s before a consonant becomes sh
s(?=[ptkfmnlv]) → ʃWhen: before p, t, k, f and the sonorants
How: The sh of 'ship' in front of the consonant.
'Ʃpesso', 'ʃtrada'. The same shift as German st- and sp-.
| Word | Reference | Accent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| spesso | |||
| strada | |||
| scuola |
Neapolitan
Naples has its own language; this is what it does to Italian when it speaks it. Final unstressed vowels fade to a schwa, s before a consonant becomes sh, and a stop after a nasal voices — 'tanto' is 'tando', 'campo' is 'cambo'. It is the sound of the whole south, and of most Italian-American English.
Where: Naples and Campania — the accent, not the language
Try a word
Anything the spelling engine can transcribe, the accent can move. Slow it down to hear the shape.
Reference
Neapolitan
Which rules fired
Melody and rhythm
Strong, singing stress with a rise-fall on the stressed syllable and a long fade on the last. The rhythm is more stress-timed than the standard, because the final vowels have lost their weight.
What moves, one rule at a time
In the order the mouth applies them. Every before-and-after is playable — click the IPA. The pattern is the rule as the engine runs it, for the curious.
Consonants
t voices after n
nt → ndHow: Keep the voice going through the stop.
Post-nasal voicing. The n is voiced, and the t catches it.
| Word | Reference | Accent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| tanto | |||
| quanto | |||
| sentire |
p voices after m
mp → mb| Word | Reference | Accent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| campo | |||
| tempo | |||
| sempre |
k voices after n
ŋk → ŋɡ| Word | Reference | Accent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| anche | |||
| bianco |
Vowels
A final unstressed vowel fades to schwa
([aeio])(?=$| ) → əWhen: on the last syllable, when it is not stressed
How: Close the word on a vague, unstressed 'uh'.
The vowel is still there, but it has lost its colour. 'Bene' ends on a murmur — which is where Italian-American 'mozzarell' and 'prosciutt' come from: the vowel faded, then dropped.
| Word | Reference | Accent | |
|---|---|---|---|
| bene | |||
| pane | |||
| Napoli |
Other accents of Italian: Standard Italian · Roman · all accents