Neapolitan: An Introductory Course.
by Carmine Colacino ©1999 - All rights reserved

Pronunciation - Part 1

Pronunciation - Part 3

For a list of all words used in the Pronunciation sections click here

Pronunciation: Part 2

The consonants

(for a simplified system, see "Rules of Thumb" below)

The sounds of b, d, f, m, n, p, r, s (voiceless), t, , and v, are indicated by the same letters in square parenthesis [b], [d], [f], [m], [n], [p], [r], [s], they are similar to the English ones (except t and d, which are dental rather than alveolar as in English, and r, which is trilled as in French, Spanish, or Scottish) and can all be doubled [bb], [dd], etc. In more detail:

b Sounds like in English, single [b], or doubled [bb]. Ex.: buatta ['bwatt] can; buttéglia [but'te] bottle; abbuscà [,abbu'ca] to earn/to lose, to be beaten up.
c Has two sounds:
[k] 1. Sounds like the English c in cat [k], when followed by any consonant, or by the vowels a, o, and u, it can be doubled [kk]: Ex.: cadé [ka'de] also [ka're] to fall; curreja [kur'rej] belt; jucà [ju'ka] to play; craje ['kraj] tomorrow; chiaja ['kjaj] beach; accattà [,akkat'ta] to buy.
[t] 2. Or sounds like the English tch in Scratch [t], when followed by the vowels e or i, it can be doubled [tt]: Ex.: cerasa [t'ras] cherry; cèveza ['tvts] mulberry, sycamine; accio ['att] celery; accirere [at'tirr] to kill. Sometimes, however, when intervocalic, it can be also pronounced more like a single [], ex.: coce ['k]/[kt] (it) cooks, it is hot.
Note: to render the sound [t] in front of the vowels a, o , u, the vowel i is inserted. Ex.: ciaola ['tal] magpie; ciòciole ['ttl] different types of dried fruits; Contrary to the use of standard Italian, where this i is always silent, in Neapolitan it is sometimes heard, ex.: luciano [lut'jan] resident of Santa Lucía (a district of Naples); sociale [st'jal] social.
d Similar to English d, but dental rather than alveolar (the tip of the tongue touches the back side of the upper frontal teeth, rather than the hard palate as in English) [d]. When intervocalic, or at a beginning of a word and followed by a vowel, it can be sometimes pronounced like [r] (and this can be reflected, or not, in the spellings). Ex.: cadé [ka'de/ka're] or caré [ka're] to fall; dimane [di'man/ri'man] or rimane [ri'man] tomorrow; 'a ró? [a 'ro] where from? But notice: d is never pronounced [r] when it is doubled: addó? [ad'do] where?; 'a ddo [a d'do] where from?
f Sounds like f in the English fun, single [f], or doubled [ff]: Ex.: femmena ['fmmn] woman/female; affatato [,affa'tat] magic.
g Has three sounds:
[g] 1. Sounds like the English g in get [g], when followed by any consonant (except n, and sometimes l - see gl(i) below - ) or the vowels a, o, and u; it can be doubled [gg]. Ex.: grarella [gra'rell] step; gavina [ga'vin] seagull; agghiajà [,aggja'ja] to terrify, to panic; è gghiuorno [, g'gjworn] it is daytime.
[] 2. When at the beginning of a word - and followed by a, u, sometimes r- g is sometimes pronounced [] or left silent by some native speakers (i.e., like a Modern Greek gamma, or English g in mug, or Spanish g in hago, or Catalan g in aigua). Ex.: guajo ['waj/'waj] trouble; gallo ['all]/['all] rooster; gatta ['att]/[att] {or also jatta ['jatt]} she-cat; grano ['ran]/['ran] wheat (sometimes spelled rano); Gaitano [ai'tan]/[ai'tan] A personal name (sometimes spelled Aitano).
[d] 3. Or sounds like the English j in jet [d], when followed by the vowels e, and i; it can be doubled [dd]. Ex.: germanése [derma'nes] German; giesummino [,djesum'min] jasmine; aggenzía [,addn'tsi] agency.
Note: to render the sound [d] in front of the vowels a, o , u, the vowel i is inserted. Ex.: giarra ['darr] pitcher, jug; gioverí [dv'ri] Thursday. Contrary to standard Italian, where this i is always silent in Neapolitan it is sometimes heard, ex.: giaànte [dja'ant] giant; ngiallí [ndjal'li] to yellow; to make/become yellow.
gl(i)
[]		 The group gl followed by i is pronounced approximately like English lli in million; It is similar to Spanish and Catalan ll, and Portuguese lh [] [and it can be single [] or double [] [Note: Even though it is never written doubled, it is pronounced doubled most of the times]. Ex., uoglio ['woj], oil; guaglió [wa'jo] boy (vocative); gliòmmero ['jmmr] ball (of wool/cotton) .
gl-
[gl]		 When the group gl is NOT followed by i, it is pronounced [gl] like English glass. (pretty rare) Ex.: glassà (glas'sa] to roast/brown meat, and then to let it to cool down; glucosio [glu'ksj] glucose. Note: In very few cases gl+i is also pronounced [gl] ex. glícene ['glitn] wistaria (W. sinensis), a flower; glicerina [,glit'rin] glycerin.
gn
[]		 Neapolitan gn (Spanish ñ, Catalan ny, Portuguese nh) is pronounced approximately like English ni in onion, and it is indicated with [], which in Neapolitan is usually pronounced doubled rather than single [/], even though it is always written single. Ex.: 'o signale [o si'al] the signal; ogne (ógne) ['o] nails; ogne (ògne) [']; each/every. In very few cases, generally foreign loans, gn can be pronounced [gn]. Ex.: wagneriano [,vagn'rjan] wagnerian.
h It is never pronounced (silent aitch). It is used after g and c (gh, and ch) to render the guttural sounds [g] and [k], when needed. Ex.: haje [aj] (you, singular) have; chiovere ['kjvr] to rain.
k It generally appears only in words borrowed from other languages, and is pronounced like a guttural c [k]: Ex.: kilo ['kil] (instead of the more common "chilo", pronounced the same way) kilogram; koinè [koj'n] koine; kibbuz [kib'buts] kibbutz; Kippur [kip'pur] Yom Kippur; koala [ko'al]; etc.
l Sounds like l in the English lit, single [l], or doubled [ll]: Ex.: lassà [las'sa] to leave; allascà [,alla'ka] to loosen, to slacken.
n Has several sounds:
[n] 1. When followed by a vowel, intervocalic, and in other positions excepted the ones indicated below, more or less sounds like n in the English none, single [n], or doubled [nn]: Ex.: annascónnere [,anna'konnr] to hide; Nnapule ['nnapul] Naples.
[] 2. The sound of n when it is before f, or v, (as well when n is before b, m, p, b, v, f of a following word), is indicated by [], and it sounds approximately like an English m: Ex.: nun pozzo [,nu 'potts], (I) can't ;
[] 3. The sound of n when it is before c and g (followed by i or e; i.e. the sounds [t] or [d]), is indicated by []; and it sounds approximately like an English n. Ex.: nciucià [tu'ta] to gossip; ngelusí [dlu'si] to make jealous.
[] 4. The sound of n when it is before c and g (followed by o, u, a, or a consonant; i.e., the sounds [k] and [g]) is indicated by [] - this is the sound of English ng in words such as thing, or of English n in words such as think;
Ex.: ngarrà [gar'ra] to guess; ncuietà [kwje'ta] to bother, to annoy.
p Sounds like p in the English pot, single [p], or doubled [pp]: Ex.: apiérto [a'pjert] open; appiccecarse [ap,pitt'karz] to quarrel; to have a tiff.
q The sound of q is represented by []; qu (always followed by a vowel) = [w]+vowel; it approximately sounds like the English q in quit. Ex.: quatto ['watt] four; quàteno ['watn] the aim, the object.
s Is pronounced in several ways:
[s] 1. s is voiceless [s] when is at the beginning of a word followed by a vowel, when is intervocalic, and when is followed by d, t (dental consonants), or when is doubled, in any position [ss], it sounds like s in the English say. Ex.: sapé [sa'pe] to know; sentí [sen'ti] to hear, to feel; sórece ['sort] mouse; massaría [mssa'ri] farm; sdignà [sdi'a] to be outraged, to become irritated; stato ['stat] state, (have) been. {In other areas, e.g., Abruzzi, s+d and s+t are treated instead like point 3 below}.
[z] 2. voiced s is rare in Neapolitan, more common in the Regional Italian spoken in the area where Neapolitan is spoken. Some speakers, therefore, may pronounce [s] occasionally as [z] under the influence of Italian. Sounds like the English s in rose. Ex.: lemmosina [lm'mzin] alms.
[] 3. s is pronounced like sh in the English ship [], when is followed by p, c [k], f, qu. Ex.: sparà [pa'ra] to shoot; scatolo ['katl] box, case; sfizzio ['fittsj] whim, fancy.
[] 4. s is pronounced like s in the English measure [], when it is followed by b, g [g], v, m. Ex.: sgarrà [gar'ra] to make a mistake, to insult, to affront; svení [v'ni] to faint.
t Similar to English t, but dental rather than alveolar (the tip of the tongue touches the back side of the upper frontal teeth, rather than the hard palate as in English) [t]: Ex.: testa ['tst] flower pot; trasí [tra'si] to enter; attrasso [at'trass] delay; attone [at'ton] brass.
sc
[k]		 The group sc followed by any consonant, or the vowels a, o, u is pronounced [k]
sc(i)
[]		 The group sc followed by i or eis pronounced like the English sh in sheet, [] and it is most of the times doubled []. Ex. scetà [e'ta] to awake; scinnere ['inner] to descend; ascí [a'i] to go out.
Note: when [] is not doubled it can be because of a different etymological origin, see for instance below under shi.
shi
[j]
[]		 In the 15th-17th Century the Neapolitan outcome of the original Latin -fl- was pronounced and indicated in spelling by shi, and pronounced like [j]; nowadays it is rendered in spelling by sc(i) [] (but always single, never doubled) or c(i) [t]; even though the actual sound is still today - for some native speakers - in between these last ones. Ex.: from Latin flumen-> shiummo->sciummo ['umm] river ; from Latin florem->shiore->sciore or ciore ['or]/['tor] flower; from Latin flamma->shiamma->sciamma [amm] flame {today, because of the influence of standard Italian, it is also used fiamma ['fjamm]}; The form [t] or a doubled [] is often used for the plural. Ex.: 'e ciure/'e sciure [e'tur]/[e'ur] the flowers. (More on this in the following lessons).
z Has two sounds (the rules aren' t so straightforward about when to use a sound or the other; in doubt use [ts]):
[ts] 1. This is the more frequent of the two. Sounds like the English ts in cats. It is pronounced this way (voiceless) in Neapolitan when z is at the beginning of a word, when intervocalic, and when is after r (but here it can also be pronunced voiced [ds]), l (in loans from Italian), n; when followed by i, is always doubled [ttsi]. Ex.: cazetta [ka'tstt] sock; cazone [ka'tson] trousers; attenzione [atten'tsjn] attention; zuccaro ['tsukkr] sugar; spazzio ['pattsj] space; 'o zio [ot'tsi] the uncle; 'e zie [et'sti] the uncles; 'e zzie [ets'tsi] the aunts (here ts is even stronger); sfizzio ['fittsj]; azzióna [at'tsjon] action.
Note: Sometimes, because of the influence of standard Italian spellings, it is possible to find the spellings "spazio, sfizio, azione" - where z is by the way also pronounced doubled. We prefer, with several other authors, the more phonetic spellings, and no need to conform to the spelling rules of another language.
[ds] Less frequent. Sounds like the English ds in ads. Sometimes used when z is after r instead of the voiceless sound, in other cases used in alternative to [ts]. Ex.: attenzione [atten'dsjn] attention; But notice this same word above rendered with ts, which is considered more correct.
w It may be found in foreign loans, and is pronounced like [v], sometimes like [w]. Ex.: würstel ['vurstel] frankfurter; watusso [va'tuss] somebody very tall and slim; a Watutsi; western ['wstern] western (a cow boys movie); darwinismo [,darvi'nism] Darwinism.
x It may be found in foreign loans, or in learned words. It is pronounced like [ks]. Ex.: xilema [ksi'lm] xylem; xenòfobo [ks'nfbb] xenophobic; Xèno ['ksn] Xenon.
y It may be found in foreign loans, or in learned words. It is pronounced like [j]. Ex.: yogurt [j'gurt] yoghurt; yucca ['jukk] yucca; yiddish [jid'di] Yiddish.

FEW RULES OF THUMB FOR BEGINNERS

The complete sound system of Neapolitan has been presented, for beginners, however, I will give here few rules of thumb to start pronouncing Neapolitan (all the consonants not considered can be pronounced as in English).

c: before e or i = [t]; before everything else = [k]
g: before e or i = [d]; before everything else = [g]; but gn=[], and gl followed by i = []
q: [k]
s: = [s], but when before any consonant (except t and d) = []
z: =[ts]
Remember to pronounce the consonants doubled every time it is indicated so in spelling.

The Neapolitan alphabet.

Generally, the alphabet is pronounced as in columns 2 & 3; an alternative is presented also (less common; colums 4 & 5); in columns 6 & 7 another possibility:

1 2 3 4 5 6 7
a a [a] a [a] a [a]
b bi [bi] bè [b] b [b]
c ci [ti] cè [t] c [t]
d di [di] dè [d] d [d]
e e [] e [] e []
f effe [ff] effe [ff] f [f]
g gi [di] gè [d] g [d]
h acca ['akk] acca ['akk] h ['akk]
i i [i] i [i] i [i]
j i longa [i 'long] i longa [i 'long] j [i 'long]
k kappa ['kapp] kappa ['kapp] k [k]
l elle ['ll] elle ['ll] l [l]
m emme ['mm] emme ['mm] m m]
n enne ['nn] enne ['nn] n n]
o o [o] o [o] o [o]
p pi [pi] pè [p] p [p]
q qu [ku] qu [ku] q [ku]
r erre ['rr] erre ['rr] r [r]
s esse ['ss] esse ['ss] s [s]
t ti [ti] tè [t] t [t]
u u [u] u [u] u [u]
v vi [vi] vè [v] v [v]
w doppia vu ['doppj vu] doppia vè ['doppj v] w ['doppj v]
x ics ['iks] ics ['iks] x [ks]
y ipsilon/i greca ['ipsilon] [i grc] ipsolon/i greca ['ipslon] [i grc] y [i]
z zeta ['dst] zeta ['dst] z [ds]

A Final Note:
Now you know the basic sounds of Neapolitan (and related languages of southern Italy). When presented with a statement such as «se sente na serenata», you now know how it has to be pronounced, i.e., [s sent na sr'nat]. On the other hand, alternative spellings, such as «s' sent' na s'r'nat'» or, worst, «s sent na srnat» sometimes used by some authors are incorrect because the schwa sound is not equivalent to no sound at all, and the loss of almost all vocalic signs would make any etymological research impossible, and it would make difficult even to look for a word into a dictionary.