I dialetti italiani

For those interested in the study of dialectology, this Genovese-Italiano dictionary offers an alphabetical, comprehensive listing of some of the more significant words and idiomatic expressions in both Genovese dialect and standard Italian. LESSON IDEA: As part of a unit on dialects in Italy, or the "questione della lingua" in general, have students write a short paragraph in standard Italian on their daily routine, using the present tense. Then have them use this dictionary (or other similar dictionaries in other dialects) to transform as much of the original text as they can into the dialect in question. If you have access to multiple dictionaries in multiple dialects, the assignment would be even more comprehensive as it would more clearly differentiate not only a particular dialect from the standard Italian, but also the dialect of a specific region from that of another. Students could then compare and contrast words and idiomatic expressions and discuss their origins. This would be appropriate for upper level students of Italian.