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Bolognese dialect

Bolognese (native name: ) is a dialect of Emilian spoken for the most part in the city of Bologna and its hinterland (except east of the Sillaro stream), but also in the district of Castelfranco Emilia in the province of Modena, and in the towns of Sambuca Pistoiese (Tuscany), Cento, Sant'Agostino, and Poggio Renatico (province of Ferrara).

Terminology

Although the term dialect is commonly used in reference to all minority languages native to Italy, most of them are not mutually intelligible with Italian. Bolognese is no exception and so is an Emilian dialect, not an Italian one.

Classification

Bolognese is a dialect of Emilian, one of the Gallo-Italic languages of the Romance family. It shares many common features with other Gallo-Italic languages such as Piedmontese, Lombard, Romagnol and Ligurian, and it is closer to them than to Italian.

The Bolognese dialect presents a rather rich variety of vernacular forms within its area of diffusion. The linguist Daniele Vitali distinguishes six main subvariants which, although presenting grammatical unity, differ in phonetic and lexical traits:

  • Dialetto bolognese cittadino;
  • Dialetti bolognesi montani medi;
  • Dialetti bolognesi montani alti;
  • Dialetti bolognesi della pianura occidentale;
  • Dialetti bolognesi della pianura orientale;
  • Dialetti bolognesi della pianura settentrionale.

History

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"… I say, then, that perhaps those are not wrong who claim that the Bolognese speak a more beautiful language than most, especially since they take many features of their own speech from that of the people who live around them, in Imola, Ferrara and Modena I believe that everybody does this with respect to his own neighbours.... So the above-mentioned citizens of Bologna take a soft, yielding quality from those of Imola, and from the people of Ferrara and Modena, on the other hand, a certain abruptness which is more typical of the Lombards.... If, then, the Bolognese take from all sides, as I have said, it seems reasonable to suggest that their language, tempered by the combination of opposites mentioned above, should achieve a praiseworthy degree of elegance; and this, in my opinion, is beyond doubt true."<br/> (Dante Alighieri, De vulgari eloquentia - Liber I, xv, 2-5)

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Middle Ages

Bolognese evolved a group of Gallo-Romance languages sharing features with neighbouring northern Italian languages. It developed more distinctly into the Middle Ages as a dialect of the Emilian language. During the High Middle Ages, a number of troubadours composing lyrical poetry were active in Bologna, especially during the 13th century. That served to raise cultural awareness to the possibility of composing songs, poems and other works in vernacular languages. One of the first references to Bolognese as a distinct language was made by Dante Alighieri, in his De vulgari eloquentia, written in the beginning of the 14th century.

Modern

During the boom of interest in linguistic diversity during the 19th century, a number of efforts were made to create vocabularies, grammars, and collections of axioms, folk tales, and literature. The first dictionary was compiled in 1901 by Gaspare Ungarelli, who also attempted to create a writing system using the Italian alphabet. A period of stigmatisation followed in the 20th century, where children were punished for speaking the dialect in school, as it was considered to be a sign of poor education and etiquette.

In 1964, Alberto Menarini proposed an alphabet with many of the same letters still used. In recent times, Bolognese has enjoyed a period of rebirth with some words, such as , derived from Bolognese umarèl, becoming popular beyond Bologna itself.

Phonology

Here are some prominent features of Bolognese phonology:

  • centralized vowels , , , , , , and rather than , , , , , , or
  • phonemic distinction between short vowels and corresponding long vowels/diphthongs
  • nucleus vowel and coda consonant length having an inverse relationship
  • realisation of labio–alveolar consonants
  • syncopation resulting in complex consonant clusters
  • frequent slacking of word-final voiceless obstruents
  • more exaggerated intonation than in Italian

The phonemes of Bolognese are realized phonetically very differently depending on the area in or around Bologna. Much free variation occurs in words from complex phonological processes.

Consonants

Bolognese has 25 consonant phonemes:

The consonant [ʎ] only occurs allophonically or on Italian loanwords.

Vowels

Bolognese dialect has 2 stressed diphthongs, namely /ai/ and /ʌu/.

Bolognese only allows the vowels /a/, /e/, /i/, /o/, /u/ on unstressed syllables.

Phonotactics

The general syllable structure of Bolognese syllables is:

(S)(C)(C)(V)V(C)(C)
:S – either s or ṡ, and rarely f or p
:C – consonant
:V – vowel

Thus, Bolognese words can have up to three consonants in the initial group (e.g. ṡżlèr, ṡgrinzlîr, ṡbléṡṡg, spzèr, strén, scrîver, sfrunblè, ftléṅna, ftièri, friulàn, ptrugnàn, pscarî, pznén) and two consonants in the final group (e.g. gnanc, rimôrs, månnd, cunfinànt, pêrdga) (impermissible consonant combination will result in anaptyxis). Bolognese only allows 2 diphthongs namely /ai/ and /ʌu/ (e.g. cåurs, intåurn, ataiṡ, raiga). Orthographically, three consonants can exist simultaneously on coda (dåntr, cåntr, nòstr, sänpr as syncopic forms of dånter, cånter, nòster, sänper). However, it arises from -er only when the next word starts with a vowel and in actuality it's pronounced /-ŋ.(C)r(V)./

Orthography

Vowel

  • On monosyllabic words, accents are not marked if a word ends in a consonant: can, sacc. However, it is marked if it ends in a vowel pà, rà.
  • The vowel Ã¥ and ä are always stressed including the diphthong Ã¥u and ai (or ou and äi in the countryside). If another vowel is accented alongside ai, then the diphthong ai is not stressed, for example: maicàtt. This rule doesn't apply on the article äl(i) (since articles are never stressed) and compound words such as sÃ¥uranómm where the stress falls on ó.
  • The vowel í and ú are only used for loanwords to indicate stressed short i and u. For example: chíllo, carbúrro

Consonant

<small>(1) Followed by a, o, u<br> (2) Followed by i, e <br> (3) End of a syllable (coda) or followed by consonant<br></small>

  • The letter n is pronounced /n/ before vowels and after long vowels. nn digraph is pronounced /n/.
  • The letter n is pronounced /ŋ/ finally or before consonants (including n however, in this case it is represented ṅn orthographically). /ŋ/ is lengthened after stressed vowel.
  • The letter q is only used in the beginning of words. Therefore, it is written quâter but âcua.
  • The letter j is only used between vowels. Therefore, it is written tâja, tajja but tâi, tai.
  • The digraph ṅn is only used for feminine nouns.
  • The trigraph gli is never found on native Bolognese words as Italian gli corresponds to j in Bolognese. They are found in Italian loanwords for example: butigliéṅna (bottiglina), sêglier (scegliere), bigliàtt (biglietto) and names such as Itâglia (Italia), Emégglia (Emilia), Giógglia (Giulia).
  • A "-" is sometimes added to disambiguate separate syllables, for example: mâgn-ni? the interrogative form of mâgnen.
  • Short vowels are always followed by a long consonant, and vice versa. For example: sacc and sâc, méll and mêl, córr and côr. This rule doesn't apply on compound words such as peppacûl.
  • In some words, /ts/ and /dz/ can be written as ts/ds and dṡ thus reflecting its etymology and pronunciation. For example: tstón = c'tón, dscÃ¥rrer = c'cÃ¥rrer, dṡdétta = g'détta
  • Palatization of l and n frequently occurs before the pronoun i and on articles such as äli ôv, däli ôv [æʎ.ʎi]. Example: al i à détt ch'a n i vâg pió is pronounced /aʎ.ʎi.adˈdetː kaɲ.ɲiˈvaːg ˈpjo/
  • The dropping of the last vowel in a word is indicated with an apostrophe. For example: ch'al séppa, s'a l savêva, l'ôca, lî l'é, sÃ¥tt'âcua (apocopic forms of che, se, la, la, sÃ¥tta). However, if the vowel is located at the beginning of a word, it is generally unmarked. For example: d avréll, l èṡen, ló l é, csa vût (apheresis forms of ed, al, al, syncopic forms of cusa).

Grammar

Noun

Bolognese distinguishes two genders, masculine and feminine, and two numbers, single and plural. In most nouns, the suffix -a is added to the masculine word to indicate femininity: defizänt, defizänta; påndg, påndga.

The formation of Bolognese plurals is complicated. Unlike Italian, inflection usually happens not by adding suffixes but rather by apophony:

  • Ã¥ → ó: , "blond", , "blonds"
  • ô → û: , "knee", , "knees"

However, when words that end with or are pluralised, the or is changed to and respectively: , "hammer", , "hammers"; , "son", "sons". There are some exceptions to that rule, such as , "normal", which is unchanged when made plural, and some others, such as , "godfather", which are unchanged when made plural because words are not truncated, that is, with a stress that does not fall on è or ô.

Masculine words that end in a consonant are unchanged when made plural and so the number can be identified only by the preceding article: , "the branch", , "the branches". In addition, pluralised feminine words that are not constructed from a masculine word do not have an -a: , "the wheel", , "the wheels". The plurals of feminine words constructed from masculine words are formed by using an instead of an : , "blonde", , "blondes"; "aunt", , "aunts".

Exception: bån, bôna

For masculine nouns whose feminine prefix is -assa, it will undergo vowel reduction due to different stress placement.

Masculine

No observable patterns exist for ô or ò. The raising of ô or ò into û on plural forms result if said vowel comes right before Latin nominative plural suffix -ī, for example: al ciôd - i ciûd (from Latin clāvī) and al òc' - i ûc (from Vulgar Latin oclī). Otherwise, it is invariable for example: al sôld - i sôld (from Latin solidī) and l òmen - i òmen (from Latin hominēs). However, sound changes have long since obscured this pattern.

Feminine

Alteration

Alteration is the formation of words from others that are not changed in their fundamental features; instead, the way in which the concept is considered changes.

The alterations can be added together to form chains:

  • pôver, puvrén, puvrinén, puvrininén = povero, poverino

The alteration suffix is always stressed. Therefore, vowel reduction occurs:

  • Ã¥ura, uratta = ora, oretta
  • dòna, dunèla = donna, donnina
  • fiÃ¥ur, fiurlén = fiore, fiorellino
  • vaider, vidrén = vetro, vetrino

Often alterations change the gender of words:

  • la dòna, al dunén, al dunÃ¥n = la donna, la donnina, la donnona
  • la mâchina, al machinén, al machinÃ¥n = l’auto, la piccola auto, la grande auto
  • l’unbrèla, l unbarlén, l unbarlÃ¥n = l’ombrello, l’ombrellino, l’ombrellone

Proper Names

The neutral form is used especially for Saints or if preceded by the title Sgnèr / Sgnèra (urban) or Sgnåur / Sgnåura (provincial).

Altered forms of the feminine often become masculine:

  • Marién (Mârio) = Mario, Maria
  • Tiriṡén = Teresa

Adjectives

Adjective become the feminine form by adding -a to masculine, therefore they form plural similar to feminine nouns derived from masculine nouns.

  • Singular: un gât grand (masculine), una gâta granda (feminine)
  • Plural: dû gât grand (masculine), dÃ¥u gâti grandi (feminine)
  • Singular: un ragâz bèl (masculine), una ragâza bèla (feminine)
  • Plural: dû ragâz bî (masculine), dÃ¥u ragâzi bèli (feminine)

Adjective Order:

1. Some adjective (such as the one pertaining to orders) must go before the noun:

  • al mî ûltum viâż = il mio ultimo viaggio
  • al nòster prémm fiôl = il nostro primo figlio
  • al tô ex maré = il suo ex marito

2. Other adjectives can go before or after the noun in Italian, while in Bolognese it is preferable to put them after:

  • l à fât una léssta lónga = ha fatto una lunga lista
  • l à cunprè la mâchina nôva = ha preso la nuova auto
  • i én parté pr un viâż cûrt = sono partiti per un breve viaggio
  • i an catè un apartamänt cinén = hanno trovato un piccolo appartamento

Exception for vèg = strano

  • l é un vèg fât = è un fatto strano / è uno strano fatto
  • l é un vèg sugèt = è uno strano tipo

3. Some adjectives are often placed before the noun as in Italian because by putting them after the noun, a slight variation in meaning would be obtained:

These adjectives placed before the noun actually very often have a figurative meaning. “Grand” more often expresses quality than size. Brótt does not necessarily express aesthetic ugliness but a generic pejorative “-accio” (“-âz” in Bolognese). Puvràtt does not express little wealth, but an unhappy condition.

4. To express dimensions (both large and small), in Bolognese, it is preferable to use the augmentative –ån, -åna and the diminutive én, éna, àtt, àtta, etc. Therefore, to say “a small house” would be “una caṡlatta” and certainly not “una cén cà”! Even figurative expressions (a little help, a little stylist) should be translated with a few turns of phrase: (un pôc d’ajût, un stiléssta in fâza)

Superlativo

Superlativo Relativo

article + pió + noun + ed

  • l’é la pió brèva dla clâs = è la più brava della classe
  • l é al pió inṡmé dal pajaiṡ = è il più fesso di tutto il paese
  • al pió baciócc ed tótt l ufézzi = il più scemo di tutto l’ufficio

Comparative

There are three types of comparative in Bolognese:

A. More than (pió … che)

  • la Giógglia l’é pió granda che mé = Giulia è più alta di me
  • l é pió bèl che fûrb = è più bello che furbo

B. Less than (manc … che)

  • l é manc żåuven che mé = è meno giovane di me
  • mé a sÃ¥n manc vèc’ che Pèvel = io sono meno vecchio di Paolo

C. Same as (cunpâgna)

  • Sandrén l é grand cunpâgna mé = Sandro è alto come me
  • Mé a sÃ¥n grand cunpâgna Sandrén = Io sono alto come Sandro

Special forms

meglio / migliore

  • l é méi = è meglio
  • l é al miÃ¥ur / l’é la miÃ¥ura = è il / la migliore
  • al żugadÃ¥ur miÃ¥ur = il giocatore migliore
  • la żugadÃ¥ura miÃ¥ura = la giocatrice migliore
  • i żugadûr miûr = i giocatori migliori
  • äl żugadÃ¥uri miÃ¥uri = le giocatrici migliori

peggio / peggiore

  • l é pîz = è peggio
  • l é al / l’é la pîz = è il / la peggiore

Article

Orthographic rules

Partitive

The plural of the articles un, una, does not exist. Instead, the partitive is used, consisting of the articulated forms of the preposition ed, or the adjective socuànt/socuànti (alcuni/alcune) “some”:

In negative sentences, the partitive is used without the article (ed + noun), as in French.

  • an i é brîṡa ed zóccher = non c’è zucchero
  • la n pôl brîṡa avair ed fiû = non può avere figli

In Bolognese, the partitive is used more often than in Italian:

  • con di sû amîg = con alcuni suoi amici
  • i vànden di lanpadèri e dla ròba da elètrica = vendono lampadari e attrezzature elettriche
  • a mâgn däl pan con däl salâm = mangio pane e salame

Preposition

Combination with articles

Orthographic rules:

  • The preposition in is written int before definite and indefinite articles and in elsewhere.
  • The preposition ed is written d before words starting with vowels and ed elsewhere.
  • The preposition par is written pr before words starting with vowels and par elsewhere.

Special Construction

Adjectives not directly connected to a noun or to the verb èser are governed by the preposition ed (possibly in the partitive forms).

  • ai n é ónna däl nôvi = ce n’è una novitÃÂ
  • adès a t n in dégg ónna däl bèli = adesso te ne dico una bella

When the verb piacere or provare governs an infinitive verb, the preposition ed is needed:

  • am pièṡ ed magnèr = mi piace mangiare
  • ala Marî ai pièṡ ed viażèr = a Maria piace viaggiare
  • a pruvän ed córrer = proviamo a correre
  • äl prôven ed fèr incôsa = provano a far tutto

Verbs indicating a purpose is preceded with the preposition ed as opposed to a:

  • al l à ublighè ed magnèr = l’ha obbligato a mangiare
  • la i à insgnè ed żughèr al chèrt lónghi = gli ha insegnato a giocare al tarocchino bolognese
  • l à inparè ed sièr = ha imparato a sciare
  • stà aténti ed scrîver drétt = sta’ attento a scrivere dritto

Some fixed expression utilize the preposition da which precedes adverbs as opposed to a:

  • al lât l é andè da mèl = il latte è andato a male
  • lu-lé l é un bÃ¥n da gnînta = quello lì è un buono a niente
  • a n in pòs pió fèr da manc = non ne posso più fare a meno

When verbs of perception (vàdder to see, sénter to feel) follow an infinitive verb, the preposition "a" is needed:

  • a t ò vésst a fumèr = ti ho visto fumare
  • a l ò sintó a cantèr = ti ho sentito/sentita cantare

The verbs “dîr, dscårrer” with the meaning of “to address” take the preposition “con”, while in Italian “dire, parlare” take “a”:

  • a dscÃ¥rr con té = parlo a te
  • dîl con tô surèla = dillo a tua sorella
  • al dégg con té / tîg = dico a te

dire (conjugated) or parlare (conjugated) + a = dîr (conjugated) or dscårrer (conjugated) + con

  • a dscÃ¥rr con té = parlo a te
  • dîl con tô surèla = dillo a tua sorella

stare (conjugated) + a = stèr (conjugated) + da (stèr + a carry a different meaning in Bolognese)

  • stâm da sénter = stammi a sentire
  • stè mò d’asculter = state ad ascoltare
  • a starän da vàdder = staremo a vedere
  • a stän d’asptèr = aspettiamo

dietro + a = drî + da (drî + a carry a different meaning in Bolognese)

  • si è nascosto dietro alla porta = al s é arpiatè drî dal óss
  • vado dietro a quell'albero = a vâg drî da cl âlber

The preposition su = só especially in figurative sense or in vatta especially in material sense.

  • al i à pinsè un pôc só = ci ha pensato un po’ su
  • l é só la tèvla = è sulla tavola
  • in vatta la tèvla = sul tavolo

Pronoun

Personal Pronoun

If the conjugated verb starts with unstressed a, the clitic pronoun a(i) is dropped. For example mé arîv, nuèter arivän

Formal pronouns are used to replace 2nd person pronoun to indicate politeness or courtesy. Formal pronouns in Bolognese include ló for masculine and lî for feminine.

  • êl ló al dutÃ¥ur? ch’al s acòmda! = È lei il dottore? Si accomodi!
  • êla lî la duturassa? ch’la s acòmda! = È lei la dottoressa? Si accomodi!

Demonstrative Pronoun and Adjective

Note: ste and sta elides before words starting with vowels. For example: A quest'ora. Che ora è? = Da st’åura. Ch’åur’é?

Orthographic rules

Demonstrative pronouns or adjective are almost always followed by adverbs indicating degrees of distance:

1. (qué) near the speaker

  • a tói ste bichîr qué = prendo questo bicchiere
  • al mî bichîr l é quasst qué = il mio bicchiere è questo

2. (lé) further away from the speaker, often near the listener

  • dâm bän cla biziclatta lé = dammi quella bicicletta
  • la tô biziclatta l’é qualla lé = la tua bicicletta è quella

3. (là) even further away from the speaker and the listener

  • guèrda cla cà là = guarda quella casa
  • la sô cà l’é qualla là = la sua casa è quella

Locative

Positive: ai é

  • ai é un òmen = c’è un uomo
  • ai é una dòna = c’è una donna
  • ai é di òmen = ci sono degli uomini
  • ai é däl dòn = ci sono delle donne
  • ai n é una carovèna = ce n'è una carovana
  • ai é dû ân a dîr = ci sono due anni di differenza
  • dóvv ai é la pèṡ ai é la cuntintazza = dove c'è pace c'è letizia

Negative: an i é

  • an i é brîṡa mî mèder = non c’è mia madre
  • an i é brîṡa i mî fradî = non ci sono i miei fratelli
  • an i é inción = non c’è nessuno
  • an i é ânma nèda = non c'è anima viva
  • an i é brîṡa i mî fradî = non ci sono i miei fratelli

Partitive

(i)n = ne

  • ai n é di nûv = ve ne sono di nuovi
  • a in mâgn apanna dÃ¥u o trai = ne mangio appena due o tre
  • Gigén Lîvra l in sà un pónt pió dal dièvel = Luigi Lepri ne sa una più del diavolo
  • mo mé a m n in sÃ¥n adè es al ò catè = ma io me ne sono accorto e l’ho trovato
  • con l ajût ed Dagnêl ch'l i n à żuntè socuanti = con l'aiuto di Daniele che ne ha aggiunte alcune
  • mé a n in vói pió = io non ne voglio più
  • a n in pòs pió fèr da manc = non ne posso più fare a meno
  • chi an n à brîṡa as plócca la camîṡa = chi non ne ha si pilucca la camicia

Verb

To form the interrogative form, euphonic vowels on the verb must be removed including on -en endings. For 3rd and 1st person singular, final unstressed a must also be removed. For example: a dâg > dâghia, a mâgnen > mâgn-ni, l avêva > avêvel

Vowel Reduction

Vowel reduction happens when the penultimate vowel is stressed in the present indicative and present subjunctive mood. No observable pattern exists.

Some verbs can have two variants of vowel reduction: Inpruṡèr > a inprûṡ or a inpròṡ

For some verbs, vowel reduction happens on the penultimate vowel instead:

Some verbs with consonant clusters before -èr will have an extra vowel added:

For type 3 conjugations, the stressing of the infinitive takes place not on the final syllable. Therefore, the cases of when vowel reduction happen changes. Example vàdder (a vadd, a vdän).

Vowel reduction never happens on the 4th conjugation (-îr) since the stress never falls on the stem.

Auxiliary

Gerund: esànd

Past participle: stè

Imperative: séppet (2nd.sg), saggna (1st.pl), siêdi (2nd.pl)

Gerund: avànd

Past participle: avó

Imperative: èvet (2nd.sg), avaggna (1st.pl), avêdi (2nd.pl)

Regular

Gerund: mandànd

Past participle: mandè

Imperative: manda (2nd.sg), mandän (1st.pl), mandè (2nd.pl)

Gerund: parànd

Past participle: pèrs

Imperative: pèr (2nd.sg), parän (1st.pl), parè (2nd.pl)

Gerund: adliżànd

Past participle: adlît

Imperative: adlîż (2nd.sg), adliżän (1st.pl), adliżî (2nd.pl)

Gerund: finànd

Past participle: finé

Imperative: finéss (2nd.sg), finän (1st.pl), finî (2nd.pl)

Cognugaziån dal vêrb magnèr

  • a mâgn
  • t mâgn
  • al, la mâgna
  • nuèter a magnän
  • vuèter a magnè
  • lÃ¥ur i mâgnen

Cognugaziån interugatîva dal vêrb magnèr

  • mâgna?
  • mâgnet?
  • mâgnel? mâgnla?
  • magnaggna?
  • magnèv?
  • mâgn-ni?

Irregular

Special Cases

  • Verbs with infinite form -Ã¥rr descended from Latin -ōnere and corresponds to Italian -orre. Some verbs in -Ã¥rr also have alternative forms (dispÃ¥rr/dispÃ¥nner, scunpÃ¥rr/scunpÃ¥nner, prupÃ¥rr/prupÃ¥nner, supÃ¥rr/supÃ¥nner).
  • Some verbs of the 4th group contained a root that behaves like the verbs of the 3rd group:

Imperative

Imperative form in Bolognese only exists for 1st person singular and 2nd person. Imperative formation:

  • For 1st person plural (nó/nuèter) and 2nd person plural (vó/vuèter), it is exactly the same as its present indicative form.
  • For 2nd person singular, it is exactly the same as the 3rd person singular present indicative form.

For other pronouns, the subjunctive present forms are used.

Negative Imperative

For 2nd person singular, there are 3 forms:

1. brîṡa + infinitive

  • brîṡa magnèr tròp, a m arcmànd! = non mangiare troppo, mi raccomando!

2. brîṡa stèr a + infinitive

  • brîṡa stèr a pasèr da cà! = non passare da casa!

3. an + infinitive + brîṡa

  • an magnèr brîṡa tròp! = non mangiare troppo!
  • an stèr brîṡa a pasèr da cà! = non passare da casa!

For other pronouns, the subjunctive is used instead:

  • an magnaggna brîṡa tròp! = non mangiamo troppo!
  • an magnèdi brîṡa tròp! = non mangiate troppo!

Reflexive

To construct a reflexive verb, the pronoun es is suffixed into the verb. For example, the reflexive of guardèr is guardères or guardèrs. However, for verbs ending in -er, it's replaced by -res. For example: scrîver – scrîvres (scriversi) and vàdder – vàddres (vedersi).

Negation

  • an s pôl brîṡa avair = non si può avere
  • an s i vadd lómm = non si vede niente
  • an s fà es an s fécca = non si fà e non si fìcca
  • cum an s arêv brîṡa da fèr a tradûṡer = come non si dovrebbe tradurre
  • an s trâta brîṡa d èser di rumântic = non si tratta di essere dei romantici
  • quand an s psêva brîṡa al dromedèri dscÃ¥rrer pió cèr = quando non si poteva essere più espliciti
  • sänz’âcua an s mèṡna e sänza bavvr an s mâgna = senz’acqua non si macina e senza bere non si mangia

Past Participle

Past participle is formed using the stem of the verb with unstressed vowel (for example on regular conjugation for 1st person plural). In Bolognese, ONLY the masculine singular form is used for all declension since the past participle of the verbs end in a stressed vowel, the form does not change in the feminine nor plural. However, in the countryside, for example in western and northern province, the feminine and plural form can still be found.

The Italian past participle suffix -ato, -uto, -ito generally correspond to the Bolognese -è, -ó, -é respectively. Notable examples include the verb vgnîr (venire) which has the past participle form of vgnó (venuto) and èser (essere) with stè (stato). Irregular forms of verbs fèr, parair, tôr, córrer, adlîżer, dezîder, dîr with past participle such as fât, pèrs, tôlt, cåurs, adlît, dezîṡ, détt forms the feminine form by suffixing -a at the end of the word becoming fâta, pèrsa, tôlta, cåursa, adlîta, dezîṡa, détta and suffixing -i for feminine plural.

Adverb

Modo

bän (bene), cómm (come), acsé (così), mèl (male), giósst (giusto), mé (meglio), insàmm (insieme), pîz (peggio)

Tempo

incû (oggi), ajîr (ieri), dman (domani), åura (ora), adès (adesso), dåpp (dopo), bèle (già), mâi (mai), sänper (sempre), spass (spesso), sóbbit (subito), allåura (allora), anc (ancora), ed nôv (di nuovo)

Complex time expressions

  • adès ch’é pôc (poco fa)
  • da st’åura (a quest’ora)
  • da sti dé (in questi giorni)
  • d’ed qué a dû ân (tra due anni)
  • d’incû e òt (tra una settimana)
  • in st mumänt / int al mumänt d adès (in questo momento)
  • par l urdinèri (di solito)
  • pr al pasè (in passato)
  • pasè pôc (fra poco / poco dopo)
  • tótt int un mumänt (all’improvviso)
  • in cal mänter / in st mänter (mentre)

Luogo

là (là), lé (lì), qué (qui), dóvv (dove), såtta (sotto), żå (giù), såuvra (sopra), fòra (fuori), dänter (dentro), foravî / fòra d vî (altrove), dnanz (davanti), drî (dietro), luntàn (lontano)

QuantitÃÂ

tant (tanto), pôc (poco), magâra (molto), gnént (niente), manc (meno), pió (più), quant (quanto), quèṡi (quasi), almànc (almeno)

Interrogativi

quand? (quando?), quant? (quanto?), cum? (come?), csa? (cosa?), quèl? (quale?), parché? (perché?), dóvv? (dove?)

Affermazione, Negazione, e Dubbio

chisà (chissà), fôrsi (forse), bèle / żà (già), se (se), an (non), nå / nécca (no), sé / ói (sì)

Affirmative Adverb Usage

A. Direct Interrogative

ÓI < Latin: *hoc illud (est) “quello (è)”

  • Ît stè té? - Ói. = Sei stato tu? - Sì.
  • T an arè mégga magnè tótti äl tajadèl? - Ói. = Non avrai mica mangiato tutte le tagliatelle? – Sì

SÉ < Latin: *sic (est) “così (è)”

  • Ît stè té? - Sé. = Sei stato tu? - Sì
  • T an arè mégga magnè tótti äl tajadèl? - Sé. = Non avrai mica mangiato tutte le tagliatelle? - Sì

B. Indirect Interrogative

SÉ

  • La m à détt ed sé. = Mi ha detto di sì.

C. Intensifier

Reduplication of the affirmative adverb carries the meaning of "but of course!" or "Certainly!"

  • sé sé! ói ói!

There are other affirmative adverbs which function as intensifier:

  • Ói bän!
  • Quall s intànnd!
  • Soncamé!
  • As capéss!
  • Mo sicûra!

Numeral

Note the difference between article and pronoun for (ón/un), no distinction exist for other numerals:

For numbers higher than 10, the ordinal is formed by adding quall di before the cardinal numeral. For example: Eleven (ónng’) has the ordinal form of Eleventh (quall di ónng’)

Higher numbers:

  • 1000: méll (m) mélla (f)
  • 1000000: un migliÃ¥n
  • 1000000000: un miglièrd

Construction:

  • 66 = 60 + 6

s-santa + sî = s-santsî (without space)

  • 739 = 700 + 30 + 9

setzänt + tränta + nôv = setzänt-träntanôv

  • 2000 women

dåu mélla dòn

Syntax

a n t al dâg brîṡa = non te lo do

ch'an t véggna = che tu non venga

Negation

Bolognese dialect, similar to French, uses double negation usually with the particle (a)n before the verb and the word brîṡa after the verb. For verbs beginning with a consonant:

  • For 3rd person singular masculine: al + an becomes an
  • For 3rd person plural feminine: the 3rd person plural masculine clitic pronoun i is used instead.

Other negation particles include:

  • brîṡa (non): a n l ò brîṡa vésst = non l’ho visto
  • mégga (mica): a n sÃ¥n mégga stè mé! = non sono mica stato io!
  • mâi (mai): al n à mâi sÃ¥nn = non ha mai sonno
  • pió (più): a n l ò pió vésst = non l’ho più visto
  • gnínta (niente): a n avän gnínta da dîr = non abbiamo niente da dire
  • inción (nessuno): an i é inción = non c’è nessuno
  • gnanc (neanche / non ancora): al n à gnanc un góbbi = non ha neanche un soldo

Dative construction

The real subject is a complement of the term -> verb always conjugated in the 3rd person singular, even if the real subject is plural:

Soggetto Fittizio

When in a sentence the subject of the 3rd person is moved after the verb, the soggetto fittizio ai is always used in the singular. (subject + verb) mî mèder l’arîva = (verb + subject) ai arîva mî mèder

Example:

  • äl mî amîghi äli én vgnó = le mie amiche sono venute
  • ai é vgnó äl mî amîghi = sono venute le mie amiche
  • ai vén äl mî amîghi = vengono le mie amiche

Used with verb of motion:

  • ai tÃ¥urna sô fiôl = torna suo figlio
  • ai arîva sô maré = arriva suo marito

Used with intransitive verbs or used as such when introducing a new subject:

  • ai é nèd i dû gemî dla Marî e d Pèvel = sono nati i due gemelli di Maria e Paolo
  • ai vôl i bichîr = servono i bicchieri
  • ai tîra al vänt = tira il vento
  • incû ai żûga al BulÃ¥ggna = oggi gioca il Bologna

It is not used if the subject has already been introduced in the conversation:

Example 1:

  • chi arîva? tô pèder? = chi arriva? tuo padre?
  • sé, ai riva mî pèder = sì, arriva mio padre
  • arîvel o nÃ¥ tô pèder? = arriva o no tuo padre?
  • sé, l rîva, mî pèder = sì, arriva, mio padre

Example 2:

  • Chi żûga incû? = Chi gioca oggi?
  • Incû ai żûga al BulÃ¥ggna. = Oggi gioca il Bologna.
  • L é bèle tèrd! Mo żûghel o nÃ¥, ste BulÃ¥ggna? = E’ già tardi! Ma gioca o no, il Bologna?
  • Sé, al żûga, al BulÃ¥ggna: èvet pazénzia! = Sì, gioca, il Bologna: abbi pazienza!

It is also used with atmospheric verbs:

  • al piôv = piove
  • al tinpèsta = grandina
  • al naiva = nevica
  • al sfarósscla = iniziano a scendere piccoli fiocchi di neve [prov. Est al sfalésstra]
  • al tråṅna = tuona
  • al ṡlôṡna = lampeggia [la ṡluṡnè il lampo]

Using ai with negation:

  • ai n arîva inción = non arriva nessuno
  • ai n suzêd gnínto = non succede nulla

Using ai in interrogative sentence (no interrogative pronouns necessary):

Example 1:

  • ai arîva sô mèder = arriva sua madre
  • i arîva sô mèder? = arriva sua madre?

Example 2:

  • ai vén la Pèvla e la Giógglia = vengono la Paola e la Giulia
  • i vén la Pèvla e la Giógglia? = vengono la Paola e la Giulia?

Adverb of Place "i"

Equivalent to Italian ci. In the western area (mountains and plains, e.g. Lizzano in Belvedere, Castello di Serravalle, San Giovanni in Persiceto) and northern area (e.g. Pieve di Cento, Galliera) “g” is used instead of "i" in continuity with Modenese and Ferrarese [a g vâg, t ig vè, al g và, etc.]

Special Cases

ecco + noun (declension) = (vít)tal (declension) + adverb of distance (qué, lé, là) + noun (declension)

dovere (conjugated) + verb

1. avair (conjugated) + da + verb

  • t è da savair = devi sapere
  • ai ò da lavurèr = devo lavorare
  • ai arêv da magnèr manc = dovrei mangiare meno

2. tgnîr (conjugated) + verb

  • a tgnän lavurèr = dobbiamo lavorare
  • a téggn andèr a fèr la spaiṡa = devo andare a far la spesa

3. dative pronoun + tuchèr (conjugated) + (e)d + verb (experiencing an external event)

  • a m tÃ¥cca ed lavurèr ala nòt = devo lavorare di notte
  • an s tucarà brîṡa d lavurèr al dÃ¥ppi = non dovrà lavorare il doppio

stare (conjugated) + verb (gerund)

1. èser (conjugated) + drî a + verb (infinitive)

  • l é drî a andèr = sta andando
  • a sÃ¥n anc drî a fèr = sto ancora facendo

2. èser (conjugated) + drî che + verb (indicative)

  • a sÃ¥n drî ch’a mâgn = sto mangiando
  • i én drî ch’i arîven = stanno arrivando

3. stare (conjugated) + per + verb (infinitive) = èser (conjugated) + drî par + verb (infinitive)

  • i én drî pr arivèr = stanno per arrivare
  • a sÃ¥n drî par magnèr = sto per mangiare

nessuno = inción

1. as adjective: inción takes a plural form inción (masculine) or inciónni (feminine).

  • a n ò cunprè inción fiûr = non ho comprato nessun fiore
  • a n ò vésst inciónni dòn = non ho visto nessuna donna

2. as pronoun after a verb: inción takes a plural form.

  • i n capéssen gnînta inción = non capisce niente nessuno
  • ed cäl biziclàtt lé, i n in vôlen inciónni = di quelle biciclette, non ne vogliono nessuna

3. as pronoun preceding a verb: inción takes a singular form. Clitic pronouns are not required.

  • inción capéss gnínta = nessuno capisce niente
  • inción in vôl = non ne vuole nessuno

Anc, gnanc = anche / ancora, neanche / non ancora

1. Gnanc replaces anc on negative sentences.

  • ai ò anc da magnèr = devo ancora mangiare
  • a n ò gnanc da magnèr = non devo ancora mangiare
  • Pèvel l é anc arivè a cà = Paolo è ancora arrivato a casa
  • Pèvel al n é gnanc arivè a cà = Paolo non è ancora arrivato a casa
  • l à anc un góbbi = ha anche un soldo
  • al n à gnanc un góbbi = non ha neanche un soldo

2. anc and gnanc becomes anca and gnanca in front of personal pronouns with the exception of nuèter and vuèter.

  • anca / gnanca mé = anche/neanche io
  • anca / gnanca té = anche/neanche tu
  • anca / gnanca ló/lî = anche/neanche = lui / lei
  • anc / gnanc nuèter = anche/neanche noi
  • anc / gnanc vuèter = anche/neanche voi
  • anca / gnanca lÃ¥ur = anche/neanche loro

dove = dóvv or duv

1. Before verbs = duv

  • duv êla? = Dov’è?
  • in duv vèt? = Dove vai?

2. Elsewhere = dóvv

  • in dóvv? = Dove?

come = cómm or cum

1. Before verbs = cum

  • cum êla? = come mai?
  • cum vèla? = come va?
  • cum stèt? = come stai?

2. Elsewhere = cómm

  • mo cómm? = ma come?

pronoun + verb + da solo = pronoun + verb + da par + pronoun

  • mé a m difànd da par mé = io mi difendo da solo
  • té t và al cínnema da par té = tu vai al cinema da solo
  • biṡåggna fèr tótt da pr as = bisogna fare tutto da soli

The conjunction es indicates contemporaneity or coordination between two actions. It is used between two verbs conjugated with the same subject, instead of e, with the meaning of "and moreover".

  • al piôv es ai é al sÃ¥ul = piove e c'è il sole
  • a rédd es a zîg = rido e piango
  • l é un èṡen es vôl fèr al fûrb = è un asino e vuol fare il furbo

The adverb mò is used as an exhortative particle, in an urging manner.

  • ciâpa mò la mâchina! = prendi l’auto!
  • pruvän mò ed stèr chiêt! = proviamo a stare calmi!
  • tulî mò żå äl tajadèl! = prendete nel piatto le tagliatelle!
  • siêdi mò cuntént! = siate contenti!
  • stè mò da sénter! = state a sentire!

Example

References

External links