GEPHRAS: The ABC of Genoese and Italian phrasemes

The Project GEPHRAS: The ABC of Genoese and Italian Phrasemes (Collocations and Idioms) is a new collection of word combinations in Genoese and their translations in Italian. This collection will be published as an e-dictionary or database that is free and easy to use. This database will be part of the project website (http://gephras.uibk.ac.at). It does not matter if you cannot speak Genoese or if you would like to improve your level our database makes it possible to get to know the ABC of Genoese (and Italian) word combinations, within others also humorous sayings (the basis of these word combinations are 100 words in Genoese that begin with A, B or C). In particular, word combinations of common use will be listed. However, the database will also mention historical word combinations and mark them as such. Of course, the Italian translations are also included. Some examples of phrasemes are cielo a pecorelle (fleecy sky, in Genoese çê fæto a pan, literally sky formed like bread) or the idiomatic expression toccâ ö çê cö do, which is literally the same as in Italian (toccare il cielo con un dito = literally to touch the sky with a finger), in English to walk on air. As Ligurian and thus Genoese has been classified by UNESCO as a definitely endangered language, we have decided to include the pronunciation of the relevant phrasemes, based on the variety of urban Genoese, which spans from Noli to Sestri Levante. If our readers find the dictionary lacking any word combinations, they can write to us in order to let us know, even if the phrasemes belong to another variety of Genoese (e.g. coming from Genoese ex-colonies such as Bonifacio, Carloforte or Calasetta), in order to enrich our database. The use of the search mask is quite easy: you can look for single words or (partial or full) word combinations. When using the database, you will be faced with the orthography of Genoese published in Parlo Ciæo 2015 and will also have the possibility to train with it. Our database is the first Genoese-Italian lexicographic work making use of the orthography of 2015 and you will discover word combinations that are not to be found in any other dictionary. This project helps to document the Genoese dialect and keep it alive.

Research results of the GEPHRAS project The GEPHRAS project dealt with the compilation of a combinatorial dictionary for Genoese and Italian. First, it was necessary to find scientific criteria for the systematic inclusion of word combinations (= WC). Then the exact dialect type of Genoese had to be selected. Being the dominant lexicographical variety and the most widespread variety in Liguria, urban Genoese was chosen. The next step was to collect one hundred words (on the basis of their frequency) and include them in the dictionary as lemmas (keywords). Based on these words, a long list of WC was complied. This was divided into different groups depending on whether the WC had a (partly) literal or a fully idiomatic, i.e. "non-literal" meaning (e.g. get out of the frying pan and into the fire). Within these groups, the WC were additionally sorted according to their (morpho)syntax (e.g. N+Adj.) as well as alphabetically. The dictionary also contains comparative idioms (to be as stupid as straw), formulaic expressions (What the hell!) as well as WC that fulfil grammatical functions (e.g. on the basis of). GEPHRAS also documents historical WC and, unlike many other dictionaries, includes vulgar expressions. An attempt was made to find Italian equivalents for the common Genoese WC that are as precise as possible, giving information regarding context, register and usage. Furthermore, certain formal properties were taken into account, such as the presence of syntactic "blanks" whose realisation can be either obligatory or optional. It was indicated whether a WC refers semantically to people, animals or abstracts. In the case of WC with several meanings, the latter were translated into Italian and explained. The meanings of some WC, which have both a figurative and a literal reading, were also depicted in drawings to help learn Genoese. All in all, the project documented several WC that had never been recorded before. The users of the dictionary have the possibility of carrying out searches with different spellings. The online search function in GEPHRAS is not only free of charge, but also easy to carry out. One can search for single words as well as for WC, in Genoese or Italian. If help is needed, a keyboard with special Genoese characters is available. While typing, the search function also offers auto-complete suggestions. Lastly, the dictionary also provides audio files containing both Genoese and Italian pronunciations. The project is currently being continued by the follow-up project GEPHRAS2. The aim of these projects is to contribute to the preservation of Genoese, a highly endangered dialect. Their results might also be used for didactic purposes. Finally, the dictionary could function as a lexicographic model for the systematic recording of other dialects.