Anyone here watch the Godfather movies?

Dick-B4

October 24, 2016

I've watched the Godfather movies literally hundreds of times. Now that I've taken some courses here in Italian, I'm listening to the dialogue when the characters are speaking Italian. I only recognize a few words, which makes me wonder if most or all of the actors are just making up words as they go along. It's been done in many other movies.

Does anyone know if the dialogue in the Godfather movies is really Italino, or just gibberish?

drewster

October 25, 2016

Hi Dick,

I read that the dialogue is in Sicilian rather than Italian. I've asked my Italian tutor about these 'dialects' (they aren't really dialects in the true sense) and she said those languages are mostly unintelligible to her too. So, no chance for me!

Cheers,
Drew

Dick-B4

October 25, 2016

Oh, great. I'm going to Sicily in April, and I've been taking Rocket Italian courses for the last year or so. I still won't understand!

drewster

October 26, 2016

Hi Dick,

I've not been there but I'm told it won't be a problem. While they'd talk Sicilian to each other, I'm told that most can also speak Italian and will, particularly in tourist areas. A bigger problem will be getting them to NOT swap to English when you want to practice your Italian.

Cheers,
Drew

Dick-B4

October 28, 2016

I'm still watching the two movies (I just watch 15-25 minutes while I eat). It seems like Al Pacino is speaking more Italian words than the other actors. Maybe he was fluent enough in Italian to do his own dialogue.

Jack-D32

December 29, 2017

I was in Sicily three years ago and they speak English and Italian. Many of the younger generation do not speak Sicilian, but only English and Italiano.
I tried to buy a t-shirt and wanted to know what it said on the front of the shirt. I visited three stores in Palermo and the individuals working at the store had no idea what was written on the front of the t-shirts. A vendor in the third store had to look it up. He said he did not know Siciliano. Apparently, not too many teenagers do?

DeS

Anyone here watch the Godfather movies?

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