this is the most comprehensive grammar of the Sicilian language in English. Sicilian is a different language, not a dialect of Italian. Indeed it was the first poetic language of Italy. It was designed for use in the classroom but it can be used by self-learners. The grammar is accompanied by The Sounds of Sicilian by Gaetano Cipolla.
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Editorial Reviews
Review
Dr. Bonner's work ought to dispel the notion that Sicilian is not a language." --Arba Sicula XXVI, 2005
About the Author
J.Kirk Bonner holds a Ph.D. and has a special gift for languages. He has written also on Sicilian scientist Stanislao Cannizzaro. The editor is Gaetano Cipolla, President of Arba Sicula and Casa Sicilia.
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Most Helpful Customer Reviews
20 of 21 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Excellent for learning or reference,
By
This review is from: Introduction to Sicilian Grammar (Paperback)
This is a must-have book for anyone interested in Sicilian as a language on its own, or interested in Italian dialects in general, or even anyone interested in Romance linguistics.
It manages to be both a teaching grammar and a reference grammar, and it is useful both for self-study and as a textbook for a class. If you want to use this book for learning Sicilian on your own, it would help (but isn't necessary) if you are acquainted with standard Italian spelling system (so that letter-groups like "cchiù" won't seem too strange do you), and know a bit of another Romance language, so that the word order doesn't seem to strange to you, especially with verb forms like "portaccilli" ("carry them for him"). But this book is still useable (although more difficult) if you don't have that background, because the author carefully and clearly explains all the aspects of the grammar. As such, this book can almost serve as a model for teaching the more neglected Romance languages. I should warn you about an inevitable problem you may face: the book uses the standard writing system for Sicilian, warts and all. For example, "in order to" is "pi" (pronounced like English "pea"), and "to go" is "iri", pronounced "yiri" (like English "yearly" without the "l"); but combining them produces a phonetic change that standard spelling sometimes writes as "pi iri" (not noting the change at all), or as "pi gghiri", expressing the geminate /g/ sound with the letter cluster "ggh" that is familiar only to students of standard mainland Italian. A more phonetic notation would always write "pi" with a symbol noting that it causes a phonetic change in the following word, and "iri" as "yiri", and would write the combined form as something like "pi-ggiri". However, if you learned from a book that used such a phonetic notation, you'd have a lot of trouble adjusting to the standard writing system that you'd see everywhere outside of such a book. So the author works out a compromise: when he introduces a word like "pi" that changes the following word, he notes this by writing it "pi+" for a few pages; and when an unusual pronounciation occurs, the author very often marks it -- for example, noting that "pi iri" can also be written as "pi gghiri", or that "in vucca" (in the mouth) can also be written as "nvucca" or "mmucca", and so on. Also, Italian stress is usually unmarked, but the author deals with that problem by boldfacing stressed syllables in some cases. But I wish that the author had done this everywhere, instead of just here and there. However, this is only a minor distraction for students. On the whole, the book is a model of clarity!
8 of 9 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
A cultural treasure that appeals to all,
By Vingenzo (New York) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Introduction to Sicilian Grammar (Paperback)
This book is a must-have for anyone interested in languages, cultures, and above all, the beautiful island of Sicily. This book is the most resourceful and complete work ever done in English on the Sicilian dialects. After reading the introduction, one will quickly discover that there are several different dialects in Sicily, the majority of which form a singular Sicilian language, and the others which attest to the rich history of this Mediterranean melting pot. In addition, this grammar is a tremendous tool for anyone interested in a brief history of the complex linguistic situation found in Sicily today. Dr. Bonner does an excellent job of presenting the dialects as unified, and offering a lingua scritta cumuni that all Sicilians can be proud of whether they are the descendants of Sicilian immigrants or live on the island herself. Above all, this book is a treasure that will appeal to all readers, Sicilian or not. Dr. Bonner has authored an easy-to-read, detailed, and standardized Sicilian grammar that is fuctionally modern, yet preserves the true essence of Sicily through the written word forever. Viva la lingua siciliana!
5 of 6 people found the following review helpful:
5.0 out of 5 stars
Sicilia!,
By Angelo (Ohio) - See all my reviews
This review is from: Introduction to Sicilian Grammar (Paperback)
its a good book for anyone whos interested in learning sicilian. i like how it was somewhat standardized (anyone whos familar with sicilian knows that it is not generally written down, and therefore there is no real standard othography). its better for people that have some knowledge of italian or another romance language.
its not intended as a book for non-serious learners....there are no fun pictures of animals and whatnot to keep you entertained, as in other beginning language books.
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Inside This Book
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First Sentence:
The chief purpose of this chapter is to discuss how Sicilian words are pronounced, and it also discusses the recommended way to spell them. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
interrogative adverbs, irregular plural, written language, doppu chi, person singular polite, conjunctive pronouns, regular preterite, invariable adjective, past perfect subjunctive, direct pronoun, theme vowel, movies this afternoon, polite singular, disjunctive pronoun, familiar singular, absolute superlative, simple prepositions, imperfect subjunctive, common plural, two conjugations Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Don Micheli, Mastru Peppi, Exercises Exercise, Stati Uniti, Vocabulary Nouns, United States, Standard American English, Conjunctive Pronouns Added, Person Pronoun, Irregular Preterite Forms Preterite, Gnaziu Buttitta, Unlike English, Spoken Sicilian, Examples of Use, Anna Tommi, Midwestern American, Polite Imperative, Verbs Having Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
The chief purpose of this chapter is to discuss how Sicilian words are pronounced, and it also discusses the recommended way to spell them. Read the first page Key Phrases - Statistically Improbable Phrases (SIPs): (learn more)
interrogative adverbs, irregular plural, written language, doppu chi, person singular polite, conjunctive pronouns, regular preterite, invariable adjective, past perfect subjunctive, direct pronoun, theme vowel, movies this afternoon, polite singular, disjunctive pronoun, familiar singular, absolute superlative, simple prepositions, imperfect subjunctive, common plural, two conjugations Key Phrases - Capitalized Phrases (CAPs): (learn more)
Don Micheli, Mastru Peppi, Exercises Exercise, Stati Uniti, Vocabulary Nouns, United States, Standard American English, Conjunctive Pronouns Added, Person Pronoun, Irregular Preterite Forms Preterite, Gnaziu Buttitta, Unlike English, Spoken Sicilian, Examples of Use, Anna Tommi, Midwestern American, Polite Imperative, Verbs Having Browse Sample Pages:
Front Cover | Table of Contents | First Pages | Index | Back Cover | Surprise Me!
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