Learn Sicilian | CCI Buffalo
 

Centro Culturale Italiano di Buffalo is pleased to announce we are AGAIN offering Sicilian language lessons.  The Spring 2023 class has ended, but you can now register for the Fall 2023 session of Conversational Sicilian for Beginners - Part 1.

                                                 

 
The Tuscan dialect that is now the 'standard' Italian language is the official language of all of Italy's regions, including Sicily.  It is the language of business, banking, travel, and other public activities.  But if your immigrant ancestors came from Sicily, it's likely that the colorful, expressive, warm language you heard them speaking was not 'Italian', but the Sicilian language, which preceded and actually contributed to the development of 'Italian'.

So if you remember fondly the language that your Sicilian parents or grandparents used, or if you visit Sicily, where your relatives still speak it in their homes, you'll enjoy these classes that teach the language of your forefathers.
 

Conversational Sicilian for Beginners: Part 1 (Fall term)

This is an introductory class for students who have no experience with the Sicilian Language, or have heard it spoken in the home and wish to rekindle their knowledge of their ancestors' native tongue. 

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. 

 
    .
Conversational Sicilian for Beginners: Part 2 (Spring term)


This is a 'continued' beginners' course, drawing on the references from Part 1, and expanding on the vocabulary, parts of speech, and pronunciation presented therein.  
Completion of Part 1, or a basic understanding of Sicilian is required before registering for Part 2.

Use will be made of videos, in Sicilian, with class discussion and translation of the videos and of selected published essays on Sicilian life. A Part 2 Study Guide will be provided to all students.

The goal is to end the semester with a session during which the instructors and students will speak only in Sicilian.

  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.
 

September 2023
Conversational Sicilian Part 1

Twelve one-hour classes.
Weekly, Mondays at 6:00 PM starting September 11th. 
Part 1 Class cost is as follows:
* $175.00 for CCI Members
* $225.00 for non-members
(includes a copy of Joseph Privitera's
'SICILIAN Dictionary & Phrasebook)

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
Conversational Sicilian Part
2

One-hour classes weekly on Mondays at 6:00 PM staring in February, through May.
Exact cost and dates to be announced.



 

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?
* Do you speak any Sicilian, and at what level?
* What are your reasons for learning Sicilian?

Email your answers to AFConiglio@aol.com, and please include your full name in your response.


 

SPEAK SICILIAN!  
We encourage you to seek out situations where you can speak Sicilian.  Among family, 'old' school friends, etc. who remember a song, a word, a phrase or two.  Doing so will bring back reminiscences of your immigrant ancestors, and refresh the memories of your youth.

 
 
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

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.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 










































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