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

Q: How many letters are in the Venetian alphabet?

The Venetian alphabet has 25 letters [2] from the Latin script, including j, k, and x which are used in various Venetian words. The alphabet includes: • 5 basic vowels : a, e, i, o, u • 19 consonants : b, c, d, f, g, h, j, k, l, m, n, p, q, r, s, t, v, x, z • Accented vowels : à, è, ì, ò, ù (used to indicate stress)

Q: Is Venetian related to Italian or is it different?

Venetian is a separate Romance language [1] , not an Italian dialect: • Gallo-Italic features - shares characteristics with northern Romance languages • Independent evolution - developed separately from Tuscan Italian • Distinct grammar - different verb forms and sentence structure • Unique vocabulary - many words from Greek, German, and Slavic languages • Maritime influence - reflects Venice's history as a sea power Venetian has its own linguistic identity separate from Italian!

Q: What is special about Venetian pronunciation?

Venetian has several distinctive pronunciation features : • Vowel sounds - clear pronunciation of all five vowels • Intervocalic "s" - becomes "z" sound between vowels • Word-final "e" - often silent or very soft • "L" sounds - can vocalize to "e" in some positions • Stress patterns - accent marks indicate which syllable to emphasize These features give Venetian its melodious, distinctive character !

Q: Where is Venetian spoken today?

Venetian (Vèneto) is spoken in several regions: • Veneto region - the heartland including Venice, Verona, Padua • Friuli-Venezia Giulia - western areas of this northeastern region • Trentino - southern areas of this alpine region • Slovenia and Croatia - coastal areas that were part of the Venetian Republic • Diaspora - significant communities in Brazil, Mexico, Argentina With 2-4 million speakers [1] , it is widely spoken in northeastern Italy !

Q: Why was Venetian important historically?

Venetian has a prestigious historical significance : • Venetian Republic - official language of a major sea power (697-1797 CE) • Trade language - used throughout the Mediterranean for commerce • Literary tradition - works by Goldoni, Ruzante, and others • Theater - famous Venetian comedy tradition • Diplomatic language - used in international relations for centuries Venetian was once one of the most important languages in Europe!

Q: Is Venetian still taught and used today?

Yes! Venetian has active use and promotion [3] : • Regional recognition - officially protected by Veneto Region law • Education - taught in some schools and cultural centers • Media - newspapers, radio, TV programs in Venetian • Theater and music - active cultural production • Daily use - spoken at home by millions of people Venetian remains a living, vibrant language in northeastern Italy!

Venetian Alphabet at a Glance

Venetian alphabet uses Latin script
Features distinctive diacritical marks and accents
Official or regional language with rich cultural heritage

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]

[kah-pah]

[el-lee]

[em-mee]

[en-nee]

[pee]

[koo]

[er-ree]

[es-see]

[tee]

[vee]

[eeks]

[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 Venetian words, pronounced like "y" in "yes".

[kah-pah]

Uppercase K, used in loanwords and some Venetian spellings.

[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 light rolled "r" sound.

[es-see]

Uppercase S, pronounced like "s" in "sun" or "z" between vowels.

[tee]

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

[vee]

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

[eeks]

Uppercase X, used in some words, pronounced like "ks" or "z".

[dzeh-tah]

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

Lowercase Consonants:

[bee]

[chee]

[dee]

[ef-fee]

[jee]

[ak-kah]

[ee long-gah]

[kah-pah]

[el-lee]

[em-mee]

[en-nee]

[pee]

[koo]

[er-ree]

[es-see]

[tee]

[vee]

[eeks]

[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 Venetian words, pronounced like "y" in "yes".

[kah-pah]

Lowercase k, used in loanwords and some Venetian spellings.

[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 light rolled "r" sound.

[es-see]

Lowercase s, pronounced like "s" in "sun" or "z" between vowels.

[tee]

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

[vee]

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

[eeks]

Lowercase x, used in some words, pronounced like "ks" or "z".

[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]

K k

[kah-pah]

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]

X x

[eeks]

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).

K k

[kah-pah]

K (K) is pronounced as "kah-pah". It can be uppercase (K) or lowercase (k).

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 light 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).

X x

[eeks]

X (X) is pronounced as "eeks". It can be uppercase (X) or lowercase (x).

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]

[un]

[do]

[tre]

[cuatro]

[sinque]

[sie]

[sete]

[oto]

[nove]

[zero]

The numeral zero.

[un]

The numeral one.

[do]

The numeral two.

[tre]

The numeral three.

[cuatro]

The numeral four.

[sinque]

The numeral five.

[sie]

The numeral six.

[sete]

The numeral seven.

[oto]

The numeral eight.

[nove]

The numeral nine.

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How many letters are in the Venetian alphabet?

Is Venetian related to Italian or is it different?

What is special about Venetian pronunciation?

Where is Venetian spoken today?

Why was Venetian important historically?

Is Venetian still taught and used today?

References:

[1] Ethnologue. "Venetian Language Profile". Retrieved from Ethnologue: Venetian
[2] Unicode Consortium. "Latin Extended-B Block". Retrieved from Unicode Latin Extended-B
[3] Regione Veneto. "Regional Language Recognition and Protection". Retrieved from Veneto Regional Gov