Tarantino (; Tarantino: ; it, dialetto tarantino), spoken in the southeastern Italian region of

Apulia it, Pugliese , population_note = , population_blank1_title = , population_blank1 = , demographics_type1 = , demographics1_footnotes = , demographics1_title1 = , demographics1_info1 = , demographic ...

, is a transitional language, most of whose speakers live in the Apulian city of

Taranto Taranto (, also ; ; nap, label= Tarantino, Tarde; Latin: Tarentum; Old Italian: ''Tarento''; Ancient Greek: Τάρᾱς) is a coastal city in Apulia, Southern Italy. It is the capital of the Province of Taranto, serving as an important com ...

. The dialect is also spoken by a few Italian immigrants in the United States, especially in

California California is a U.S. state, state in the Western United States, located along the West Coast of the United States, Pacific Coast. With nearly 39.2million residents across a total area of approximately , it is the List of states and territori ...

History

The Tarantino dialect traces its origins into ancient times, when the territory was dominated by the

Messapii The Messapians ( grc, Μεσσάπιοι, Messápioi; la, Messapii) were a Iapygian tribe who inhabited Salento in classical antiquity. Two other Iapygian tribes, the Peucetians and the Daunians, inhabited central and northern Apulia respective ...

. The colonisation by the Greeks founded Taranto not only as the capital of

Magna Graecia Magna Graecia (, ; , , grc, Μεγάλη Ἑλλάς, ', it, Magna Grecia) was the name given by the Romans to the coastal areas of Southern Italy in the present-day Italian regions of Calabria, Apulia, Basilicata, Campania and Sicily; these re ...

but as a centre of poetry and theatre. The Greeks had left considerable influence on Tarantino, both in vocabulary and morpho-syntax, and a very peculiar accent that scholars corresponded to

Doric Doric may refer to: * Doric, of or relating to the Dorians of ancient Greece ** Doric Greek, the dialects of the Dorians * Doric order, a style of ancient Greek architecture * Doric mode, a synonym of Dorian mode * Doric dialect (Scotland) * Doric ...

. These influences are still found in many Tarantino words of Greek origin. Subsequently, the city of Taranto became a

Roman Roman or Romans most often refers to: *Rome, the capital city of Italy *Ancient Rome, Roman civilization from 8th century BC to 5th century AD *Roman people, the people of ancient Rome *''Epistle to the Romans'', shortened to ''Romans'', a letter ...

city, thus introducing much

Vulgar Latin Vulgar Latin, also known as Popular or Colloquial Latin, is the range of non-formal Register (sociolinguistics), registers of Latin spoken from the Crisis of the Roman Republic, Late Roman Republic onward. Through time, Vulgar Latin would evolve ...

vocabulary. During the

Byzantine The Byzantine Empire, also referred to as the Eastern Roman Empire or Byzantium, was the continuation of the Roman Empire primarily in its eastern provinces during Late Antiquity and the Middle Ages, when its capital city was Constantinopl ...

and Lombard periods, Tarantino acquired

diphthongization In historical linguistics, vowel breaking, vowel fracture, or diphthongization is the sound change of a monophthong into a diphthong or triphthong. Types Vowel breaking may be unconditioned or conditioned. It may be triggered by the presence of ...

: the short ''o'' changed to ''ue'' and the short ''e'' changed to ''ie''; moreover, its vocabulary was further enriched with new words. With the arrival of the

Normans The Normans (Norman language, Norman: ''Normaunds''; french: Normands; la, Nortmanni/Normanni) were a population arising in the medieval Duchy of Normandy from the intermingling between Norsemen, Norse Viking settlers and indigenous West Fran ...

in 1071 and the Angevins all the way through to 1400, the dialect lost much of its Eastern influences and was influenced by the French and Gallo-Italic elements. In 1502, the city went under Catalan-Aragonese rule. In 1801 the city was once again under the dominion of French troops, who left their mark with their

Franco-Provençal language Franco-Provençal (also Francoprovençal, Patois or Arpitan) is a language within Gallo-Romance originally spoken in east-central France, western Switzerland and northwestern Italy. Franco-Provençal has several distinct dialects and is separ ...

. Taranto has long been linked to the

Kingdom of Naples The Kingdom of Naples ( la, Regnum Neapolitanum; it, Regno di Napoli; nap, Regno 'e Napule), also known as the Kingdom of Sicily, was a state that ruled the part of the Italian Peninsula south of the Papal States between 1282 and 1816. It was ...

, which would explain some words in common with the

Neapolitan dialect , altname = , states = Italy , region = Abruzzo, Apulia, Basilicata, Calabria, Campania, Lazio, Marche, Molise , ethnicity = ''Mezzogiorno'' Ethnic Italians , speakers = 5.7 million , date ...

Samples

The Tarantino versions are compared to the Italian ones.

'U 'Mbierne de Dande ( Claudio De Cuia) '''Mmienze ô camíne nuèstre de 'sta víte ''
''ij' me scè 'cchiève jndr'a 'nu vòsch'uscúre''
''ca 'a drètta vije addáne havè' sparíte.'' ''Ma ci l'à ddà cundáre le delúre ''
''de 'stu vosche sarvagge e 'a strada stòrte''
''ca jndr'o penzière me crèsce 'a pavúre.'' ''Ma è tand'amáre ch'è pêsce d'a morte;''
''ma pe' ccundáre 'u bbéne ca truvéve, ''
''hagghia parlà' de quèdda mala sòrte.'' ''Ije mo' nò ssacce accum'è ca m'acchiève,''
''tand'assunnáte stáve a qquèdda vanne''
''ca 'a vije veràce te scè' 'bbandunéve.'' ''Doppe ch'havè' 'rreváte tremelànne''
''già 'ngocchie a lle fenéte de 'sta chiàne,''
''ch'angòre ô côre dè' mattáne e affanne,'' ''vedíve 'u cièle tutte a mmane-a-mmane''
''ca s'ammandáve d'a luce d'u sole''
''ca 'nzignalèsce 'a strate a ogne crestiáne...''

Inferno – Canto I (

Dante Alighieri Dante Alighieri (; – 14 September 1321), probably baptized Durante di Alighiero degli Alighieri and often referred to as Dante (, ), was an Italian poet, writer and philosopher. His ''Divine Comedy'', originally called (modern Italian: '' ...

) ''Nel mezzo del cammin di nostra vita''
''mi ritrovai per una selva oscura,''
''ché la diritta via era smarrita''. ''Ahi quanto a dir qual era è cosa dura''
''esta selva selvaggia e aspra e forte''
''che nel pensier rinova la paura!'' ''Tant' è amara che poco è più morte;''
''ma per trattar del ben ch'i' vi trovai,''
''dirò de l'altre cose ch'i' v'ho scorte''. ''Io non so ben ridir com' i' v'intrai,''
''tant' era pien di sonno a quel punto''
''che la verace via abbandonai.'' ''Ma poi ch'i' fui al piè d'un colle giunto,''
''là dove terminava quella valle''
''che m'avea di paura il cor compunto,'' ''guardai in alto e vidi le sue spalle''
''vestite già de' raggi del pianeta''
''che mena dritto altrui per ogne calle...''

'U 'càndeche de le crijatúre de San Frangísche (Enrico Vetrò) ''Altísseme, 'Neputènde, Signóre bbuéne,''
''Túje so' le làude, 'a glorie e ll’anóre e ogne bbenedizzióne.'' ''A Tté súle, Altísseme, Te tòcchene,''
''e nnisciún’óme éte dègne de Te menduváre.'' ''Lavudáte sije, Signóre mije, appríss’a ttutte le crijatúre Tóve,''
''spéče frátema mije mèstre sóle,''
''ca jé llúče d’u ggiúrne, e nn’allumenìsce a nnúje cu jidde.'' ''E jìdd’é' bbèlle e allucèsce cu sblennóre granne,''
''de Téje, Altísseme, annùče 'u valóre.'' ''Lavudáte sije, Signóre mije, pe' ssòrem’a lúne e lle stèdde:''
ngíele l’hé crijáte lucénde, sobraffíne e vvalènde, e bbèdde.''

''Lavudáte sije, Signóre mije, pe' ffráteme 'u víende,''
''e ppe' ll’àrie, le nùvele, 'u chiaríme e ogne ttìjembe,''
''ca cu chìdde a lle crijatúre Tóve le fáče refiatà.''

''Lavudáte sije, Signóre mije, pe' ssòreme l’acque,''
''ca jé ùtele asséje, terragnóle, prizziósa e cchiáre.'' ''Lavudáte sije, Signóre mije, pe' ffráteme 'u fuéche,''
''ca cu jìdde allumenìsce 'a nòtte:''
''e jidd’è' bbèlle, allègre, pastecchíne e ffòrte.'' ''Lavudáte sije, Signóre mije, p’a sóra nòstra màtra tèrre,''
''ca ne mandéne e nn’ènghie 'a vèndre,''
''e ccàcce numúnne de frùtte e ppúre fiúre d’ogne cculóre e ll’èrve.''

''Lavudáte sije, Signóre mije, pe' cchidde ca perdònene p’amóre Túve''
''E ssuppòrtene malatíje e ttrìbbule.'' ''Vijáte a cchìdde ca l’honna ssuppurtà cu rrassignazzióne,''
''ca da Téje, Altísseme, honn’essere 'ngurunáte.''

''Lavudáte sije, Signóre mije, p’a sóra nostra morta d’u cuèrpe''
''ca da jèdde nisciún’ome ca refiáte po' scambáre:''
''uàje a cchìdde c’honna murè jind’a' le puccáte murtále;''
''vijáte a cchìdde ca jedde à dda truvà jind’a' Vulundà' Ttója Sandísseme,''
''ca a llóre 'a secònna mòrte no 'nge l’à ddà ffa' mále.'' ''Lavudáte e bbenedecíte 'u Signóre mij' e dečíteLe gràzzie''
''E sservíteLe cu grànna devuzzióne.''

Canticle of the Sun The Canticle of the Sun, also known as Laudes Creaturarum (Praise of the Creatures) and ''Canticle of the Creatures'', is a religious song composed by Saint Francis of Assisi. It was written in an Umbrian dialect of Italian but has since been ...

(

Francis of Assisi Giovanni di Pietro di Bernardone, better known as Saint Francis of Assisi ( it, Francesco d'Assisi; – 3 October 1226), was a mystic Italian Catholic friar, founder of the Franciscans, and one of the most venerated figures in Christianit ...

) ''Altissimu, onnipotente bon Signore,''
''Tue so' le laude, la gloria e l'honore et onne benedictione.'' ''Ad Te solo, Altissimo, se konfano,''
''et nullu homo ène dignu te mentovare.'' ''Laudato sie, mi' Signore cum tucte le Tue creature,''
''spetialmente messor lo frate Sole,''
''lo qual è iorno, et allumeni noi per lui.'' ''Et ellu è bellu e radiante cum grande splendore:''
''de Te, Altissimo, porta significatione.'' ''Laudato si', mi Signore, per sora Luna e le stelle:''
''in celu l'ài formate clarite et pretiose et belle.'' ''Laudato si', mi' Signore, per frate Vento''
''et per aere et nubilo et sereno et onne tempo,''
''per lo quale, a le Tue creature dài sustentamento.'' ''Laudato si', mi' Signore, per sor Aqua,''
''la quale è multo utile et humile et pretiosa et casta.'' ''Laudato si', mi Signore, per frate Focu,''
''per lo quale ennallumini la nocte:''
''ed ello è bello et iocundo et robustoso et forte.'' ''Laudato si', mi' Signore, per sora nostra matre Terra,''
''la quale ne sustenta et governa,''
''et produce diversi fructi con coloriti flori et herba.'' ''Laudato si', mi Signore, per quelli che perdonano per lo Tuo amore''
''et sostengono infirmitate et tribulatione.'' ''Beati quelli ke 'l sosterranno in pace,''
''ka da Te, Altissimo, sirano incoronati.'' ''Laudato si' mi Signore, per sora nostra Morte corporale,''
''da la quale nullu homo vivente po' skappare:''
''guai a quelli ke morrano ne le peccata mortali;''
''beati quelli ke trovarà ne le Tue sanctissime voluntati,''
''ka la morte secunda no 'l farrà male.'' ''Laudate et benedicete mi Signore et rengratiate''
''e serviateli cum grande humilitate..''

Notes

References

{{Romance languages Languages of Apulia Dialects of Neapolitan Taranto

History

Samples

See also

Notes

References