GEPHRAS2: The DZ of Genoese and Italian Phrasemes

Most dialect dictionaries in Western Europe only appeared comparatively late mainly since the second half of the 19th century. This is also the case for Genoese, the dialect of Genoa (Italy). Existing Genoese or Genoese- Italian dictionaries often copy one another and rely on old-fashioned and mostly incorrect translations, many of which give no indication of how a word is pronounced or which combinations it is used in. For precisely this reason, a new dictionary was created as part of a previous project between 2018 and 2020. It deals with the problems mentioned and is available online. So far, the dictionary contains Genoese word combinations and idioms (plus their translations into Italian) for 100 Genoese words beginning with the letters A, B and C. In this follow-up project, the innovative dictionary will be expanded to include words beginning with the letters from D to Z by using some important new additions. First, the most important Genoese words starting with these letters will be chosen. In order to be selected, they must appear in at least three other dictionaries in addition to being used frequently in word combinations. As part of the project, we will look for typical word combinations containing the chosen words in all Genoese as well as in Italian dictionaries. Moreover, we will then add further word combinations found with the help of native speakers and by analysing collections of texts, and we will give examples of historical Genoese word combinations too. We have decided to use a form of spelling which is well-known within the Genoese community and was exemplified in a recent publication (2015). Our online dictionary will also make it possible to search for a word combination and listen to its pronunciation. Furthermore, the audio files will be written out phonetically, so that users can identify the sounds correctly. In order to aid understanding of how the word combinations are used in different contexts, we will also provide some further information in square brackets and add Genoese and Italian example sentences. Additionally, we will provide artistic illustrations for some of the Genoese expressions. They will depict both the real meaning of the combination and the literal meaning of the words that the combination consists of. This way, the pictures motivate users to learn new expressions and make them easier to memorize. This project will help preserve Genoese, which is classed as an endangered variety nowadays, as it is no longer used widely and the number of its speakers is decreasing. The work involved in this project is also important for new studies on the structure of dictionaries and it will be possible to use the material for self-study or even for teaching Genoese.