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

Q: How many letters are in the Sicilian alphabet?

The Sicilian alphabet has 23 letters [1] 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)

Q: Is Sicilian a dialect of Italian or a separate language?

Sicilian is a separate Romance language , not a dialect of Italian: • UNESCO recognition - classified as a distinct language • 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!

Q: What are the historical influences on Sicilian?

Sicilian has been enriched by multiple civilizations [2] : • 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!

Q: Where is Sicilian spoken today?

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 , making it one of the most widely spoken regional languages in Italy!

Q: Does Sicilian have a literary tradition?

Yes! Sicilian has a prestigious literary history [2] : • 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!

Q: What makes Sicilian pronunciation unique?

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 !

Sicilian Alphabet at a Glance

23 letters from Latin script with accented vowels (à, è, ì, ò, ù)
Spoken by approximately 4-5 million people in Sicily, southern Calabria, and southern Apulia
Romance language with influences from Greek, Arabic, Norman French, and Spanish
Features geminate (double) consonants crucial for meaning distinction
Rich literary tradition dating to 13th century Sicilian School of poetry ^[2]
Recognized by UNESCO as distinct language from Italian ^[3]
Unique phonological characteristics including retroflex consonants and distinctive vowel sounds

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 Sicilian 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 strong 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 Sicilian 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 strong 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]

[unu]

[dui]

[tri]

[quattru]

[cincu]

[sei]

[setti]

[ottu]

[novi]

[zero]

The numeral zero.

[unu]

The numeral one.

[dui]

The numeral two.

[tri]

The numeral three.

[quattru]

The numeral four.

[cincu]

The numeral five.

[sei]

The numeral six.

[setti]

The numeral seven.

[ottu]

The numeral eight.

[novi]

The numeral nine.

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Expand All Collapse All

How many letters are in the Sicilian alphabet?

Is Sicilian a dialect of Italian or a separate language?

What are the historical influences on Sicilian?

Where is Sicilian spoken today?

Does Sicilian have a literary tradition?

What makes Sicilian pronunciation unique?

References:

[1] Unicode Consortium. "Latin Extended-B Block". Retrieved from Unicode Latin Extended-B
[2] Centro di studi filologici e linguistici siciliani. "Sicilian Language Research and Documentation". Retrieved from http://www.csfls.it
[3] UNESCO Atlas of the World's Languages in Danger. "Sicilian Language Status". Retrieved from UNESCO Languages Atlas