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Dottoré!

Take It As A Neapolitan Compliment

One woman’s Neapolitan insult is another woman’s compliment.

Photo of a woman speaking with a man.

A woman speaking with a man.

Jessica Da Rosa via Unsplash
Mariateresa Fichele

Neapolitan is a complex language — not so much for lexical reasons as for the intonation, facial expressions and gestures that necessarily accompany the words and make their real meaning clear.

For example, the other day I witnessed an argument between two people, in which, at one point, he turns to her and says: "Shut up! You’re like a Neapolitanbucchina*."

The woman started to lose it, outraged as she was.

But I was really tempted to step in the conversation to calm the mood by saying: "Signó, don’t be angry. If your husband had called me a ‘Neapolitan bucchina*’ with that face and that little voice of his, not only would I have not gotten angry, but I would have replied: ‘Why thank you, aren’t you a real cutie!’”

____________________________

*”bucchina” is a Neapolitan swear word, which roughly translates as “wh*re” but which can also be used as a compliment, meaning “astute” or “clever.”

Learn more about Worldcrunch's exclusive Dottoré! series here.

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Dottoré!

The Language Of Femicide, When Euphemisms Are Not So Symbolic

In the wake of Giulia Cecchettin's death, our Naples-based Dottoré remembers one of her old patients, a victim of domestic abuse.

A mural of a woman's face in Naples

Oriel Mizrahi/Unsplash
Mariateresa Fichele

As Italy continues to follow the case of 22-year-old Giulia Cecchettin, murdered by her ex-boyfriend Filippo Turetta, language has surfaced as an essential tool in the fight against gender violence. Recently, Turetta's father spoke to the press and used a common Italian saying to try and explain his son's actions: "Gli è saltato un embolo", translating directly as "he got a blood clot" — meaning "it was a sudden flash of anger, he was not himself."

Maria was a victim of systemic violence from her husband.

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Support Worldcrunch
We are grateful for reader support to continue our unique mission of delivering in English the best international journalism, regardless of language or geography. Click here to contribute whatever you can. Merci!
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