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Genoese (Zeneize) is the most important dialect of the Ligurian language
Ligurian language (Romance)

Ligurian is a Gallo-Romance language, currently spoken in Liguria, northern Italy, and parts of the Mediterranean coastal zone of France, and Monaco....
, the one spoken in Genoa
Genoa

Genoa is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria. The city has a population of about 610,000 and the urban area has a population of about 900,000....
 (the principal city of the Liguria
Liguria

Liguria is a coastal Regions of Italy of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and food....
 region in Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
).

Ligurian
Ligurian language (Romance)

Ligurian is a Gallo-Romance language, currently spoken in Liguria, northern Italy, and parts of the Mediterranean coastal zone of France, and Monaco....
 is listed by Ethnologue
Ethnologue

Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christianity linguistics service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, primarily to provide the speakers with Bibles, in their native language....
 as a language in its own right, of the Romance
Romance languages

The Romance languages are a branch of the Indo-European languages comprising all the languages that descend from Latin language, the language of ancient Rome....
 branch, and not to be confused with the ancient Ligurian language
Ligurian language

The Ligurian language was spoken in pre-Roman times and into the Roman era by an ancient people of north-western Italy and south-eastern France known as the Ligures....
. Like the languages of Lombardy
Lombardy

Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region....
, Piedmont
Piedmont

Piedmont is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,399 km? and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital is Turin. The main local dialect is Piedmontese....
, and surrounding regions, it is of Gallo-Italic
Gallo-Italic languages

Northern Italian , Padanian or Cisalpine is a linguistic set with different definitions. Gallo-Italian is the name used by Ethnologue....
 derivation.

In its differences from standard Italian
Italian language

Italian is a Romance languages spoken by about 63 million people as a first language, primarily in Italy. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four Linguistic geography of Switzerlands....
, Genoese is somewhat similar to French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
.






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Genoese (Zeneize) is the most important dialect of the Ligurian language
Ligurian language (Romance)

Ligurian is a Gallo-Romance language, currently spoken in Liguria, northern Italy, and parts of the Mediterranean coastal zone of France, and Monaco....
, the one spoken in Genoa
Genoa

Genoa is a city and an important seaport in northern Italy, the capital of the Province of Genoa and of the region of Liguria. The city has a population of about 610,000 and the urban area has a population of about 900,000....
 (the principal city of the Liguria
Liguria

Liguria is a coastal Regions of Italy of north-western Italy, the third smallest of the Italian regions. Its capital is Genoa. It is a popular region with tourists for its beautiful beaches, picturesque little towns, and food....
 region in Italy
Italy

Italy , officially the Italian Republic , is a country located on the Italian Peninsula in Southern Europe and on the two largest islands in the Mediterranean Sea, Sicily and Sardinia....
).

Ligurian
Ligurian language (Romance)

Ligurian is a Gallo-Romance language, currently spoken in Liguria, northern Italy, and parts of the Mediterranean coastal zone of France, and Monaco....
 is listed by Ethnologue
Ethnologue

Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christianity linguistics service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, primarily to provide the speakers with Bibles, in their native language....
 as a language in its own right, of the Romance
Romance languages

The Romance languages are a branch of the Indo-European languages comprising all the languages that descend from Latin language, the language of ancient Rome....
 branch, and not to be confused with the ancient Ligurian language
Ligurian language

The Ligurian language was spoken in pre-Roman times and into the Roman era by an ancient people of north-western Italy and south-eastern France known as the Ligures....
. Like the languages of Lombardy
Lombardy

Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region....
, Piedmont
Piedmont

Piedmont is one of the 20 Regions of Italy. It has an area of 25,399 km? and a population of about 4.4 million. The capital is Turin. The main local dialect is Piedmontese....
, and surrounding regions, it is of Gallo-Italic
Gallo-Italic languages

Northern Italian , Padanian or Cisalpine is a linguistic set with different definitions. Gallo-Italian is the name used by Ethnologue....
 derivation.

In its differences from standard Italian
Italian language

Italian is a Romance languages spoken by about 63 million people as a first language, primarily in Italy. In Switzerland, Italian is one of four Linguistic geography of Switzerlands....
, Genoese is somewhat similar to French
French language

French is a Romance language spoken around the world by around 80 million people as first language, by 190 million as second language, and by about another 200 million people as an acquired tongue, with significant speakers in 54 countries....
. The language is dying out. Most remaining speakers of it are elderly.

Written literature has been produced in Genoese since the thirteenth century, but the spelling has never been regularized. However, since 2008 there is an official orthography set up by the Académia Ligùstica do Brenno, which attempts to put its script in order based on citizen speech of the Portoria area. Their rules, which may be seen , are useful to write in all ligurian language
Ligurian language

The Ligurian language was spoken in pre-Roman times and into the Roman era by an ancient people of north-western Italy and south-eastern France known as the Ligures....
 varieties.

Genoese phonology
Phonology

Phonology is the systematic use of sound to encode meaning in any spoken human language, or the field of linguistics studying this use. Just as a language has syntax and vocabulary, it also has a phonology in the sense of a sound system....
 includes a few likenesses with French. One similarity is heavily nasalized vowels before nasal consonants (i.e. in VN(C) sequences). This also occurs when Genoese speakers speak standard Italian. There used to be an alveolar approximant
Alveolar approximant

The alveolar approximant is a type of consonantal sound used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents alveolar consonant and postalveolar consonant approximant consonant is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is r....
 (English-like) /?/ opposed to an alveolar trill
Alveolar trill

The alveolar trill is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents dental consonant, alveolar consonant, and postalveolar consonant trill consonant is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is r....
 /r/ (using the eighteenth century genoese spelling: caro ['ka??u] "dear" vs. carro ['ka?ru] "cart"), but it is no longer heard in the city. It may still survive in some rural areas of Liguria, such as Calizzano
Calizzano

Calizzano is a comune in the Province of Savona in the Italy region Liguria, located about 70 km southwest of Genoa and about 30 km west of Savona....
 and Sassello
Sassello

Sassello is a comune in the Province of Savona in the Italy region Liguria, located about 35 km west of Genoa and about 20 km north of Savona in the northern side of the Ligurian Apennines....
. Audio samples may be heard . By far the most widespread type of /r/ today is the alveolar tap
Alveolar tap

The alveolar tap or flap is a type of consonantal sound, used in some spoken languages. The symbol in the International Phonetic Alphabet that represents dental consonant, alveolar consonant, and postalveolar consonant flap consonant is , and the equivalent X-SAMPA symbol is 4....
 [?] (identical to unstressed Standard Italian /r/). There are several distinctive local accent
Accent (linguistics)

In linguistics, an accent is a manner of pronunciation of a language. Accents can be confused with dialects which are varieties of language differing in vocabulary, syntax, and morphology , as well as pronunciation....
s of Genoese. Nervi, Quinto, and Quarto are heard to the east of Genoa. Voltri, Prà, Pegli, and Sestri are heard to the west. There are also accents of the central Polcevera Valley and Bisagno.

Genoese is also an influence on the Llanito
Llanito

Llanito or Yanito is an Andalusian Spanish based wikt:vernacular spoken in the British overseas territory of Gibraltar. Gibraltarians also call themselves Llanitos....
 vernacular of Gibraltar
Gibraltar

Gibraltar is a British overseas territory located near the southernmost tip of the Iberian Peninsula overlooking the Strait of Gibraltar. The territory shares a border with Spain to the north....
.

Tongue twisters

  • Sò asæ s'a sâ a sä asæ pe sâ a säsissa. = I don't have a clue whether the salt is going to be enough to salt the sausage.
  • Scia scîe scignôa, sciando scia xêua inscî scî. = Ski, madam, skying you fly on skis.
  • A-o mêu nêuo gh'è nêue nâe nêue; a ciû nêua de nêue nâe nêue a n'êu anâ. = At the new pier there are nine new ships; the newest of the nine new ships doesn't want to go.
  • Gi'angiai g'han gi'oggi gi'uegge gi'unge cume gi'atri? = Do angels have eyes, ears, and (finger)nails like everyone else? (variant of the Cogorno comune)


Expressions

  • Son zeneize, rizo ræo, strenzo i denti e parlo ciæo. = "I'm Genoese, I seldom laugh, I grind my teeth, and I say what I mean" (literally, "speak clearly").


  • The child complains: Ò famme. = I'm hungry. The mother answers: Gràttite e zenogge e fatte e lasagne. = Scratch your knees and make lasagna.
  • Pòsci-to êse alûghetòu
  • Chi veû vive da bon crestiàn, da-i begghìn o stagghe lontàn. = If you want to live as a good Christian, stay away from those who pretend to be devout; a traditional warning to beware of fanatics and hypocrites.
  • L'è megio e brâghe sgoaræ 'nt'o cû, che o cû sguaròu inte brâghe. = It is better to have trousers that are torn in the ass, than to have an ass that is torn in trousers.
  • Sciuscià e sciurbi, nu se poe = Blow and Throw it's impossible hence you must take a decision or don't do anything, don't down to a compromises.


Phonology

Genoese has eight vowels, twenty consonants, and three semivowels.

Vowels:
  • /a/ barba /'barba/ (uncle, beard)
  • /e/ tésta /'testa/ (head)
  • /?/ ægoa /'?gwa/ (water)
  • /i/ bibin /bi'bi?/ (turkey)
  • /o/ cöse /'ko:se/ (what?)
  • /ø/ anchêu /an'kø:/ (today)
  • /u/ comme /'kumme/ (how?)
  • /y/ fugassa /fy'gassa/ (bread)


External links