The Sambenedettese dialect belongs to the linguistic group of intermediate southern dialects. In particular, to the subgroup of southern Marche dialectsAlso known as Aso-Truentine dialects. It distinguishes the linguistic peculiarity of our territory: the San Benedetto dialectThe Sambenedettese dialect is considered one of the so-called coastal dialects of the south and is very ancient, much older than the Picene dialects. Specifically, the term "vernacular" indicates a spoken language limited to a specific, limited working-class area, while dialect has a broader coverage and use.
Geographic distribution and morphology
The geographical extent of the San Benedetto dialect is historically limited to the town of San Benedetto del Tronto. South of the Ragnola stream, in Porto d'Ascoli and in the surrounding area, Bilge The dialect can no longer be considered typical of San Benedetto. Or, at least, there are few references to it. However, starting from the second half of the 900th century, due to the sudden demographic growth, many typical dialectal traits of the area, including the Sambenedettese, have been lost, especially among the new generationsThis led to the elimination of many of the characteristics that distinguished the various dialects. The San Benedetto dialect also encountered, along its path, influences even coming from Latin. But, being a border territory, it has also acquired several inflections coming from the neighbor Abruzzo. Suffice it to say that the true characteristic of the pure Sambenedettese dialect is the maintenance of the typical alteration of timbre of stressed vowelsIn fact, there is a chain opening of all stressed vowels, especially if they derive from a diphthongization. For example: -the- becomes é, for example maretë for “husband”, féjë for “son”. Furthermore, the lexicon also has Greek derivations. For example: cucàlë, derived from Greek κουκάλη, means “seagull”.
Honours to the Sambenedettese dialect
Our dialect has been made legitimate and has acquired dignity thanks to the dialect poet Bice PicentiniWe owe a lot to her. the importance attributed to this idiom helping not to lose this precious cultural heritage. “…..of this country that to me seems the most beautiful, whose dialect, which to others may seem barbaric, holds for me such poetry, such sweet memories that I feel a sharp nostalgia for it in the distance……” quoted the writer in the preface of her essay Vernacular Poetry of San Benedetto. Translated here into Italian. Not many know that the great Sambenedettese liked French writer André Gide. The author of the Vatican Underground quality The Immoralist knew Saint Benedict and he loved listening to his inhabitants speak in their jargon. In fact, Gide described it as “…the singular cadence of that dialect that is alien to all the others of the Marche and Abruzzo, a dialect of austi corsairs who came from who knows what part of the south….”. But the San Benedetto dialect finds another poet: John Vespasiani, who loved to tell in his creations the daily life of Saint Benedict, as the myth of Lu Scijò and the verses dedicated to the monument of The Retara located in the city center.
A comic in the San Benedetto dialect
There are also those who have transformed one of the most classic expressions of the way of speaking of the people of San Benedetto into a hilarious one expression of humor. The cartoonist Marco Calcinaro from San Benedetto He drew a series of dialect cartoons that were very popular among the people of San Benedetto and quickly became a phenomenon, fueled by huge participation that conquered the web. What's unique is that he created a slang term. “ski oh”. “Sci” simply means “yes” in the San Benedetto dialect. “Oh!” is a refrain, like saying “yes, okay,” “yes, okay.” The backdrop to the adventures of two young men, one skinny and tattooed, the other chubby, along with their little dog named Ngula, is the city of San Benedetto in all its variations: the lighthouse, Ugo Nespolo's monument "Work, work, work, I prefer the sound of the sea", the monument to the Fisherman, the monument to Jonathan Seagull.
Recognitions for the San Benedetto dialect
Furthermore, on the occasion of 20th Varano Literary Prize 2018, the Sambenedettese dialect, with its phonetic peculiarity that makes it original, has stood out from all the other dialects of the Marche. The story of Benedetta Trevisani, entitled “On a white sail" yes it is ranked firstThe author, president of the Circolo dei Sambenedettesi, is no stranger to short stories that tell the city's stories, which have become a channel for spreading maritime culture.
The San Benedetto dialect as a description of the local community
And again, they are staged during the Christmas period and within some summer events as well. funny comedies in the San Benedetto dialect, represented by local amateur theatre companies. Currently, the vernacular represents the ability to bear witness to a lively and expressive linguistic reality of the popular valuesHence the importance of remaining alive and active, if not as a language of use, certainly as a linguistic baggage to still today season our identity with flavors and sounds. keep the tradition of the local community alive.
Thanks for the cover image: www.lanuovariviera.it
