Council for Ligurian Linguistic Heritage

Ligurian Council

DEIZE

Italian-Ligurian (Genoese) dictionary

padrone

m. n.
  1. proprietario di qcs.

    patron [paˈtruŋ] (var. padron)

    propietäio [prupjeˈtaːju]

    la padrona di casa è venuta a chiedere i soldi dell’affito

    a patroña de casa a l’é vegnua à domandâ i dinæ da pixon

  2. chi possiede un animale

    padron [paˈdruŋ]

    il padrone chiama il suo cane

    o patron o l’acciamma o seu can

  3. datore di lavoro

    baccan [baˈkaŋ]1

    prinçipâ [priŋsiˈpaː]2

    patron [paˈtruŋ] (var. padron)

    il padrone non mi ha pagato gli straordinari

    o baccan o no m’à pagou i straordenäi

Learn more

1. Pronunciation of plurals of words in -an

In Genoese the plural of words in -an results in -en (artexan “artisan” > artexen “artisans,” can “dog” > chen “dogs,” italian “Italian” > italien “Italians”). The pronunciation of the ending is -[ˈeŋ] (with a close vowel) in urban Genoese (hence also the spelling, compared to the “etymological” -æn); in many peripheral varieties it is -[ˈɛŋ], with an open vowel. The Genoese orthography makes it possible to represent both pronunciations through a single spelling. On pronunciation alternations in contemporary Genoese shared by the speaker community, and on their lexicographic representations (partly taken up in DEIZE), see in particular Lusito (2025, § 6).

2. Endings in and -ale

Genoese words deriving from Latin forms in -ale(m) generally take the ending , such as prinçipâ < principale(m). Currently, one can also find Genoese forms in -ale in Latinisms of learned origin, such as spirituale < spirituale(m), widely attested in written use; and in forms that, in spoken language, have long since lost the genuine ending due to the influence of Italian. In this dictionary, given its purposes, the forms in are reported preferentially, whenever they are actually attested in use.

Declensions

m. s m. p f. s f. p
baccan bacchen baccaña baccañe
padron padroin padroña padroñe
patron patroin patroña patroñe
prinçipâ prinçipæ prinçipâ prinçipæ
propietäio propietäi propietäia propietäie

Bibliography

  • S. Lusito, Aspetti teorici e pratici della redazione di un dizionario genovese-italiano della lingua contemporanea. Metalessicografia di una varietà romanza di koinè, Edizioni dell’Orso, 2025