All Ligurian dialects share almost the same characteristics across the region, with the Riviera dialect being more italianised due to past immigrations, and the hinterland dialect being closer, even a bit harsher, but definitely more authentic.
Fontanarossa is one of the northernmost outposts of the Ligurian language. Its dialect, with an archaic structure and vocabulary, remains largely untouched by nearby Piacentine and Pavese influences. Though not particularly flexible, it is undeniably effective and expressive, serving as a fine example of the dialect spoken in the Apennine region.
Some of the words from Fontanarossa’s dialect that are no longer used in Genoese and the riviera dialect are:
messiào = in Italian nonno, grandfather (from messier avo, which literally means noble forefather).
maddonnà = in Italian nonna, grandmother (from madonna ava, which literally means noble foremother).
alantoa = in Italian allora, then or so.
Note that, in the following words, the pronunciation of the “r” consonant has maintained its archaic sound:
prechè = in Italian perché
tuoretta = in Italian tavoletta, small board or plank
Uorucco = in Italian gufo, owl
Another characteristic of mountain dialects, including that spoken in Fontanarossa, is the usage of idiomatic expressions in which the transformation of one word into another with a similar sound leads to a completely different meaning. A well-known example from a few years ago involved an elderly lady who referred to the Madonna of Pompei as “a Madonna di pompiè” (the Madonna of the firefighters).
In some cases, the dialect of Fontanarossa is closer to Italian than to Genoese. While Genoese changes the Italian “gl” sound to “gg” (for example, figlio, meaning son, becomes figgiu), the dialect of Fontanarossa keeps the original phonetics (figlio becomes figlieu). In the same way, while Genoese replaces the “p” followed by two vowels with “c” (e.g., piove, meaning to rain, becomes cioeve), in Fontanarossa, it remains pieue.
However, where the Fontanarossa dialect truly stands out for its elegance and liveliness is in the creation of new words. In this respect, the people of Fontanarossa are second to none. Their humour and wit led them to invent neologisms that are small masterpieces. For example, what better way to describe the awkward, flabby act of lying on one’s back than with the verb impanzunàse? Or where else could one find such a subtle difference between scapizzà (to trip) and fà uotaschieletta (to trip and then somersault)?
The dialect reaches its imaginative peak in the field of toponymy. Terms that have no particular meaning, such as Gangaieu, Spaarin, and Cavallizzùn, poetically define places that in other dialects would be reduced to unimaginative names like “big meadow” or “flowering hill”.
A special mention should go to the nicknames, which, with their biting humour and irony, rival the sharp wit of a Tuscan. Interestingly, when creating nicknames, the local sense of humour often focuses more on a person’s moral character than their physical appearance, revealing both a keen sense of malice and mature judgment.
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