Question about a name...

[lljg]

Hi everyone,
I'm not sure if this is where I should ask this question, but I have been wondering about this for a long time. My Great Uncle, who's name was Ralph (Cono) Longo (I assume that Cono is his Italian name) went by the name - and I will spell it phonetically as I do not know how to truly spell it -- Uncle Canewch. I guess it was spelled Canuch? Does anyone know what this means? I asked his only living daughter several years ago and she said she never knew what it meant. She thought that he was called that name in Italy.

Thank you for any comments!!

Jean

[johnnyonthespot]

The suffix -ucci in various forms (-ucci, -ucce, -uccia, -uccio) is used to indicate "small" or "little".

My father's name was Carmine as is mine (Jr). My father's mother, the only grandparent I actually knew (the other's having died before or soon after my birth) spoke only Italian and usually called me Carminucci, meaning "Little Carmine".

So, perhaps your uncle was some variant spelling of Conucce? Was there an elder Cono?

[johnnyonthespot]

PS: You can get a good idea of how these sounds are pronounced using this site http://www.oddcast.com/home/demos/tts/tts_example.php

Try Conucce, for example.

[lljg]

Thanks Johnnyonthespot! I have no further information about Ralph (Cono) Longo. He married my Great Aunt. Unfortunately, everyone who had information has passed. Along with all of my other genealogy research, I'd like to find out more about him.

Jean

[lljg]

I checked out "Connuce" on the site www.oddcast.com/home/d...xample.php (along with some variations). I'm wondering if the sound of the "e" at the end was dropped and this is it... Hmmm....

[johnnyonthespot]

I checked out "Connuce" on the site www.oddcast.com/home/d...xample.php (along with some variations). I'm wondering if the sound of the "e" at the end was dropped and this is it... Hmmm....

One of the first things you would be taught should you ever sign up for a beginner's Italian course, is that in Italian all letters are pronounced.

While this may be technically correct, I have found that most of the native-speakers I have known routinely dropped those final syables/vowels. What my grandmother really said, for example, was nearer to (how to do this in english...) Carmen-ooch. Nonetheless, the correct spelling would have been Carminucci and the final sylable should be pronounced "che" as in cheese.

[johnnyonthespot]

I checked out "Connuce" on the site www.oddcast.com/home/d...xample.php (along with some variations). I'm wondering if the sound of the "e" at the end was dropped and this is it... Hmmm....

By the way - one 'n', two c's, like this: conucce. Possibly (Livio, are you out there?) Conuccio. Either way, it would probably be spoken as Co- or Ca-nooch.

[PeterTimber]

Canuccio is abbreviated from a normal and customary first name and in english phonetically pronounced as KA-NOOCH-EEO but oftimes the EEO would also be dropped for KA-NOOCH. =Peter=

[johnnyonthespot]

Peter - I believe that in standard Italian, the "cio" sylable is pronounced "cho" as in chosen or choke; not EEO as indicated above.

I agree though that this sylable would commonly be dropped in spoken Italian, thus ka-nooch.

[PeterTimber]

I was talking about ENGLISH phonetic not ITALIAN phonetic. =Peter=

[lljg]

So if his name was Cono could it actually have been Canuccio?

Jean

[PeterTimber]

It's much like John is Johnnie. Yes =Peter=

[lljg]

Thanks Peter! Is there any reason he was called "Ralph" in the US? Does Cono translate to Ralph??

Jean

[liviomoreno]

I never heard Cono as a first name, nor Canuccio. I might be wrong...

[lljg]

Does Cono mean anything?

Jean