Sicilian Alphabet

The Sicilian alphabet has 23 letters^[2] from the Latin script, including the letter J which is used in some Sicilian 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)

Sicilian is a separate Romance language, not a dialect of Italian^[1]:

• UNESCO recognition - classified as a distinct language^[4]

• Separate evolution - developed independently from Latin alongside Italian

• Unique vocabulary - contains words from Greek, Arabic, Norman French, Spanish

• Different grammar - has its own grammatical structures and rules

Sicilian speakers and Italian speakers cannot fully understand each other without learning!

Sicilian has been enriched by multiple civilizations^[3]:

• Greek - from ancient colonization (8th century BCE)

• Arabic - from Muslim rule (9th-11th centuries)

• Norman French - from Norman conquest (11th-12th centuries)

• Spanish - from Spanish rule (15th-18th centuries)

• Latin - the foundational Romance language base

This makes Sicilian a linguistic treasure chest of Mediterranean history!

Sicilian (Sicilianu) is spoken in several regions:

• Sicily - the island region where most speakers live

• Southern Calabria - the toe of the Italian peninsula

• Southern Apulia - the Salento peninsula

• Diaspora communities - significant populations in USA, Australia, Argentina

The language has approximately 4-5 million speakers^[1], making it one of the most widely spoken regional languages in Italy!

Yes! Sicilian has a prestigious literary history^[3]:

• Sicilian School of Poetry - founded in the 13th century at the court of Frederick II

• First Italian sonnets - the sonnet form was invented in Sicilian

• Influence on Italian - Sicilian poetry influenced the development of standard Italian

• Modern literature - continued tradition with novels, poetry, and theatre

• Folk songs - rich tradition of music and oral storytelling

Sicilian literature is one of the oldest vernacular traditions in Europe!

Sicilian has several distinctive pronunciation features:

• Geminate consonants - double consonants pronounced distinctly longer

• Retroflex sounds - unique "dd" and "tr" sounds not found in Italian

• Vowel system - five distinct vowel sounds with clear pronunciation

• Stress patterns - accent marks indicate which syllable to emphasize

• Arabic influences - some sounds borrowed from Arabic

These features give Sicilian its distinctive melodious character!