The Neapolitan Alphabet - Vowels, Consonants, Accented Letters & more

Q: How many letters are in the Neapolitan alphabet?

The Neapolitan alphabet has 23 letters [1] from the Latin script, including the letter J which is used in some Neapolitan words. The alphabet includes: • 5 basic vowels : a, e, i, o, u • 17 consonants : b, c, d, f, g, h, j, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, z • Accented vowels : à, è, ì, ò, ù (used to indicate stress)

Q: Is Neapolitan a dialect of Italian?

No, Neapolitan is a separate Romance language , not an Italian dialect: • UNESCO recognition - classified as a distinct language • Independent development - evolved separately from Latin • Different structure - unique grammar, vocabulary, and pronunciation • Mutual unintelligibility - Italian speakers often cannot understand Neapolitan Calling it a dialect underestimates its linguistic significance !

Q: What are geminate consonants in Neapolitan?

Geminate consonants are double consonants that are pronounced longer than single ones: • Distinctive feature - gemination changes word meaning • Examples - "pane" (bread) vs. "panne" (breakdown) • Written double - shown by doubling the consonant letter (bb, dd, ff, etc.) • Spoken longer - you hold the consonant sound longer Gemination is crucial for correct pronunciation and understanding!

Q: Where is Neapolitan spoken today?

Neapolitan (Napulitano) is spoken across Southern Italy: • Campania - the region around Naples, the language's heartland • Basilicata - most of this southern region • Parts of Abruzzo - southern areas • Parts of Molise - southern portions • Parts of Apulia - northern coastal areas With 5-7 million speakers , it is one of the most widely spoken regional languages in Italy!

Q: What is Neapolitan song and why is it famous?

Neapolitan song is a world-famous musical tradition : • Classic songs - "O Sole Mio", "Funiculì Funiculà", "Torna a Surriento" • International fame - performed worldwide by famous opera singers • Emotional depth - known for expressing love, passion, and nostalgia • Musical style - melodic, expressive, often romantic • Cultural heritage - UNESCO recognition of Neapolitan musical tradition These songs have made Neapolitan one of the most recognized languages in music!

Q: How is Neapolitan different from Italian?

Neapolitan has many distinctive differences from Italian: • Pronunciation - geminate consonants, different vowel sounds • Vocabulary - many unique words from Greek, Spanish, French • Grammar - different verb conjugations and sentence structure • Articles - "'o" and "'a" instead of Italian "il" and "la" • Word endings - often different from Italian equivalents These differences make it a completely separate language , not just an accent!

Neapolitan Alphabet at a Glance

23 letters from Latin script with accented vowels (à, è, ì, ò, ù)
Spoken by approximately 5.7 million people in southern Italy
Italo-Romance language spoken in Campania, southern Lazio, Abruzzo, Molise, Basilicata, and northern Apulia
Features geminate (double) consonants crucial for meaning distinction
Rich literary tradition including famous Neapolitan songs like "O Sole Mio"
Recognized by UNESCO as distinct language from Italian ^[2]
Preserves Latin vowel system better than standard Italian

Uppercase Vowels:

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

Lowercase Vowels:

[ah]

[eh]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

Uppercase Consonants:

[bee]

[chee]

[dee]

[ef-fee]

[jee]

[ak-kah]

[ee long-gah]

[el-lee]

[em-mee]

[en-nee]

[pee]

[koo]

[er-ree]

[es-see]

[tee]

[vee]

[dzeh-tah]

[bee]

Uppercase B, pronounced like "b" in "bed".

[chee]

Uppercase C, pronounced like "k" or "ch" depending on position.

[dee]

Uppercase D, pronounced like "d" in "dog".

[ef-fee]

Uppercase F, pronounced like "f" in "food".

[jee]

Uppercase G, pronounced like "g" in "go" or "j" before e, i.

[ak-kah]

Uppercase H, usually silent or used in digraphs like "Ch".

[ee long-gah]

Uppercase J, used in some Neapolitan words, pronounced like "y" in "yes".

[el-lee]

Uppercase L, pronounced like "l" in "love".

[em-mee]

Uppercase M, pronounced like "m" in "mother".

[en-nee]

Uppercase N, pronounced like "n" in "name".

[pee]

Uppercase P, pronounced like "p" in "pen".

[koo]

Uppercase Q, always followed by u, pronounced like "kw".

[er-ree]

Uppercase R, pronounced with a rolled "r" sound.

[es-see]

Uppercase S, pronounced like "s" in "sun".

[tee]

Uppercase T, pronounced like "t" in "top".

[vee]

Uppercase V, pronounced like "v" in "very".

[dzeh-tah]

Uppercase Z, pronounced like "ts" or "dz".

Lowercase Consonants:

[bee]

[chee]

[dee]

[ef-fee]

[jee]

[ak-kah]

[ee long-gah]

[el-lee]

[em-mee]

[en-nee]

[pee]

[koo]

[er-ree]

[es-see]

[tee]

[vee]

[dzeh-tah]

[bee]

Lowercase b, pronounced like "b" in "bed".

[chee]

Lowercase c, pronounced like "k" or "ch" depending on position.

[dee]

Lowercase d, pronounced like "d" in "dog".

[ef-fee]

Lowercase f, pronounced like "f" in "food".

[jee]

Lowercase g, pronounced like "g" in "go" or "j" before e, i.

[ak-kah]

Lowercase h, usually silent or used in digraphs like "ch".

[ee long-gah]

Lowercase j, used in some Neapolitan words, pronounced like "y" in "yes".

[el-lee]

Lowercase l, pronounced like "l" in "love".

[em-mee]

Lowercase m, pronounced like "m" in "mother".

[en-nee]

Lowercase n, pronounced like "n" in "name".

[pee]

Lowercase p, pronounced like "p" in "pen".

[koo]

Lowercase q, always followed by u, pronounced like "kw".

[er-ree]

Lowercase r, pronounced with a rolled "r" sound.

[es-see]

Lowercase s, pronounced like "s" in "sun".

[tee]

Lowercase t, pronounced like "t" in "top".

[vee]

Lowercase v, pronounced like "v" in "very".

[dzeh-tah]

Lowercase z, pronounced like "ts" or "dz".

A a

[ah]

B b

[bee]

C c

[chee]

D d

[dee]

E e

[eh]

F f

[ef-fee]

G g

[jee]

H h

[ak-kah]

I i

[ee]

J j

[ee long-gah]

L l

[el-lee]

M m

[em-mee]

N n

[en-nee]

O o

[oh]

P p

[pee]

Q q

[koo]

R r

[er-ree]

S s

[es-see]

T t

[tee]

U u

[oo]

V v

[vee]

Z z

[dzeh-tah]

A a

[ah]

A (A) is pronounced as "ah". It can be uppercase (A) or lowercase (a).

B b

[bee]

B (B) is pronounced as "bee". It can be uppercase (B) or lowercase (b).

C c

[chee]

C (C) is pronounced as "chee". It can be uppercase (C) or lowercase (c).

D d

[dee]

D (D) is pronounced as "dee". It can be uppercase (D) or lowercase (d).

E e

[eh]

E (E) is pronounced as "eh". It can be uppercase (E) or lowercase (e).

F f

[ef-fee]

F (F) is pronounced as "ef-fee". It can be uppercase (F) or lowercase (f).

G g

[jee]

G (G) is pronounced as "jee". It can be uppercase (G) or lowercase (g).

H h

[ak-kah]

H (H) is usually silent or used in digraphs. It can be uppercase (H) or lowercase (h).

I i

[ee]

I (I) is pronounced as "ee". It can be uppercase (I) or lowercase (i).

J j

[ee long-gah]

J (J) is pronounced as "ee long-gah". It can be uppercase (J) or lowercase (j).

L l

[el-lee]

L (L) is pronounced as "el-lee". It can be uppercase (L) or lowercase (l).

M m

[em-mee]

M (M) is pronounced as "em-mee". It can be uppercase (M) or lowercase (m).

N n

[en-nee]

N (N) is pronounced as "en-nee". It can be uppercase (N) or lowercase (n).

O o

[oh]

O (O) is pronounced as "oh". It can be uppercase (O) or lowercase (o).

P p

[pee]

P (P) is pronounced as "pee". It can be uppercase (P) or lowercase (p).

Q q

[koo]

Q (Q) is always followed by u, pronounced as "kw". It can be uppercase (Q) or lowercase (q).

R r

[er-ree]

R (R) is pronounced with a rolled "r". It can be uppercase (R) or lowercase (r).

S s

[es-see]

S (S) is pronounced as "es-see". It can be uppercase (S) or lowercase (s).

T t

[tee]

T (T) is pronounced as "tee". It can be uppercase (T) or lowercase (t).

U u

[oo]

U (U) is pronounced as "oo". It can be uppercase (U) or lowercase (u).

V v

[vee]

V (V) is pronounced as "vee". It can be uppercase (V) or lowercase (v).

Z z

[dzeh-tah]

Z (Z) is pronounced as "dzeh-tah". It can be uppercase (Z) or lowercase (z).

[ah]

[eh]

[ay]

[ee]

[oh]

[oo]

[ah]

Lowercase à with grave accent, indicates stress on this vowel.

[ah]

Uppercase À with grave accent, indicates stress on this vowel.

[eh]

Lowercase è with grave accent, open "e" sound.

[eh]

Uppercase È with grave accent, open "e" sound.

[ay]

Lowercase é with acute accent, closed "e" sound.

[ay]

Uppercase É with acute accent, closed "e" sound.

[ee]

Lowercase ì with grave accent, indicates stress on this vowel.

[ee]

Uppercase Ì with grave accent, indicates stress on this vowel.

[oh]

Lowercase ò with grave accent, open "o" sound.

[oh]

Uppercase Ò with grave accent, open "o" sound.

[oh]

Lowercase ó with acute accent, closed "o" sound.

[oh]

Uppercase Ó with acute accent, closed "o" sound.

[oo]

Lowercase ù with grave accent, indicates stress on this vowel.

[oo]

Uppercase Ù with grave accent, indicates stress on this vowel.

[zero]

[uno]

[doje]

[tre]

[quatto]

[cinco]

[seie]

[sette]

[otto]

[nove]

[zero]

The numeral zero.

[uno]

The numeral one.

[doje]

The numeral two.

[tre]

The numeral three.

[quatto]

The numeral four.

[cinco]

The numeral five.

[seie]

The numeral six.

[sette]

The numeral seven.

[otto]

The numeral eight.

[nove]

The numeral nine.

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Expand All Collapse All

How many letters are in the Neapolitan alphabet?

Is Neapolitan a dialect of Italian?

What are geminate consonants in Neapolitan?

Where is Neapolitan spoken today?

What is Neapolitan song and why is it famous?

How is Neapolitan different from Italian?

References:

[1] Unicode Consortium. "Latin Extended-B Block". Retrieved from Unicode Latin Extended-B
[2] UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. "Neapolitan Language Status". Retrieved from UNESCO Languages Atlas