> It's not a matter of opinion. In Italy (as in other
> countries, I think) there is an *official* language,
> with rules.
I am curious to know where you find a "standard"
Italian pronunciation. I have always thought that
there is no standard... is there a textbook that
Italians use in school, or is it something that's not
official but that "everybody knows," (rather like the
"anchorperson" English mentioned by Lloyd -- which I
think is the Chicago accent, or the Californian
accent, I forget which one) or do only Tuscans think
it is official (since it is, after all, their
dialect)? I'd like to know where the Tuscan (closed)
dialect is documented as official, so I can get my
hands on a copy of it.
Colorni: "Many Italian text books state that
unstressed e and o are close. Others maintain just as
unequivocally that they are open. ... But the opening
of unstressed e's and o's only, including the finals,
is practiced by many prominent singers, and sounds
most convincing. It does not distort the pattern of
the language, inasmuch as a stressed open vowel,
because of its stress, will sound a shade more open
than the corresponding unstressed one which gives the
text its proper sound balance. It is correct to open
unstressed e and o in lyric diction, but not to over
open them."
So I was wrong. Colorni opens them.
Moriarty: "It is assumed that unstressed e and o are
always closed in spoken Italian. The modern vocal
usage, however, make variations on this rule. ...
Like English, but unlike French and German, Italian
has no 'official' stage diction."
Moriarty says: Preceding the stress, e and o are
close. Following the stress, e and o are open.
ve/ni/rE
an/gE/lO
fe/li/cE
Is there any dictionary that gives the pronunciation
of unstressed vowels? Most of the bigger ones simply
leave it out (making it impossible to look it up).
Berrong, in _Grammar and Translation for the Italian
Libretto_ says that an unstressed O is always closed.
Thomson, _Italian for the Opera_ says there is no
consensus.
Zingarelli is no help. Collins says it is "subject to
regional variation" and leaves it at that. Avallardi
(Italian-Italian dictionary) says nothing. Webster's
closes them.
So it appears that speaking texts close (and Italian
natives, who are talking about the spoken language and
not the sung language), while singing texts open.
The main point seems to be to get your stressed vowels
right (by looking them up, for the most part, although
there are some rules) and not worry too much about the
unstressed ones. As long as you're consistant. But
I'm still curious.
Isabelle B.
=====
Isabelle Bracamonte
San Francisco, CA
ibracamonte@y...
ibracamonte@y...
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