Ah

[darkerhorse]

I recall some of my Sicilian relatives using the word "a" (ah) before many words, like a-pizza. In the Godfather Part II, Pentangeli says to Ceci, "a porta", I don't know if he means "the door" or "to the door" but I think the latter would be "alla porta" so I'm guessing he says "the door".

Can someone confirm that Sicilians tend to use "a" instead of "la" as the definitive article?

[erudita74]

I've read that in some areas of Sicily (but I haven't found which specific areas or towns), "la" can be "a" (ah). So this would translate in English to "the."

[erudita74]

On googlebooks.com, you can download a PDF copy of a book called Basic Sicilian: A Brief Reference Grammar by Joseph F. Privitera. On p.1, he has the definite articles.

[darkerhorse]

I've concluded he's saying "a porta" meaning "the door" using "a" instead of "la" as the article.

Semu d'accordu?