I grew up hearing italian a lot, but never learned to speak, read and write it really although i can swear fluently in italian. When italian americans use the term among themselves, it signals affection and shared identity. It is another misconception of what italians really are like, just like the sopranos and the godfather. The article talks about hbos show the sopranos and how it used italian american food slang words that only new yorkers know. The italian language is a language with a large set of inflammatory terms and phrases. What the hell is gabagool, and why does tony soprano. Before the show, these and a few of our other favorite italianamerican food slang words, which we remind you of below were familiar to. Italian slang dictionary slang italian words and colloquial expressions. The official urban dictionary api is used to show the hoverdefinitions. The mafia is a network of organized crime groups based in italy and america and it originated in sicily, an island ruled by foreign conquerors, including the romans, arabs.
American italian is an italian american pidgin language developed in the early 20th century by italian immigrants settling in american cities and metropolitan areas, especially in new york and new jersey. Here is an index of some southern italian foods and dishes with italian american colloquial names, pronunciations and brief descriptions, which have appeared or may appear on the sopranos. You think im gonna give you armatz with ginny upstairs. With a southern italian or neapolitan accent, it sounds more like statta zeet if written in english phonetics. Get your kindle here, or download a free kindle reading app. I also realize its not all slang terms, a lot of the list is direct translations from italian or acronyms. Hailed as one of televisions essential dramas, the sopranos follows james gandolfini as tony soprano. Note that this thesaurus is not in any way affiliated with urban dictionary. What is stugots when translated from italian to english. American slang the whyos why ohs were one of five of five major gangs in. As popularized by the television show the sopranos, it is also known as gabagool in italian american slang.
I know the actors who portray italians are really of italian descent, but are they speaking italian in the show. How to talk like a soprano family member thoughtco. They are mispronounciations of words in southern dialects spoken by most of the italians who came to this country in the early twentieth century. We invented this s, and all these other csuckers are. A guide to new jersey italian lingo paul, danny on. Tv gangsters and the course of the italian american. It was developed and spoken in tightlyknit italian communities and neighborhoods.
My grands used to speak to me in italian and i would answer in english. If you grew up in new jersey, have an italian heritage, or. The closest i come to an answer is the word for armor in italian, but i can see thats not it. Words like gabagool and goomad are corrupted pronunciations of italian dialect words. A friend of mine is just another jamook on the street. Italian, southern italian and sicilian dialect phrases and naughty words. Why not, on a hot summer day, sit on the deck with a glass of peaches in red wine. In the sopranos, are the italian insults real italian. Well, my italian girlfriend just last night pointed to her head and said i. Italian food and slang with steve schirripa pickler.
The series revolves around the new jerseybased italian american mobster tony soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflicting. I object even more when italian americans use it to describe themeselves. Actor, producer and author steve schirripa the sopranos, blue bloods brings ben and kellie to harrys italian restaurant in new york city to get a crash course in classic italian cuisine. The story of new jerseybased italian american mobster tony soprano and the difficulties he faces as he tries to balance the conflicting requirements of his home life and the criminal organization he heads. Every swear word on every episode of the sopranos, ever.
Gabagool is slang for capicola, a thinly sliced italian luncheon meat, taken from the shoulder collo and neck capo head of a pig. They use the word medegon as a derogatory term towards italian americans that act in an exaggerated stereotypical manner. On the sopranos, i often hear of an italian food, maybe. Recall the episode in season 2 when paulie is in naples and he asks a waiter where the piscadu is and the waiter gives him a blank stare not understanding what paulie was saying.
Finn saw vito going down on another guy in a parking lot, hes definitely a fanook. If you sat down to dine with the sopranos and discussed tonys waste management business, or maybe the witnessprotection program for one of new jerseys 10 most wanted, chances are youd soon hear words like goombah, skeevy, and agita tossed around. Before the show, these and a few of our other favorite italian american food slang words, which we remind you of below were familiar. All of these words derive from southern italian dialect, which tends to make the c a g, and vice versa. Popularised by american television drama the sopranos 1999. The sopranos season 5 subtitles english 92 subtitles. Below is an italian slang dictionary with definitions in english.
With all that in mind, id have to say that the pidgin italian ive heard on the sopranos sounds awfully authentic to me. Formally known as capicola, gabagool is by no means the most trendy or popular of the italian cold cuts, but it is the most fun to say. Italian profanity are profanities that are blasphemous or inflammatory in the italian language. Its not gangster slang terms like whack or vig, if thats what you are thinkingnope, this is real guido tawk. Due to the way the algorithm works, the thesaurus gives you mostly related slang words, rather than exact synonyms. However piscadu is a slang word coined by italian americans. Capicola also spelled capocollo, capocolla, capacollo, and cappicola is a thinly sliced italian luncheon meat, taken from the shoulder collo and neck capo head of a pig. Looking at language in the sopranos joe trotta ar amerikan av italiensk harkornst. I watch the sopranos and i know almost all the words they use. But it did not take you long to realize just how important food is to the sopranos universe. The word is italianamerican slang derived from the italian agitare meaning to agitate. A guide for midwesterners and other madigans of nonitalian.
It took you a while to realize that ricot meant ricotta pie and that gabagool is sicilian slang for capicola. The higher the terms are in the list, the more likely that theyre relevant to. Melfi on the fear of hostessing, entertaining with the sopranos is a worthy addition to the library of anyone who loves italian food. Sfogliadell ss fee ah del italian pastry shell shaped this feature is not available right now. In some areas its used to describe someone unusually skinny, pedophilia, and ive even heard homosexual.
Glossary for italian phrases used in the sopranos reddit. This blog post is available as a convenient and portable pdf that you can take anywhere. Gagliano wrote this sentence as he phonetically hears it without realizing that its comprised of two very simple italian words. Sopranos actor steve schirripa celebrated the term in his 2002 book a goombas guide to life. Most immigrant groups in the united states retain certain words and phrases from the old language even if the modern population cant speak it. If thats the case, then its time to learn some italian slang. If youre resigned to watching the sopranos season opener sunday with closed captioning, youre not alone.
Not only was ralph a made guy, but, as silvio pointed out, tracee was not. Linguistically, a language is a complete form of communication, but american italian is actually an incomplete language a pidgin language that needs to be supplemented with italian or english or both in order to function. Or i was underpaid as in, i worked my tail off and i got stugo. Special pronunciations of words with italian origins meaning to mean only. Eew, ive got agita swallows give me some soda now, yuck. The word is based on the italian word pisciare which means to urinate. He saw vito in a fanook bar upstate dressed in a leather biker outfit holding some guys hand. Found an article about one of the stars of the sopranos whos working on a new movie about feuding pizza parlor owners. Dina di maio, isda contributor this week, an article appeared in, part of the usa today network, that begins you may be speaking sopranoand not even know it. Coffee chains further evidence along with pizza parlors, imported olive oil, etc. It is based on the italian language, but it contains a mixture of sicilian and neapolitaninspired dialect words and phrases as well as. Commendatori is the seventeenth episode of the hbo original series the sopranos and the. Every swear word on every episode of the sopranos, ever, in chronological order. The top members of the family, usually composed of the boss, underboss.
850 330 193 1431 1653 20 870 604 648 419 1032 58 832 675 832 601 1520 559 1170 1530 1063 539 162 1173 571 1155 363 806 783 434 1138 53 1231 451 1284 456 1129 1210 424 1261 177 648 485 449 606 69