Name help?

[maryjeansfavorite]

Hello! This is very obscure but I am in need of some assistance and thought this board may be a good place to ask.

My grandmother is going to be 101 this summer. She was born in America, but both her parents are from Avellino.

For my entire life, and that of my sister, she has called us names that I think she believes are Italian endearments. I am going to butcher them, but the closest phonetic spelling I can muster for each is:

MADIANEEN

GIGIDANELLE

Given that her dialect is Southern Italian, and the tendency to not articulate consonants (i.e. "MOOTZADELL" for mozzarella), I was wondering if anyone had possibly heard of these names, how to spell them, what they are from?

Further information, may not be true?
My cousins grandfather is a native Italian speaker (now deceased 10 years) and he once heard my grandmother use these names for my sister and I: he let out a bellowing laugh and sort of scolded my grandmother for calling us names from a story about prostitutes?

If anyone can even point me in a direction, I'd be so grateful. She is not really verbal any longer and never spoke Italian, but understood it from when her parents were alive.

[darkerhorse]

I wonder if "Madianeen" could be "Marianina" or little Maria: Maria-nina. Or, perhaps, "Mariananina" little Mariana: Mariana-nina. The letter r being sounded as d in dialect, and the final vowel not sounded.

Endearment diminutives I'm most familiar with are uccia(o) and uzzia(o).

[darkerhorse]

Not that you wrote that she pronounced the r in mozzarella as a d.

Compare with r in Maria/Marianna.

[darkerhorse]

Also, she doesn't sound the final vowel of mozzarella.

Compare with omitting the final vowel in Marianina - Madianeen.

[darkerhorse]

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=6pVTUwERgak

[darkerhorse]

*uzza(u)

[PippoM]

GIGIDANELLE might be "cicerenella"

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicerenella

an ancient popular song and nursery rhyme

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx8Dd1Zvl2I

Cicerenella significa letteralmente, in lingua napoletana, piccolo cece. Nella cultura di massa provinciale, è un nomignolo goliardico ed affettuoso per fare riferimento a dei bambini o a delle persone fisicamente minute.
Cicerenella literally means "small chickpea". It is a nickname referred to children or tiny people.

[darkerhorse]

GIGIDANELLE might be "cicerenella"

https://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Cicerenella

an ancient popular song and nursery rhyme

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=gx8Dd1Zvl2I

Cicerenella significa letteralmente, in lingua napoletana, piccolo cece. Nella cultura di massa provinciale, è un nomignolo goliardico ed affettuoso per fare riferimento a dei bambini o a delle persone fisicamente minute.
Cicerenella literally means "small chickpea". It is a nickname referred to children or tiny people.

What do you think of Marianina for the other name?

[PippoM]

Yes, it might be a good suggestion!

[maryjeansfavorite]

Thank you so, so much! I feel almost certain that Maria Nina is correct. I'm off to research on the other, but this information is so incredibly helpful!