Languages are essentially a man’s way of expressing himself. Without a language, it is not at all possible for someone to put forth his ideas, opinions, and thoughts in front of the whole world to listen.
On planet earth, thousands of different languages are spoken, which happen to be completely distinct, while some happen to be almost identical to one another.
Not just for the sake of speaking but for the reason of awareness, it sometimes becomes crucial to differentiate between certain similar considered languages.
Sicilian and Italian are two such languages that are mostly considered similar by many people. But it is not true as these two differ from one another widely.
Key Takeaways
- Sicilian cuisine has been influenced by Arab, Spanish, and Greek cultures, while Etruscan, ancient Roman, and Byzantine cultures have influenced Italian cuisine.
- Sicilian cuisine includes seafood, eggplant, and citrus fruits, while Italian cuisine includes pasta, pizza, and tomato sauce.
- Sicilian cuisine is known for its sweet and savory flavors, while Italian cuisine is known for its simplicity and use of fresh ingredients.
Sicilian vs Italian
The difference between Sicilian and Italian is that the former happens to be a very less spoken language and is limited only to the island of Sicily and some other parts of Italy only. While the latter happens to be the third biggest of all the languages in the world and has gained a vast amount of fame with the passage of time. Not just this, but these two differ in terms of their origin, attributes, and other features too.
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Sicilian is a language that has been reported endangered among many other languages by UNESCO itself. This language is seen only on the island of Sicily and among its people.
However, the people who have migrated from this island to other parts of the world also seem to have spoken this language among themselves as a traditional medium to communicate.
But for survival. Eben, they are forced to learn and speak other languages.
While Italian, on the other hand, is a very infamous language that requires no introduction. With almost a population of about 70 million people speaking it, it is considered the third biggest language among all other languages.
Basically, it happens to be a European language, but all other parts of the word have also adapted it in their cultural and academic teachings.
Comparison Table
| Parameters of Comparison | Sicilian | Italian |
|---|---|---|
| Origin | It is assumed to be originated from Sicily that happens to be the biggest island in the area of the Mediterranean Sea. | It is assumed to be originated from Rome or Italy. |
| Official use | This language is not an official language of any part of the world, not even Sicily. | This is an official language in the following countries Italy, Vatican City, San Marino, Switzerland. |
| Spoken in | People of the island of Sicily and certain emigrants. | Majorly spoken in Europe but has spread in many countries, including the United States and Russia. |
| Spoken by | Almost by 5 million people only. | Almost 70 million people. |
| Status | It has been termed as endangered by UNESCO itself. | It has gained popularity day by day due to its world-famous progress. |
| Value | This language is often considered as inappropriate or vulgar, and people often criticize it. | This language is considered a language of arts, culture, and romance. It is very valuable in the eyes of the world. |
| Similar to | This language happens to be a similar form to Italian. | This language happens to be a similar form to Latin. |
What is Sicilian?
Said to be originated on a small island inside the boundaries of Italy, Sicilian is a language that resembles Italian in many aspects. But it only resembles, and in reality, many differences can be found.
Before the year 1861, Italy was divided into many tiny provinces and states, and each of those states had their own way of expressing themselves.
After Italy became a unified country, they adopted Italian as the official language, but other languages like Sicilian lost their existence.
Talking about the language point of view, this language is different from other European languages in terms of grammar, punctuation, and many more.
But due to unfortunate circumstances, this language became obsolete, and UNESCO declared it endangered.
Today. Around 5 million people speak this language, and these people are located on the island of Sicily only. The government has not accepted this as an official language, and due to all this, this language is losing its figure each day.
What is Italian?
Italian as a language came into existence after the mixture of many similar Indo-European languages like Latin and Sardinian, etc.
This language is considered a language of love and art due to its rich heritage given to the world. From arts to tourism and music to food, Italy has given a lot to the world.
And this happens to be the reason behind the continuous growth of Italian in other parts of the world apart from Italy. It is considered a refined form of Latin language and is referred to as classic language by many people.
This language has almost 70 million people speaking it on a regular basis, and it is an official language in the following countries-
- Italy
- Vatican City
- San Marino
- Switzerland
And not only this but this has also been recognized as a minority language in the following countries-
- Croatia
- Monaco
- Slovenia
Main Differences Between Sicilian and Italian
- As far as the origin of both the languages is concerned, Sicilian is assumed to be originated from Sicily or Italy. While on the other hand, Italian is assumed to be originated from Rome or Italy.
- Sicilian language happens to be a similar form to Italian. While Italian is considered a refined form of the Latin language.
- Around 5 million people speak Sicilian all over the world, which is a very small number. But Italian, on the other hand, is spoken by almost 70 million people all across the globe, and that in itself is a very vast number.
- Sicilian has been termed as endangered by UNESCO itself. While Italian is among the most rapidly growing languages all across the world.
- Sicilian language is often considered as inappropriate or vulgar, and people often criticize it. While on the other hand, people consider Italian the language of love and culture and food.
- https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/probus-2013-0006/html
- https://www.degruyter.com/document/doi/10.1515/9783110197723.5.363/html
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Piyush Yadav has spent the past 25 years working as a physicist in the local community. He is a physicist passionate about making science more accessible to our readers. He holds a BSc in Natural Sciences and Post Graduate Diploma in Environmental Science. You can read more about him on his bio page.
