Claudio speaking Abruzezze

Video license

CC BY-NC 4.0

Video file downloads

Dropbox (.mp4)

This video was recorded by Claudio DiDomenico in Norwich, Norfolk, UK. Abruzzese is spoken by as many as 1.3 million, primarily in the Italian region of Abbruzzo. It is a variety of the Neapolitan language, which is sometimes described by linguists as Napoletano-Calabrese and is spoken by as many as 5.4 million people across the southern regions of continental Italy. It is also spoken by diaspora communities worldwide, particularly in the Americas. It has been a literary language since at least the 16th century CE, when the author Giambattista Basile was active. Though Neapolitan remains unrecognized by the Italian government and absent from public school curricula, it still features prominently in popular music, including the works of the late singer-songwriter Pino Daniele, who passed away in 2015.

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