Frenching Italian

[KurtNYC]

is when you drop the final vowel sound off. Italians say all of their vowels (and they eat all of their vegetables).

Mih-neh-stroh-nay
Pro-vel-loh-nay
Motz-ah-rehl-ah

but now I hear many, if not most people, including those who work in italian restaurants, dropping the final vowel. Does Rachel Ray do that? if so I will blame her and her EVOO.

(I'm not crabby -- just hungry this morning maybe)

[mainegreen]

1. Frenching Italian is when you go to italy and stick your tongue down someones throat.

:D

[Cabcere]

2. Yeah...that's kind of what I was thinking.

:P Only mine was more along the lines of, "I can think of an Italian or two I'd like to French!" :spank: I'm a bad person. :evilgrin:

[Momgonepostal]

3. That's a habit a lot of Italian-Americans and Southern Italians...

have. In parts of Southern Italy, they drop the final sound on a word, just like in the US how we might drop a "G" from the end of "going," "writing," etc. My theory is that historically more of our Italian immigrants are from the South, and so they pass their habits onto their kids and grandkids.

Another example is "capisce" which should be pronounced "ca-pi-shay" instead of
"ca-peesh." People in Naples say that ALL THE TIME.