Bari dialect

Barese
Barése, dialètte barése/baríse
Pronunciation	['ba:resə]
Spoken in	Italy
Region	Apulia, Basilicata
Native speakers	2 million of people  (date missing)
Language family	Indo-European Italic Romance Barese
Writing system	Latin (Italian alphabet)
Official status
Regulated by	not officially by Dialetto di Bari, grammatica, scrittura, lettura di Alfredo and Felice Giovine and by Corso di Lingua Barese by Felice Giovine e Gigi De Santis
Language codes
ISO 639-3	–

Bari dialect or dialetto barese is a variety of Romance languages which has developed over time, changing with the numerous linguistic influences in the Apulia region of Italy due to invasion and occupation throughout the centuries [1]. Influences range from Old French because of the historical Norman rule and the Angevin sovereignty to an ancient pre-Roman Illyrian substratum, lending a characteristic inflection to the dialect, and placing it amongst the most distinct of Italian dialects both from the point of view of phonetics and lexis.

Where Bari dialect is spoken

As assigning local dialects to strict geographical areas is often problematic, Barese may be seen, as with other local dialects, as a dynamic and changing language with regional differences determined by a range of geographical, historical and social factors. Nevertheless, Bari dialect may be identified predominantly within the province of Bari in central Puglia, and in the region of Barletta-Andria-Trani, which is characterized by variants such as Barlettano, Tranese and Andriese. The north of the Puglia region in the province of Foggia, where Foggian dialect is spoken, may be seen as a variant of Bari dialect, albeit heavily influenced by Naples dialects.

In Italian cinema of the Commedia all'Italiana, Barese has been made famous by actors such as Lino Banfi, Sergio Rubini, Gianni Ciardo, Dino Abbrescia, and Emilio Solfrizzi. There are also numerous films shot exclusively in Bari dialect: amongst the most notable including LaCapaGira which was recognised by critics at the Berlin Film Festival. Many local theatre companies produce light comedy shows in dialect, often focusing on the comic linguistic opportunities presented by the millions who left Puglia during the last century in search of work abroad.

Linguistic features

Within the Province of Bari many dialects exist which, while similar to Bari dialect, have various vocal differences. For example, the expression Che c'è? in standard Italian, meaning What's the matter? or What's up? is variously produced as:

Ci jè? (Barese)

Ciobbà? (Andriese)

Ce jè? (Bitettese)

Ce d'è? (Grumese and Palese)

Ce jèi? (Bitontino)

Ce da? (Terlizzese)

Ci jò? (Barlettano)

Ce d'è? (Molfettese)

Meanwhile, the conjugation of verbs sees changes such as:

Essere (to be in standard Italian)

Person	io	tu	lui	noi	voi	loro
Indicative
Present	sono	sei	è	siamo	siete	sono

Essere (to be in Barese)

Person	ji	tu	jidde/jédde	nú	vú	lore
Indicative
Present	so	si	jè	sime	site	so'/sonde (rare)

Fare (to do/make in standard Italian)

Person	io	tu	lui	noi	voi	loro
Indicative
Present	faccio	fai	fa	facciamo	fate	fanno

Fare (to do/make in Barese)

Person	ji	tu	jidde/jédde	nú	vú	lore
Indicative
Present	fazze	fasce	fasce	facíme	facíte	fáscene

References

• D'Amaro, Sergio. "Apulia"
• Official page for LaCapaGira [2] at the Internet Movie Database