian Republic together with Latin for a thousand years.
Apart from Latin some terms come from Greek and Arabic with which the Venetians were in contact.
To make known the Venetian dialect in the world was the playwright Carlo Goldoni, who in the eighteenth century brought on stage scenes of popular life recited in Venetian language differently depending on the social stratum of people who belong to it.
Below we give a glimpse of some words or expressions typical Venetian with their translation.
Venetian dialect - Words |
|
chair |
caregha |
table |
toea |
glass |
bicier |
dish |
piato |
fork |
piron |
spoon |
cuciaro |
wine |
vin |
towel |
tovaglioeo |
toilette |
gabineto |
kitchen |
cusina |
wardrobe |
armaron |
stove |
stua |
sheets |
nizioi |
dog |
can |
cat |
gato |
artichoke |
articioco |
cod |
baccaeà |
peas |
bisi |
sausage |
luganega |
sardine |
sardea |
chicken |
poeastro |
peanuts |
bagigi |
fog |
caivo |
today |
ancuo |
tomorrow |
doman |
scarsela |
|
wallet |
tacuin |
money |
schei |
coins |
monea |
wheel |
roda |
uncle, aunt |
barba, amia |
idiot |
bauco, insemenio |
carega
articioco
Venetian dialect - Expressions |
|
what time is it? |
che ora xe |
the weather turns in rain |
el tempo buta in piova |
we hope that tomorrow will be better than today |
speremo che doman sia megio de ancuo |
hurry up, the sun eats hours |
movite che el soe magna e ore |
I know Venice like my pockets |
Conosso Venexia come e me scarsee |
I ate a lot |
Me so sfondrà el bueo |
Your deceased were like dogs (friendly insult) |
Chei cani de i to morti |
You were born on cotton, make a beautiful life |
Te si nato sul bombaso |
Venetian Dialect - Proverbs |
|
better a patch, that the tear |
megio el tacon che el sbrego |
today worth more money that virtue |
ancuo val più i schei dela virtù. |
when you feel good, you die |
Co se sta ben, se more! |
change miller means changing thief |
A cambiar moliner se cambia ladro. |
when it is cloudy it is likely that rain |
co xe nuvoeo fasie che piova |
everyone likes their own opinion |
A ognun ghe piase la so' spuzeta |
the pain is like money, who has them keeps them |
I doeori xe come i schei, chi li ga se i tien |
a little more and a little less do normal |
un alto e un basso fa un guaivo |
talk is not needed, it is better to act |
e ciacoe sta a xero |
Curiosity
The expression caivo or caigo used by the Venetians to indicate the fog comes from the expression "ca me ligo" (here I tie), act carried out by boatmen to anchor to something when the dense fog prevented the navigation in the lagoon.