Sicilian Language

The Sicilian language is a hilarious example of what happens when your loving accent spreads into a full-blown dialect.

Sicilian boasts the same intonations as the Italian language but some of the vocabulary is deliciously… unique. For example, the English word “soap” in Sicilian is “sabone’” with an airy “oh” sound (try saying that without a grin on your face).

The dialect also tends to add an unnecessary “-u” at the end of words, which is actually a convenient secret language so outsiders never know what you’re talking about. For instance, the Sicilian word for eggplant is “milincianu”, while the normal Italian word is “melanzana”.

Another hallmark of Sicilian lingo is its brevity. This is most obvious in the Sicilian phrase “cchiù tiempu” which means “more time”. A Sicilian may simply say “chiumu” to get their point across.

And let’s not forget the endless Mediteranian Gestures. The wildly flapping hands and all other manner of bodily expressions that usually accompanies the spoken word makes it nearly impossible for a foreigner to actually decipher.

So if you find yourself in Sicily and don’t understand a word anyone is saying, don’t worry! Just smile and nod like you get the joke, because let’s face it - the whole world is in on it except you.