Corsican expressions

Before arriving in CorsicaTake a quick course in expressions Corsica for your holidays so that you don't find yourself dumbfounded Corsican.

Some basic pronunciation

Visit Corsica the ends of words are often swallowed.

• The "U" is always pronounced "OR",
• the "T" becomes a "D",
• the "TT" into a "T",
• the "V" is generally pronounced as "B" (except in the south of France). Corsica)
• and only in the South is "LL" pronounced "DD".

The consonants K, W and X do not exist in Corsica. For vowels, "A" and "I" are pronounced as in French, "U" is pronounced "OU", "E" is never silent and "Y" does not exist.

Here are some familiar words and expressions

Yes ïé

No : Innò

Welcome : Benvenuti

It's going to : Va bè

How are things? : Cumu và ?

Hello : Bonghjornu

Good evening : Bóna will be

Good night : Bóna notte

To your health Salute!

Goodbye : Avvèdeci

Thank you : Grazie

Excuse me : Scusatemi

Can I eat? manghjà, possu?

Machja scrubland (local vegetation)

Paghjella traditional polyphonic singing

Amicu : friend

Corsican names in place names

Bocca : Col

Capu Summit, course

Lavu : Lake

Penta, pentone : Big rock

Foce High mountain pass, mouth

Carrughju : street

Piscia : Cascade

Serra Ridge, or mountain range

Castagnu : Chestnut

Liccetu Holm oak forest

Indè at someone's home

A few keys to understanding the language and its corsissisms

What we are proposing here is a small glossary of expressions. corsican employed most often by young people.

We've decided to tell you all about it because it's a widespread phenomenon in France. CorsicaThe language varies from region to region. A group of young people chatting in French in the market square will be a real linguistic enigma, as there are so many expressions and other Corsicanisms.

Here's an anthology of the most common expressions, which may help you to see things more clearly and avoid letting yourself get 'sega'.

" Monta a sega montà à zegua" or "monter la sègue" or "tenter".

A multi-faceted expression, in its most common sense it is used to describe someone who is pretentious: they are then said to be a "monta sega" (a "kakou" in Marseille). To "tempt" someone or to "show them the ropes" is in a way to trick them, to make them believe something that is false and of which they are the only one unaware, in which case they will be the "turkey of the joke"!

This is a practice that is very widespread in CorsicaThis is what we call "macagna", a kind of humour. Corsica made up of self-mockery and critical observations.

The legendary " Babin "In Ajaccio, it's pronounced "va bè". If it's pronounced in the interrogative form, it simply means "ça va? In Bastia, for example, "va bè" becomes "babin" and is a kind of interjection used at the end of a sentence or to punctuate a sentence verbally. "Babin" can be an emphatic exclamation mark, a superlative or a full stop!

" Pinzuttu Pointu" is continental French for "sharp". There are two hypotheses as to the origin of the word. The first, linked to its translation, would explain the strong 'pointu' accent of Parisians, among others. The second comes from the tricorne worn by the French voltigeurs of the Marbeuf tale when they arrived in Paris. Corsica in the 18th century.

" Avà " [awa]: another interjection. This one expresses astonishment. Example: Jean-Marc: "I'm not with Georgette any more", Simon: "Ava!...", or Fabien: "Someone stole my surfboard", Victor: "Ava, that's not true!...".

" Aio! "aillot]. Expresses impatience, insistence, example: Livia takes 1 h 30 to get ready, Victor gets impatient: "Aio, hurry up!

" chè " [kè]: Used mainly in the Cortenais and inland villages, "chè" has two meanings: the first is used in the interrogative form to express a question, e.g. "chè, on va sortir ou pas ce soir? The second is used to express a statement, a challenge or an appeal, e.g. "chè, écoute-moi" ("listen to me").

" Macu " [mâquou] (for deformation: "mac"): It's "good". Some women from Ajaccio say "toc de mac", obviously, if we hadn't explained it to you you would have had trouble understanding a discussion.

" Piombu " [piombou]: typically Ajaccio expression, "piombu" expresses intense astonishment, e.g. Guillaume: "Yesterday evening I ran 25 kilometres", Robert: "Piombu, tant que ça! ?

"Saeta [çaèta]: has much the same meaning as Piombu, but is mainly used in Balagne, more specifically in L'Ile-Rousse.

" Strega, stragna "strègua, strâgna]: a witch, someone unsympathetic, or someone strange, in Corsica The foreigner is called "u stragneru".