Il Dialetto Gallo-Italico
In San Fratello, or San Frareau, as it is called by the inhabitants of the municipality in the province of Messina, the language used by adults and children is Gallo-Italic, in fact, it is officially recognized by UNESCO as an intangible heritage of humanity.
Dizionario del Prof. Benedetto Rotelli
This idiom has its roots in the past, in the dialects of Gaul and Northern Italy. Yet it is not really a dialect, but an official language, perhaps a little ancient, but for this very reason it represents a unique and precious heritage. The name of the town in the local Gallo-Italic language is San Frareau (San Filadelfio), later translated erroneously into San Fratello, due to the assonance between Fraeau (Philadelphio), frea (brother) and the french brother (brother).
The term "Gallo-Italic" is used to indicate the language spoken in the colonies founded by the Normans and the Longobards: in the Nebrodi the colonies founded in San Fratello, Novara di Sicilia and Fondachelli served to stem possible attacks by Arabs from the sea. The descendants of the Lombards settled in San Fratello following Adelaide of Monferrato, who married Roger I of the Normans in 1090.
It seems that the territory of San Fratello passed from Ruggero to his wife when the palace was located in nearby Troina. For generations the Sanfratellani have jealously guarded this language, always handing it down to the new generations without any contamination. The notable similarities with French and with the dialects spoken in northern Italy have even more given foundation to the story of this singular way of communicating.
For centuries the inhabitants of San Fratello have been perceived as foreigners by other Sicilians who have defined them for this reason as "i francisi", the French. The "speech" of San Fratello therefore distinguishes itself from all other Sicilian dialects because it constitutes a separate language and not a dialect.
.jpg)
The Gallo-Italian dialect of San Fratello is currently the essential component of local identity and cohesion.
Speaking a different language from the majority of the Sicilian population, he has experienced the condition of a linguistic minority from the moment of its establishment up to the present day.
In the dialect, the entire population identifies and has always expressed its culture and identity.
Poetry in dialect
A mi figghja.
​
Na arana accuscì gräna
nuoi ni l'avimu appruvea mei,
meanch u giuorn chi di la criesgia
niscimu mardei!
Quänn diessimu chi tu avissi anasciù
nta la famighja ni si arrasgiunea cchju:
li tî zzii ni dascien sach fer,
camisgini e dunzulì
shärpi e bavarì...
pi ni parder di li näni
sach ghji niscì di quodd mei
tenc massarozz, trapp assei!
E i nänu? Dasciuoma ster...
ogni causa era ban d'accater.
E li tî cusgini nin vulaiu savar
avii anescir chi ti vulaiu virar!
E ica cun ta pätri sach pulimu fer?
Ni m'arristea ch'apprigher
la Rrigina e u Bambinìan
ch'anascivi cun ban distìan
sampr nta la pesg e cu la salur
bedda adiegra e firtunära
cam avoss a essir ogni cchjatura.
E davveru la Rrigina m'airea,
anascist n sagramant e cina di buntea
ti docc la vita e m'arrubest u cuor
ma ni m'u figuräva ch'era accuscì cien d'amaur!
-Nicoletta Mangione
To my daughter.
​
Such a great joy,
we had never tried it,
not even the day that from church
we got married!
When we announced your birth
in the family there was no more reasoning:
your aunts left nothing to do,
shirts and sheets
covers and bibs...
not to mention the grandmothers
what did those hands do
many masterpieces, too many!
And the grandparents? Never mind...
Everything had to be bought.
And your cousins didn't listen to reason
you had to be born because they wanted to see you!
And what could we do with your father?
we just had to pray
the Madonna and Child Jesus
that I was born with a good destiny
always in peace and health,
happy and lucky
as every creature should be.
And truly Our Lady helped us
everything went well and you are full of goodness
I gave you my life and you stole my heart
but I didn't think it could contain so much love!
-Nicoletta Mangione