Calabrese Dialects & Linguistics
Books of linguistic value:
Benincasa,
Emilio. I Mille Proverbi Calabresi.
Montalto Uffugo, CS: La Grafica Meridionale, 1992.
Paperback, 100p.
Lombardi Satriani, Raffaele.
Proverbi in Uso in San Costantino
Di Briatico. Peloritana
Editrice, Messina, Sicilia, 1969. Hard, 312 p.
1119 proverbs accompanied by Italian explanations (where
necessary) and good footnotes with references to proverbs
in many other languages, especially Latin, Greek, French,
and old Tuscan. A great book for someone who wants
to learn a little about one of the dialects of Calabria
and a little about the Calabrian way of thinking, both
past and present.
Renzi, Lorenzo. Introduzione
alla Filologia Romanza. Società
editrice il Mulino, Bologna. Seconda edizione, 1978.
445 p.
Discusses classical thought and its linguistic consequences,
theories of historical development, structural linguistics,
generative grammar, languages, styles, dialects, Latin
and its linguistic descendents, characteristics of
Romance languages, semantics, phonology, etc. A good
all around book. Provides an important background understanding
for the study of any Romance dialect.
Rohlfs, Gerhard. Estudios
Sobre el Léxico Románico. Editorial Gredos,
Madrid, España, 1979. Hard, 444 p.
Excellent discussion of the development of the Romance
lexicon. Discusses semantic variations through time
and across cultures. Has many linguistic geographical
illustrations. Provides a better understanding of Romance
evolution, of relationships between languages and dialects,
of why "salire" is a false cognate of the
Spanish "salir". Does not focus specifically
on Calabrese, but does explain the origin of many of
its words and phrases that don't seem to have anything
in common with Italian.
Rohlfs, Gerhard. Nuovo Dizionario Dialettale
della Calabria. A. Longo, 1977,
4th printing June 1990. Hard, 950 p.
Arguably, the most comprehensive dictionary of the
Calabrese dialects in print today. Rohlfs began his
research in Calabria in 1921, and over a 50 year period,
compiled the dialect words from 121 towns in the province
of Cosenza, 135 towns in the province of Catanzaro,
and 74 in the province of Reggio. The dictionary provides
both a Calabrese-to-Italian and Italian-to-Calabrese
section. In addition, Rohlfs provides a synopsis of
his research experiences, methodology, and a historical
section detailing the origins of the various dialects
to include; Greek, Spanish, French, Latin, Arabic,
German, and Pre-Latin. A must for the linguists out
there! |
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