User profile for user: RZBBK
RZBBK Author
User level: Level 1
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Sicilianu - System Preferences / International / Language / Edit List...

Sicily is a large Italian island in the Mediterranean Sea, off the southwestern tip of Italy.
The official language in Sicily is Italian. All the schools in Sicily, from elementary schools to Universities, teach and use Italian.
Sicilia is the Italian name of Sicily.
"Sicilianu" is a dialect, i.e., a particular form of a language that is peculiar to a specific region: Sicilia (Sicily).
It is ludicrous to have "Sicilianu" as a Language. Really! I cannot believe that somebody at Apple chose to include it in OS X 10.5.

¿Does OS X 10.6 still makes a joke out of 'Sicilianu"?
Because it is not funny!

Riccardo-Zoran Balmas de Kide
P.S. I used to teach Italian at the University of Pennsylvania

Message was edited by: RZBBK

Dual 2.3 GHz PowerPC G5, Mac OS X (10.5.8)

Posted on Dec 13, 2009 7:44 AM

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17 replies
User profile for user: Tom Gewecke
Tom Gewecke
User level: Level 10
122,468 points

Dec 13, 2009 9:10 AM in response to RZBBK

It is ludicrous to have "Sicilianu" as a Language.


I suggest you take up your views on that with the people who set the international standards for determining what constitutes a "language" for use in computer software and elsewhere, ISO 639, e.g.

http://www.loc.gov/standards/iso639-2/php/code_list.php

The official ISO code for Sicilian is scn, and of course this is still on the Language list in OS X 10.6. The purpose of that list is to provide access to whatever language localizations software producers might want to include in their products aimed at particular markets.
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User profile for user: RZBBK
RZBBK Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

Dec 17, 2009 1:18 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

Dear Tom, thank you very much for your valuable official information.
I emailed today the sicilianu question (about language or dialect) to a learned Sicilian friend (in Italy): I'll let you know.

In the meanwhile, although not from a Sicilian professor,
http://www.investsicily.com/learn.htm#population
answers to
_Languages - what languages are spoken in Sicily?_

Italian is the official language. There is also a local dialect, called Sicilian, which is actually more a language than just a dialect, as it differs completely from Italian. Each town or even village has a *different variety of Sicilian dialect*. It is not necessary to be able to speak Sicilian when you go to Sicily, since this dialect is only used in informal situations or by elderly people more than by young people.

null
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User profile for user: RZBBK
RZBBK Author
User level: Level 1
8 points

Dec 17, 2009 1:32 AM in response to RZBBK

I found another place
<http://www.thinksicily.com/guide-to-sicily/all-things-sicilian/sicilian-dialect .aspx>
saying
"As with most regions of Italy, Sicily has largely retained its dialect and many people still use it frequently. While *it is not taught in schools*, and is generally frowned upon by the middle/upper middle classes, Sicilian dialect continues to play a very important role in everyday life."
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User profile for user: varjak paw
varjak paw
User level: Level 10
182,686 points

Dec 17, 2009 10:05 AM in response to RZBBK

I also fail to understand why or how the inclusion of any particular language or localization in Mac OS X affects a user that does not use/need that language.

Can you please explain how the inclusion of Sicilian in Mac OS X is causing you difficulty in using your Mac? Perhaps if we understood the problem it is causing you, we can offer suggestions as to a fix or workaround.

Whether or not Sicilian is a language or dialect and/or how many people speak it is irrelevant to the issue.
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User profile for user: Tom Gewecke
Tom Gewecke
User level: Level 10
122,468 points

Dec 17, 2009 10:41 AM in response to varjak paw

I'm sure RZBBK doesn't actually have a problem with his Mac, he just thinks listing Sicilian as a "language" is an error or not appropriate. There are some political contexts in which that point of view could make sense, for example when talking about treaty obligations undertaken by European states to protect "minority languages", which excludes whatever the signing state considers to be a "dialect."

But in the context of functional listings in computer software, the "language" concept is taken from the standards approved by the ISO and similar organizations for tagging text, and in that framework having Sicilian on the list is certainly appropriate.
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User profile for user: varjak paw
varjak paw
User level: Level 10
182,686 points

Dec 17, 2009 11:29 AM in response to Tom Gewecke

Hi, Tom.

I'm sure you're right. My subtle point was to try to direct this conversation to the issue of technical support rather than a philosophical discussion of what constitutes a language. If RZBBK has a technical problem that he'd care to mention, perhaps we can address it. But if not and all he is complaining about is indeed the characterization of Sicilian as a "language", then this isn't an appropriate topic for this forum as I'm sure you'd agree. Any further discussion on that topic can do is foster an argument.

Regards.
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Sicilianu - System Preferences / International / Language / Edit List...

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