Conversational
Sicilian for Beginners: Part 1 (Fall term) A Study Guide will be provided to all students, and each will receive their own copy of Joseph F. Privitera's 'Sicilian Phrasebook and Dictionary' as a reference. Other texts, on-line sources, and videos of speech and songs in Sicilian will also be utilized. |
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In
presenting the Sicilian Language, instructors Angelo
Coniglio and Maria Garozzo-Payne will intersperse lessons
with their personal remembrances as Sicilian-speakers, and
references to Sicily's rich history, culture, and customs.
Different dialects of the Sicilian
Language will also be addressed.
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September
2023
Twelve one-hour classes.
CLASS SIZE WILL BE LIMITED TO THE FIRST TWENTY REGISTRANTS
To register: contact Toni Marie Di Leo at 716-432-9512 or email her at tonimarie.dileo@ccibuffalo.org
February 2024
One-hour classes
weekly on Mondays at 6:00 PM
staring in
February, through May.
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AFTER REGISTERING, please contact instructor Angelo Coniglio at AFConiglio@aol.com and answer the questions listed below.
* What is the ancestral town of your Sicilian
forebears? Email your answers to AFConiglio@aol.com, and please include your full name in your response. |
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SPEAK
SICILIAN!
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Meet the Instructors! | ||
Angelo Felice Coniglio is the youngest son of parents who emigrated from Serradifalco, Sicily in 1913 and 1914. Sicilian is Angelo’s first language, and when he began grammar school, he spoke no English. Angelo is a retired civil engineer who worked concurrently as a professional engineer and adjunct professor at the University of Buffalo School of Engineering for 25 years. Since retiring, Angelo has developed extensive experience in the genealogy of Sicilian immigrants writing genealogy columns in print and digital media and lecturing internationally. Angelo is a volunteer librarian at the Williamsville LDS Church’s Family History Center, and the Director of the genealogy studies program at the CCI GENEALOGY STATION. To read more about Angelo’s take on the Sicilian language, visit http://www.conigliofamily.com/TheSicilianLanguage.htm. Angelo also invites the CCI community to check out his historical novella, titled “The Lady of the Wheel,” set in Racalmuto, Sicily in the 1800s. (Copies available in the CCI Gift Shop.) Email: afconiglio@aol.com |
Maria Garozzo-Payne’s grandfather emigrated from Brucoli (Siracuse), Sicily in 1924. Her grandmother emigrated in 1950, and her mother followed in 1955. Maria’s father also emigrated from Catania, Sicily in 1958. Maria grew up in a three-generation household where Sicilian was the primary language, and her grandmother ensured that she never spoke in English to her grandchildren. Maria is a retired public servant of 35 years for the City of Buffalo with a master’s degree in public administration. She most recently worked as a principal accessor for the Department of Assessment and Taxation. Maria’s family still resides in Italy and Sicily, and she travels abroad as much as possible. On her most recent trip to Sicily, Maria was told that people that grew up speaking “Old Sicilian” are national treasures for having preserved the Sicilian language of the 1920s. Maria currently serves on the CCI Board of Directors, and she has been taking Italian language lessons for several years. “I am very excited to have the opportunity to share my love of the Sicilian language with people who are eager to learn it!” Email: casapayne@aol.com |
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Angelo and Maria are often assisted by 'teacher aides' Joseph Di Leo, a descendant of Montedoro immigrants, and Charles Travagliato, whose parents were Sicilian-speakers from Mistretta. |