He who forgets the language forgets the soul — to lose one's native language is to lose one's deepest self. Language is not merely communication but identity, memory, and the container of cultural knowledge accumulated over generations.
For the Sicilian emigrant diaspora, this proverb was particularly poignant and urgent. The first generation tried to maintain Sicilian dialect alongside the new language of adoption; the second generation was caught between; the third and fourth generations often lost the language entirely. With the language went not just words but the proverbs, the songs, the recipes described in the original terms, the family stories told in the original voice. The proverb expressed the fear of this loss: without the language, the cultural soul — the accumulated wisdom, the specific worldview, the particular humour — could not be transmitted. It was a call to teach, to speak, to sing in the original tongue even in foreign countries.
A proverb about linguistic identity and the loss of self that accompanies language loss. 'Si scorda la lingua' = dimentica la lingua (forgets the language), 'l'anima' = l'anima (the soul). Particularly resonant in the Sicilian emigrant diaspora where language was the last thread of cultural identity.
A Sicilian-American trying to teach her grandchildren the dialect
I miei nipoti parlano solo inglese. Cu si scorda la lingua si scorda l'anima — insegno loro almeno i proverbi.
My grandchildren speak only English. He who forgets the language forgets the soul — I teach them at least the proverbs.
About the loss of Sicilian dialect among young people
I ragazzi non parlano più il dialetto. Cu si scorda la lingua si scorda l'anima — stanno perdendo qualcosa che non riacquisteranno.
Young people no longer speak the dialect. He who forgets the language forgets the soul — they are losing something they will not regain.
Defending the teaching of Sicilian dialect in schools
Il dialetto non è inferiore all'italiano. Cu si scorda la lingua si scorda l'anima — merita di essere insegnato.
The dialect is not inferior to Italian. He who forgets the language forgets the soul — it deserves to be taught.
A Sicilian writer explaining why they write in dialect
Certe cose non si possono dire in italiano. Cu si scorda la lingua si scorda l'anima — io scrivo in siciliano perché è lì che abito.
Certain things cannot be said in Italian. He who forgets the language forgets the soul — I write in Sicilian because that is where I live.