Sicilian cannoli

We and sicilian cannoli partners use data for Personalised ads and content, ad and content measurement, audience insights and product development. Sicilian is a Romance language with about 5 million speakers in Sicily and in parts of Calabria and Puglia in southern Italy.

There are also many Sicilians and people of Sicilian origin in the USA, Canada, Australia, Argentina and Germany. In Sicily the majority of Sicilians are bilingual in Sicilian and Italian. Sicilian is a descendant of Latin brought to Sicily by the Romans after they annexed the island in about 261 BC. Over the years Sicilian has absorbed vocabulary from many different languages, including Greek, Latin, Arabic, French, Lombard, Provençal, German, Catalan, Spanish, Italian, and also from the languages of the pre-Roman inhabitants of the island: the Sicani, Elymi, Siculi and Phoenicians. Since then it has only been used in writing from time to time, and no standard spelling system has developed. Some poetry is written in Sicilian, but not many Sicilian speakers are able to read it as very few are literate in their mother tongue. Today Sicilian, which has no official status, is used mainly in informal situations between family and friends.

Moves have been made to introduce the teaching of Sicilian in schools, though with limited success. The letters X, K and Y are also used in some dialects of Sicilian. Sample text in Sicilian Tutti l’omini nascinu libbiri cu a stissa dignità i diritti. Iddi hannu a raggiuni i cuscienza i hannu a travagghiari ‘nzemmula cu spiritu di fratirnità. Tutti l’òmini nàsciunu lìbbiri e i stissi pi dignità e ntê diritta. Iddi sunnu addutati di raggiuni e di cuscenzia e hannu a travagghiari nzèmmula cu spìritu di fratirnità. Translation All human beings are born free and equal in dignity and rights.