Wrong. And annoying.

The southern Australian cities of Melbourne and Adelaide have HUGE Italian expat populations. As does Toronto and Montreal in Canada. ALL these places are EXACTLY the same in their respective Italian communities regards keeping their Italian traditions alive whilst merging with their new 'Western' culture.
Italian Americans forget that when the great immigrations of the late 19th and 20th century were underway immigrants had a choice of the U.S., Canada or Australia..

The only thing 'unique' about Italian Americans is that like most other Americans who've never traveled further than a tank of gas, they think of themselves as being so. So before we all break out into chants of 'USA! USA! USA!' Remember there's a world out there which exists outside of the states.

I can almost see your point, Sonny. But the Italian-American community is just so unique that it almost can't be explained. Outsiders would call us pseudo-Italians. But Americans of Italian descent have created a subculture within an actual culture.

Now, at times, the differences between the subculture and the original culture can be extreme. But at other times, when people actually pour their hearts and souls into keeping their parents and grandparents customs alive, it can be both touching and beautiful. Christmas Eve is a good example.

Just like anything else, it depends on the individual. If you try too hard, you may come off as a cafone. But when the tradition is handed down properly, you'll come of as worldly.

Italian-Americans are the most unique of the hyphenated Americans. I don't know any other way to put it. Oh, I'd also like to add that I'm not sure how much gas it took, but I've been to more than a dozen countries.

Couldn't disagree more.

Expat Italian communities around the world are amazing in their commonality. Not their indervidualism. Italian Americans included. I've lived in Adelaide, Melbourne and Toronto and their respective Italian communities whilst differing in perhaps in who's momma makes the best sauce and an accent, the commonalities between the communities is startling.

Italians the world over are culturally if not by birth, Italians.

Addition:

To give a perfect example this clip by Canadian comedian Gerry Dee could've been written about Italian Americans, Italian Canadians or Italian Australians.

To a tee



https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=Fv3fkcCrn6k

What are you trying to say? I don't think really get it.

I mean, if you cared to read my post, you'll see that I was just talking about how people define themselves not as hyphenated, but as Italian or Irish. I was just talking about the way people refer to themselves

That was funny Tony!

And that's your right, Sonny. That's what message boards are for: to debate in a civilized fashion. Not to come online in a bad mood and pick fights because you had a bad day at the office.

And I should hope you don't think I'm talking about you, as our friendship extends way beyond this board. And I can't say that about too many guys here because of all of the recent drama and nonsense. But my friends (for instance, the guys who have my email address) know who they are.

This is the most recent in a long line of Gotti threads so I will just leave this here.



http://time.com/3840352/brad-garrett-memoir/

Interestingn post. Cheers Moe

Not Italian or Italian American but I used to work at an Italian deli and they used to tell me I was the boss of this...

that's correct!

Very common joke in Italian-American foodservice. Never gets old, either .

IMO - Speaking "fluent Italian" is very subjective... especially today.

There are so many original dialects from the regions of Italy, Sicily & Sardinia that were then brought over here with our immigrant ancestors.

We all have the language/memories we were raised around and exposed to, now top that off with following factors:

1. First, second and third generation Americans of Italian descent - all having their own dialect and interpretation.

2. Various geographical locations here in the US of Italian immigrants who settled and established mini regions of dialect and phrases.

Not my intent to agree or disagree with any of the previous posts and I get it that there are some obvious common pronunciation and key phrases. Throughout the years, some things could be added or subtracted, etc.

I just found it very interesting that you can say the same thing in Rome, Naples, Palermo and Sardinia but have several things so different from each region's dialect.

Not to mention Brooklyn... we all know they have their own language altogether!

wait, sonny doesn't get why toronto is indeed more similar to melbourne that to philly or nyc?

damn

prejudice blinds more effectively than muzzle flash

Sonny is a good guy so we left it alone.

Said the guy who's never been to either.
But you keep flying that 'I'm special/we're different' flag and yell down anyone else who knows different with 'prejudice'

you think you know different

when you clearly don't know enough

like gotti's italian

Anyone know if the chin spoke Italian?

Also did any of the guys on the commission case speak Italian?

Big Paul, fat Tony, Tom mix, the snake, Tony ducks, did they speak Italian

Gigante's mother either couldn't speak English, or spoke it badly, so I would be surprised if he wasn't conversational in Italian.

I'm almost positive Castellano spoke a good Sicilian dialect. Remember he was Carlo's cousin, they grew up together, if Carlo was fluent in his Sicilian tongue, I don't believe Big Paulie wasn't. Not to mention he dealt with the Gambinos from Cherry Hill and John Stanfa. Both liked to speak about their business and street dealings using the Sicilian language.

Good observation, Lurker.

Here's how I've always seen it: If your parents were born on the other side, you must be able to understand them. Now, how you actually speak Italian is a different story.

When I was growing up and a kid's Mother screamed something out the window for them, it was always in Italian. But when the kid replied, it was almost always in English.

Now, you remove them another generation or two, and that's how the language gets lost completely in most families.

The old time Miami Cubans had a great way of keeping the language....

They would speak nothing but spanish to the kids until they started school, by the time they were 7 years old they were fluent in both.

But even Cubans assimilate. My Wife (the oldest) and her brother both speak totally fluent Spanish, yet the youngest brother only "understands" can barely speak a word and hes a first generation American.

Sal