Language in Venice

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Language

In Venice, language is not a big problem. You can always find someone who speaks at least a little English. Remember that the Italian language is pronounced exactly as it is written. (Many Italians try to speak English the same way, enunciating every syllable, with disconcerting results.) You may run into a language barrier in the countryside, but a phrase book and close attention to the Italians' astonishing use of pantomime and expressive gestures will go a long way. Try to master a few phrases for daily use, and familiarize yourself with the terms you'll need to decipher signs and museum labels.

More than a dialect, locally spoken veneziano is a real language with a rich history. All the Republic's official documents, all commercial transactions, and even many diplomatic missions to foreign states were written or conducted in the Venetian language. Unless you know some Italian, you may not realize how much of what you hear on the street is actually local language. If you listen closely, especially to the boatmen, or people in Castello or Cannaregio, you might notice a difference in tone, less enunciation, or the sound of a hard "g" or "z," normally not heard in Italian. Venetians also tend to drop consonants, so perhaps that's how an old Venetian greeting sciavo (literally "slave"), pronounced without the "v," became the Italian word ciao, used for both "hi" and "see you."

Languages for Travelers

A phrase book and language-tape set can help get you started. Fodor's Italian for Travelers (available at bookstores everywhere) is excellent.