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sayitaliano · 2 years

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I nomi alterati: diminutivi, vezzeggiativi, accrescitivi, peggiorativi/dispregiativi

Disclaimer: this subject is often rated as C2 level, so it's okay if you don't get it well at first or... even at all in this moment (depends on your Italian knowledge).

Altered nouns are used to refer to things, people, animals that, compared with the "standard version" of the same thing, person, animal, have a different characteristic (generally related to the noun's quality and quantity). e.g.: casa = house; casina = little house (nome alterato: diminutivo = smaller version of a casa).

You create the nomi alterati by adding a different suffix to your word, according on the type of alteration you need for your word (that generally can be: a noun, an adjective or an adverb). There are 4 types of nomi alterati (and possible alterations you can make): diminutivi (smaller), accrescitivi (bigger), vezzeggiativi (cuter) and peggiorativi/dispregiativi (worse/bad). -> BEWARE: no matter the type they belongs to, all altered noun can be changed in gender/number so that they relate to the actual subject/noun (animal, thing, person) you need to refer to.

DIMINUTIVI

Diminutivi are suffix that refer to a reduction in quality or quantity (also size/age) of a noun. By using them, you want to share an idea of something being smaller. The most used endings are: -ino (the most used prob.), -etto, -ello [here you find the masculine singular version, but ofc you can conjugate them in all genders and numbers, as mentioned above].

e.g. paese = village -> paesino, paesello (more common ones); paesetto (more rare) = small village

Other endings are: -icino, -icello, -olo (you can add, between the root of a noun and the diminutivo ending, the interfix: -ic- or -ol-):

e.g. posto = place -> posticino = small place (postino = postman, mail deliverer: using the interfix can help you distinguish the two, but it's not always so)

e.g. topo = mouse -> topolino/topino = little mouse (topolino may also look as a vezzeggiativo tbh: cute little mouse) [check the vezzeggiativi explanation and the mixed section at the end of this post]

Diminutivi can also used as to "offend" someone but in a lighter/cuter way? Like joking, flirting... it feels the meaning isn't as strong as if you were really angry at them. It may be used with kids too when they do/say stupid things just because it makes you/them laugh:

e.g. stupido, sciocco = stupid -> stupidino, sciocchino = little stupid person

Very commonly used are (also with different acception, as to be ironic):

e.g. attimo = moment -> attimino = little moment ("stai fermo un attimino!" = stand still for a moment! -to kids)

e.g. sconto = discount -> sconticino = little discount (when trying to get a discount, maybe it's easier to ask -and receive- a sconticino than a sconto e.g. on a bill: "...uno sconticino? *cute eyes*" = "...a little discount?")

e.g. carattere = character -> caratterino = little character or small ego (but actually the meaning is ironic here: that person has a strong will/big ego or is very fixed in their intentions: "che caratterino!")

e.g. casa = house -> casetta = cute house -> casettina = little cute house (to ironically state it's not big but it could actually be somewhere like Hollywood and have 3 pools... it's used for fun, to diminish only apparently some big/rich possession of someone else -out of jealousy/envy too, maybe)

e.g. Paolo (guy named Paolo) -> Paolino (guy named Paolo that is thin, slim or younger/a kid. TBH is can be used ironically as well to indicate a guy named Paolo but who is pretty tall and maybe plays basketball -- real story, yeah we're funny)

VEZZEGGIATIVI

You want to give an idea of something that is smaller and cute, so they generally work with diminutivi as well. The most common endings are: -etto, -uccio, -otto. It's not uncommon for vezzeggiativi and diminutivi endings to work together even not just in an implied way (as some vezzeggiativi can let you think), but also more openly.*

e.g. cavallo = horse -> cavalluccio: cute (little) horse

e.g. caldo = warm -> calduccio = nice warm (feeling/place: the right heat for you, like under the blanket in autumn or when you enter somewhere after having been around in the cold all day: "che bel calduccio!")

e.g. animale = animal -> animaletto/animaluccio = cute (little) animal

e.g. coniglio = bunny -> coniglietto = cute (little) bunny BEWARE though that geneally the vezzeggiativi are used to refer to animals' "kids" instead of diminutivi or any other specific definition: e.g. tigrotto/a = the "puppy" of a tiger (=little cute tiger). e.g. orso = bear -> orsacchiotto = little cute bear (even of plushies)

Some vezzeggiativi endings may be used also as to form peggiorativi/dispregiativi.

The ending -uzzo, may be considered a dialect version for the -uccio ending, with the same acception.

e.g. via = street -> viuzza = little cute/fascinating street

The ending -icciolo may be rarely found, for example:

e.g. porto = harbor -> porticciolo = little nice harbor

ACCRESCITIVI

Are used to give a meaning of something being bigger than it actually is. The more common endings are: -one, -accione.

e.g. uomo = man -> omaccione = huge big man (sometimes even kinda scary/with lot of muscles -- the u in the begining gets usually dropped when you make other words related to "uomo")

e.g. Stefano (guy named Stefano) -> Stefanone (huge/big, tall, strong/muscled guy named Stefano)

e.g. casa = house -> casona = big house

e.g. gatto = cat -> gattone = big cat (it could be cause it has lot of hairs, it's fat or just big) (same goes with the other way you may call a cat -more affectionate way-: micio -> micione)

PEGGIORATIVI/DISPREGIATIVI

These are generally used to give a sense of someone not being at the correct/speaker level, or to give a negative impression. They can be used not just to be mean but also to talk about ruined/dirty things and places. Some common (but sometimes rarely, especially the latters) used endings are: -accio, -aglia, -iciattolo, -icchio, -ucolo.

e.g. tipo = person/guy -> tipaccio = bad, unreliable person/guy

e.g. mostro = monster -> mostriciattolo = little terrible/annoying monster (used in books for kids for example)

e.g. professore = professor -> professorucolo = low level/unable professor

e.g. gatto = cat -> gattaccio = bad/savage/street cat

e.g. gente = people -> gentaglia = bad people, bad/unreliable group of people, outlaws...

As mentioned, some vezzeggiativi endings may be used also in a negative way.

e.g. provinciale = living in the countryside/country part of somewhere -> provincialotto = "stupid", not cultured enough (as in the past people living in the countryside weren't able to study too much)

e.g. impiegato = employee -> impiegatuccio = low level/simple employee

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It basically works the same way with adjectives too. eg. piccolo = little [diminutivo] piccolino = little cuter/sweeter (aww-feeling like when you see a little kitty) [vezzeggiativo] piccoletto = little cuter (when you see someone looking a little shorter than you; beware it can have also an offensive acception according on the context) [accrescitivo piccolone and dispregiativo piccolaccio aren't used: something little is usually nice but you can accompany it with negative adjectives]

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-> *You can generally play with all these suffixes: for example, you can add a diminutive suffix to other suffix so to create different acceptions for words, like:

e.g. storia = story -> storiella = nice story -> storiellina = nice short story e.g. tavolo = table -> tavolino = small table -> tavolinetto = small cute table e.g. fiore = flower -> fiorello = cute flower (but generally not used also cause he's a person to us LOL -famous Italian TV/radio host) -> fiorellino = cute little flower

(-ello, -etto, -otto: these vezzeggiativi endings are some of the most common endings to be added before diminutivi)

-> People's names can be altered also when you use a shorten version of the name:

e.g. Rosa -> Rosina -> Rosella -> Rosetta ** [beware: some of these altered names can be the real name of a person too, like all these for example. Ofc you can also call someone younger/little/cute altering their name: e.g. Marco -> Marchino (little Marco), Marcolino (little cute Marco) -these are not real names-]

e.g. Giuseppe -> Giuseppino (little Giuseppe) -> Beppe (shortened version) -> Beppino (little Beppe) -> Pino (shortened version) -> Peppe (shortened version) -> Peppino (little Peppe) ->Pinin (little Pino - Regional) [So yeah, Robin Hood's Little John would be Giovannino for us :)]

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-> ** BEWARE OF THE FALSI ALTERATI NOUNS!

Not just some people's names, but also common nouns can look as altered nouns but aren't (unless it's clear you're using them as so in a specific context):

e.g. bottone = button (it's not the accrescitivo/bigger version of botte: barrel. If you have doubts check the meanings, but also check the noun's gender as in this case: IL bottone is masculine, while LA botte is feminine; if I had to talk about a huge barrel, I'd keep it feminine and use: LA bottona -despite it would be really weird to say it and we would probably never use it unless we were joking like "Woah, what a huge barrel!" -> "wow che botte enorme!" -more common- VS "wow, che bottona *enorme*!", yeah I'd probably specify I'm referrin to its size anyway)

e.g. canino = canine; it's not just as "relating to dogs" or "a small dog" (especially in central Italy, together with "canetto"); it's also a regular noun to call a teeth type.

e.g. lampone = raspberry; lampo = lightning (unrelated)

e.g. merletto = lace ; merlo = black bird (unrelated, unless you're talking about a very little bird you're looking at)

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YOUR TURN. Try to make an altered name version (one for each type), for each of the following nouns:

- casa = house - micio = cat (kitty) - tavolo = table

Solutions:

noun -> diminutivo, vezzeggiativo, accrescitivo, dispregiativo casa -> casina, casetta, casona, casaccia micio -> micino, micetto, micione, miciaccio tavolo -> tavolino, tavolinetto, tavolone, tavolaccio

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