When Dialects Clash

The wide range of dialects that can be found in Italy has always been rather fascinating to me; so much diversity across relatively little space. However, I hadn't considered the dangers of these language differences until a friend played this lovely song for me: La Ficcanaso by Sabrina Musiani




She's singing about how she's such a curious person and loves sticking her nose in other people's business (kind of an odd subject in and of itself for a song and dance).

I quote:

A me piace ficcare, ficcare... il mio naso dappertutto.

I like to stick, stick... my nose everywhere

The problem occurs when she leaves the untimely pause between "ficcare" and "il mio naso". Had she timed her phrasing a bit better, the translation would have been the same in either Italian or Sicilian (and I doubt this would have ended up on youtube).

However, that small breath, in Sicilian, gives a whole new meaning to the word "ficcare".

Literally, in Italian, it means to "put in" or "insert".

In Sicilian though, it means...

... "f**k"

So because of that tiny little pause every Sicilian actually hears her singing "I like to f**k, f**k... my nose everywhere". Indeed, as I listen to it now, AmoreMio keeps bursting into laughter as he catches some of the more choice phrases in the song:

I like to ficcare until I know everything
ficcare, until I get tired
how wonderful it is to ficcare
ficcare as much as i can
and by ficcando ficcando ficcando my life is just a bit more fun
how much I like to ficcare

Even after listening to it about five times he can't stop giggling.

Judging by the innocent faces (and the lack of laughter) in the film audience, I have to assume that they are not Sicilian.