Italy Languages

Additional Resources
This word list includes only the words most commonly found in genealogical sources. For further help, use a Latin-English dictionary. Latin-English dictionaries are available on each floor of the FamilySearch Library. The call numbers begin with 473.21.

The following Latin-English dictionary is available on microfilm for use in FamilySearch Centers:


 * Ainsworth, Robert. Ainsworth's Latin Dictionary, rev. ed. London: F. Westly and A.H. Davis, 1836. ;.

Additional dictionaries are listed under LATIN LANGUAGE - DICTIONARIES in the "Subject" section of the FamilySearch Catalog. Most bookstores carry useful, inexpensive Latin-English dictionaries.

The following sources can also be helpful for reading Latin records:


 * Baxter, J. H. and Charles Johnson. Medieval Latin Word-List From British and Irish Sources. London: Oxford University Press, n.d..


 * Grun, Paul A. Schlüssel zur alten und neuen Abkürzungen: Wörterbuch lateinischer und deutscher Abkürzungen des späten Mittlealters und der Neuzeit. Limburg/Lahn, Germany: Starke Verlag, 1966. Vol. 6, Key to ancient and modern abbreviations: Dictionary of Latin and German abbreviations of the late middle age and modern times.


 * Jensen, C. Russell. Parish Register Latin: An Introduction. Salt Lake City, Utah: Vita Nova Books, 1988. A guide to understanding Latin as it appears in continental European church records.


 * Martin, Charles Trice. The Record Interpreter: A Collection of Abbreviations, Latin Words and Names Used in English Historical Manuscripts and Records, 2nd ed. London, England: Stevens, 1910. 1910.


 * McLaughlin, Eve. Simple Latin for Family Historians, 2nd ed. Birmingham, England, London: Federation of Family History Societies, 1987. This booklet lists Latin words frequently used in English parish registers.

Description
The official and most widely spoken language across Italy is Italian. Of the indigenous languages, twelve are officially acknowledged as spoken by linguistic minorities:
 * Albanian
 * Catalan
 * German
 * Greek
 * Slovene
 * Croatian
 * French
 * Franco-Provençal
 * Friulian
 * Ladin
 * Occitan
 * Sardinian

This list contains Italian words with their English translations. Italian Genealogical Word List. The words included here are those that you are likely to find in genealogical sources.

Italian is a Romance language derived from Latin. Italian is spoken in Italy and the southern part of Switzerland in the cantons of Ticino and Graubünden. Italian is also spoken in Yugoslavia near the border with Trieste. Some of the records of Corsica, Nice, and Savoy were written in Italian before those areas became part of France. Clusters of Italian immigrants in major cities like New York, Chicago, Montreal, Toronto, and Melbourne also speak Italian. Sicilian, Neapolitan, Romanesque, and Venetian are major dialects of Italian, and they use words similar to the words on this list. Several other minor dialects are spoken in the various provinces of Italy.

This list contains Latin words with their English translations. Latin Genealogical Word List. The words included here are those that you are likely to find in genealogical sources.

Latin is the mother language for many modern European languages. Many words in English, Spanish, French, and other languages resemble Latin words and have the same or similar meanings. Latin was used in the records of most European countries and in the Roman Catholic records of the United States and Canada. Because Latin was used in so many countries, local usage varied. Certain terms were commonly used in some countries but not in others. In addition, the Latin used in British records has more abbreviations than the Latin used in European records.

Word List(s)
Most materials used in Italian research are written in Italian. However, you do not need to speak or read Italian to do research in Italian records. You will, however, need to know some key words and phrases to understand the records.

Because the Roman Catholic Church is predominant, most church records are in Latin. Because of the various political situations through the years, you may also find records from the northern areas in French or German.

Latin grammar may affect the way names appear in the church records. For example, the names Dominica and Dominicam refer to the same person. Translated into Italian, this same person would be Domenica. If the records are in Italian, the spelling of your ancestor’s name will not be affected by grammar.

For word lists and help researching in Italian records, see:
 * Italian Genealogical Word List
 * Latin Genealogical Word List
 * French Genealogical Word List
 * German Genealogical Word List
 * Spanish Genealogical Word List

Italian
 * Italian Words (Wikipedia)
 * Useful Italian phrases (Omniglot)
 * Italian phrasebook (Wikitravel)
 * Coates, Karina and Pietro Iagnocco. Italian. Footscray, Vic.: Lonely Planet, 2011. Available at: WorldCat.

Alphabet and Pronunciation
Italian
 * Italian phonology (Wikipedia)
 * Italian grammar (Wikipedia)
 * Italian Alphabet and Pronunciation (Omniglot)
 * Italian pronunciation dictionary (Forvo)
 * Latin Script Tutorial (BYU)

Language Aids and Dictionaries
Italian
 * English to Italian Dictionary (Glosbe)
 * Italian dictionary (Lexilogos)
 * English to Italian Dictionary (FreeDict)
 * Bulhosen, Pat, Francesca Logi, and Loredana Riu. The pocket Oxford Italian dictionary : English-Italian, Italian-English. Oxford: Oxford University Press, 2006. Available at: WorldCat.
 * Italian Lessons (ILoveLanguages)
 * Learn Italian (Duolingo)
 * Medina, Sarah. Italian. Chicago, Ill.: Heinemann Library, 2012. Available at: WorldCat.
 * BYU Script Latin Tutorial
 * Orlandi, Giuseppe. Dizionario italiano-inglese, inglese-italiano. Milano: Carlo Signorelli, 1957. Available at: WorldCat.
 * Il nuovo dizionario inglese Garzanti (The new Garzanti English dictionary). Milano,: Garzanti, 1984. Available at: WorldCat.

Additional Resources

 * Italy (Britannica)
 * Italy (Wikitravel)