Napulitano

Neapolitan

Romance

FamilyRomance Speakers~5.7M ScriptLatin CountriesItaly (southern) Official inNone Vitalitysafe ISO 639-3nap

Neapolitan (Napulitano) is the most widely spoken Italo-Romance variety of mainland southern Italy, with ~5.7M speakers across Campania and parts of Lazio, Molise, Calabria, and Basilicata. Direct descendant of southern Italian Vulgar Latin with substantial Greek (from Magna Graecia and Byzantine rule), Oscan substrate, Norman, French, Spanish, and Arabic influences. The 10th-century Placiti Cassinesi (960–963) — legal deposition formulas that rank among the earliest surviving vernacular Romance documents rather than literary works — attest to its early written use, followed by a rich literary tradition. The Neapolitan canzone ("'O Sole Mio", 1898) is internationally celebrated. Latin script.

Where it is spoken

31 core words in Neapolitan

Water

acqua

/akkwə/

Fire

fuoco

/fwɔkə/

Sun

sole

/solə/

Moon

luna

/lunə/

Star

stella

/ˈstellə/

Mother

mamma

/mammə/

Father

pate

/patə/

I

io

/ˈiːə/

You

tu

/tu/

Name

nomme

/ˈnommə/

Eye

uocchio

/wɔkkjə/

Hand

mano

/manə/

Heart

core

/korə/

Love

ammore

/ammorə/

Tree

àrvero

/arvərə/

House

casa

/kasə/

Dog

cane

/kanə/

Cat

jatto

/jattə/

Eat

mangià

/mandʒa/

Drink

vevere

/vevərə/

One

uno

/unə/

Two

duje

/ˈduːjə/

Hello

/wɛ/

Thank you

grazie

/ɡratsjə/

Good

buono

/bwɔnə/

Cuckoo

cucù

/kuˈku/

Computer

computer

/komˈpjutə/

Sushi

sushi

/ˈsuʃi/

Sources

Words compared

Compared with related Romance languages

Meaning NeapolitanSicilianInterlinguaCorsicanCatalanVenetianSardinian
Water acqua /akkwə/ acqua /akkwa/ aqua /akwa/ acqua /akwa/ aigua /ajɣwə/ aqua /akwa/ abba /abba/
Fire fuoco /fwɔkə/ focu /fɔku/ foco /fɔko/ focu /fɔku/ foc /fɔk/ fogo /foɡo/ fogu /foɣu/
Sun sole /solə/ suli /suli/ sol /sɔl/ sole /sɔle/ sol /sɔl/ sol /sol/ sole /sole/
Moon luna /lunə/ luna /luna/ luna /luna/ luna /luna/ lluna /ʎunə/ łuna /ɫuna/ luna /luna/
Star stella /ˈstellə/ stidda /ˈstɪɖːa/ stella /ˈstɛla/ stella /ˈstella/ estrella /əsˈtɾeʎə/ stela /ˈstela/ istella /isˈtɛlːa/
Mother mamma /mammə/ matri /matri/ matre /matre/ mamma /mamma/ mare /maɾə/ mare /mare/ mama /mama/
Father pate /patə/ patri /patri/ patre /patre/ babbu /babːu/ pare /paɾə/ pare /pare/ babbu /babbu/
I io /ˈiːə/ iu /ˈju/ io /ˈio/ eiu /ˈɛju/ jo /ˈʒɔ/ mi /mi/ deo /ˈdɛo/
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Word order compared

Compare with major world languages

Neapolitan
Io voglio pruvà nu vestito ca aggio visto dinto a nu negozio 'nfronte a l'hotel
أنا أريد أن أجرب بدلة رأيتها في محل مقابل الفندق
试穿 酒店 对面的 商店 看到的 那套西装
I want to try on a suit I saw ‌in a shop across from the hotel
Ich möchte einen Anzug anprobieren den ich in einem Geschäft gegenüber vom Hotel gesehen habe
मैं होटल के सामने एक दुकान में देखा सूट को पहनकर देखना चाहता हूँ
私は ホテルの 向かいの お店 見た スーツを 試着 したいです
Я хочу примерить костюм который я увидел в магазине напротив отеля

Compare with closely-related languages

Jo vull provar-me un vestit que vaig veure en una botiga davant de l'hotel
Je voudrais essayer un costume que j' ai vu dans un magasin en face de l'hôtel
Eu quero probar un traxe que vin nunha tenda fronte ao hotel
Io voglio provare un abito che ho visto ‌in un negozio di fronte all'hotel
Neapolitan
Io voglio pruvà nu vestito ca aggio visto dinto a nu negozio 'nfronte a l'hotel

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