| Swiss Italian | |
|---|---|
| Italiano svizzero | |
| Spoken in | Switzerland, northern Italy |
| Native speakers | 0.5 million (date missing) |
| Language family | |
| Official status | |
| Official language in | Switzerland (as Italian) |
| Language codes | |
| ISO 639-3 | – |
Swiss Italian is the name given to the dialect spoken by about 500,000 Swiss in the canton of Ticino and in the southern part of Graubünden (Canton Grigioni). Sometimes it is used even to identify the italian-speaking autochthonous population in Switzerland.
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Despite being very similar to standard Italian, Swiss Italian presents some differences from the Italian spoken in Italy due to the presence of French and German from which it assimilates words. A clear example would be the driving licence. In standard Italian it is called "patente di guida" while in Swiss Italian it becomes "Licenza di condurre", from the French "Permis de conduire". Another example is the interurban bus. In standard Italian it would be "autobus" or "corriera" while in Swiss Italian it is the Autopostale or even posta (because nearly all interurban lines are run by the Swiss Post).
There is a certain amount of popular literature (poems, comedies, etc.) in Ticinese, and the national radio and sometimes televisions transmit program in Ticinese (mainly comedies).
Radiotelevisione Svizzera di lingua Italiana is the main Swiss public broadcasting network in Italian. The University of Lugano is the major university of Italian Switzerland.
Swiss Italians of Australia, (also Swiss / Italian and Swiss - Italian) are the Italian speaking Swiss and Italians that settled in Australia during the 1850s and 1860s. The Swiss Italians initially settled in the area around Daylesford in Victoria. The Swiss settlers were from the canton of Ticino and in the southern part of Graubünden. The Italian settlers were predominantly from the northern Italian Regions of Lombardy, Veneto, Emilia Romagna, Liguria and Piemonte.
The Lombard language (here known as Ticinese) often predominates in older generations and in rural areas, and unlike in parts of Italy there is no social stigma attached to it. It is further subdivided into local variations, with the northern valleys speaking a dialect more closely aligned with Romansh, Switzerland's fourth official language.
Some of the major variations of the dialect include Mendrisiotto (Mendrisiott), Levintinese, Locarnese and Luganese, named after the regions/towns where they are spoken.
Some examples of different words from Italian include incoeu for "today" (oggi in standard Italian) or chifer (from the Swiss German gipfel) for croissant (cornetto in Italian). Other examples of Ticinese words are:
| Ticinese | Italian | English Translation |
|---|---|---|
| cadrega | sedia | chair |
| natel | telefonino | mobile phone |
| Bon Dì | Buongiorno | Good morning/afternoon |
| ogiaa | occhiali | glasses |
| lapis | matita | pencil |
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