Today it is quite frequent, especially in informal speech, to replace Genoese forms in -ç- with Italianizing ones in -c-. Thus, for example, the genuine form çentro [ˈseŋtru] “center” is replaced with the Italianism centro [ˈtʃeŋtru], çerto [ˈsɛːrtu] “certain” replaced with certo [ˈtʃɛːrtu], etc.

In this dictionary, also in order to promote the recovery of genuine forms, those with -ç- are given, also considering that graphically they do not differ much from those which may occasionally have wider circulation, thus not creating reading difficulties even for those accustomed to the Italianized forms.

In line with this approach, it was decided to transcribe and present with -ç- even those forms that in pronunciation, at least historically, presented the realization -[s]- as opposed to -[tʃ]- of Italianizing origin, such as proçesso [pruˈsɛsˑu] “process” as opposed to processo [pruˈtʃɛsˑu] or soçietæ [susjeˈtɛː] “society” as opposed to societæ [sutʃeˈtɛː], even though in general usage the affricate consonant pronunciation has now become standard; the same applies to borrowings from other languages such as biçicletta [bisiˈkletˑa] “bicycle” (< from French bicyclette [bisiˈklɛt]).

Feminine nouns and adjectives ending in -e remain unchanged in the plural, keeping a form closer to the original Latin declension compared to the Italian equivalents. Thus unna ciave > doe ciave < duae claves “two keys” and unna noxe > træ noxe < tres nuces “three nuts”. Plural forms in -i, such as ciavi and noxi, are Italianisms widely spread especially in urban areas.

Exceptions are feminines in -eise, whose plural form is now -eixi as in the masculine: unna zeneise > dötræ zeneixi “some Genoese women”.

Genoese words deriving from Latin forms in -ale(m) generally take the ending -â, such as prinçipâ < principale(m). Currently one also finds Genoese forms in -ale, in the following cases:

• Latinisms of learned origin, such as spirituale < spirituale(m), widely attested in written use;
• forms that, in spoken language, have long since lost the genuine ending -â due to the influence of Italian.

In this dictionary, given its purposes, the forms in -â are reported preferentially, whenever they are actually attested in use.