The Sicilian Culture

• The Sicilian Culture
• Abstract
• Communications
• Language
• Communication
• Economics
• Making a Living
• Agriculture
• Industry
• Politics
• Social Stratification
• Religion
• Roman Catholics
• Culture
• Arts & Media
• Sports
• Conclusion
• Works Cited

Abstract

The culture of Sicily is a sibling of the Italian culture; however, do not let that fool you. The culture is unique for the better reasons. In this article, we will be discussing the impact of Sicily’s culture in-depth. This includes their communication methods, their economy, the politics, their religious affiliations, and their detailed culture. The communication section deals with the language and the means of communication. The economy talks about agriculture and industrialization. The political section breaks down the benefits and drawbacks of their government structure. The religious section describes the Roman Catholic beliefs in-depth. The detailed culture talks about Sicily’s arts, media, and sports.

Keywords: Sicily, Sicilian, Italy, Italian, Communication, Language, Communicate, Economy, Agriculture, Industrialization, Politics, Government, Religion, Roman Catholic, Arts, Media, Sports.

Sicilian Culture

“Sicilians never forget, and they never forgive. This is a truth you must always keep in mind.” (Falco, 1933). The island of Sicily- home of native Italians and plenty of other cultures surrounding the Mediterranean, is considered one of the most southern parts of Italy. It is considered the largest island of the Mediterranean Sea and one of 20 regions of Italy. Moving past its geographics, Sicily has a diverse culture consisting of an abundance of history. Life has been located in Sicily as early as 12,000 BC (Maric). It became unified with Italy in 1860, and since then has made a bold impact on the world’s culture. Although its culture is well-diversified, it is Sicily’s art, music, literature, food, and architecture that stand out from the rest of it’s amazing qualities.

Communications

Communication is the essence of exchanging information. There are four types of communication methods: verbal communication (arranging a group of known words to form sentences of information), nonverbal communication (communicating without words but with body language), written communication (using words to convey information), and visual communication (messages that are seen) (Novak). Although they are all different in their unique ways, they serve the same purpose- to convey one’s thoughts and motives to another individual or group. The broad scope of communication is broken down into two scopes: language and communication. Each are unique, but still fall under the same common purpose- to interact. Sicilians utilize all four types of communication methods and both scopes of communication. They draw roots from the original language of Latin, base their language off of the Italian language while adding their own twist.

Language

By the definition of the book, language is defined as “Spoken (speech) or written (in writing) that includes signs, sounds, gestures, or marks” (Kottak, 2019).

The Sicilian language is a Romance language that is used on the island and its surrounding states. It is derived from its parent Italian language; however, it is diverse enough to separate into its own language. For example, when we break down the Sicilian language through phonology (which is the study of speech sounds), there are some differences. First, there are a decent number of consonant sounds that set the Sicilian language apart from the rest of the major Latin languages. The most unusual sounds are the retroflex consonants (Cipolla, 2005). From its Latin root, the “retroflex” sound comes from when the tongue is rolled back inside of the mouth. An example of this sound would be the language’s double “R” sound. It is commonly called the “Rolling R”; however, the sound is unique compared to other languages due to its phonemics (or how the sound looks, and sounds compares to other languages) (Kottak, 2019).

Another example of the language’s differences compared to the broader parent languages is the count of the vowels. For instance, in other modern Romance languages and Vulgar Latin, there are seven vowels. On the contrary, the Sicilian language has five vowels with only three that are in the unstressed position. This means that the “I” and the “U” have a higher frequency of being used versus the “O” and the “E” (which is the opposite compared to every other romance language like Spanish or Italian) (Hull, 1989)

Communication

In its more specific form, communication revolves around the kinesics. This is the study of communication through body movements, gestures, and facial expressions (Kottak, 2019). According to the primitive language that the Sicilian natives speak, there are more than 80 Sicilian gestures that have a specific meaning to a word, phrase, or feeling. For example, the gathering of all five fingertips and the kiss of them signify a good meal. Although it is Americanized, the gesture dates back from the roots of the Sicilian language (Hitz, 2018).

The difference between communication and language is the meanings. Language is the structure and embodiment of the way people speak. Communication in its specific sense is the general means of correspondence. It can include speaking or gestures. Both are part of general communication. Communication is ultimately the means of conveying a message to an individual or a group.

Economics

According to the Merriam-Webster dictionary, economics is “a social science concerned chiefly with description and analysis of the production, distribution, and consumption of goods and services” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). From the adaptive strategies of each economical system to food production and market principles, the economic means of a country is solely dependent on its production and consumption. From the exports (what the country sends to outside countries) to the imports (what is brought into the country), numbers are crunched to calculate various statistics on a country’s productivity. After all, an economy is “A system of production, distribution, and consumption of resources” (Kottak, 2019).

Making a Living

Making a living (known as adaptive strategies) in a specified country depends on a couple of important key factors. Before dealing with the details of Sicily, it is important to know the economic standing of Sicily. Sicily is the 8th largest economy in Italy (regarding its GDP).

Agriculture

One of the big reasons why Sicily ranks higher than other countries is due to its investments into agriculture (La Sicilia in Rete, 2012). According to the textbook, agriculture is “the intensive and continuous means of cultivation of food” (Kottak, 2019). Regarding Sicily’s agriculture, the region has been known for its fertile soil. This is because of the volcanic eruptions that leave the soil rich with plant-based nutrients. The main products of Sicily include wheat, citrus products, olives/olive oil, artichokes, almonds, grapes, and pistachios. The focus is led to the production of wine. Sicily ranks 3rd in its production of wine- which is a big number considering that Italy is the world’s largest wine producer (Bacca, 2011). Also, fishing (part of Sicily’s foraging process- the means of hunting and gathering) is a huge part of their adaptive strategies. Regarding food production, there are vital tuna, swordfish, sardine, and anchovy fisheries that add great value to its food hunting (Esploriamo.com, 2012). With all of their food products, they are a big contributor in these specific markets.

Industry

Another big reason why Sicily ranks higher than other countries is because of its industrialism. According to Merriam-Webster, this is “social organization in which industries and especially large-scale industries are dominant” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). The regions are split into three vital districts. The first is the Catania Industrial District, which is the home to several food industries and one of Europe’s best electrics company called “Etna Valley” (known as Europe’s “Silicon Valley”) (Etna Valley, 2012). The second is the Syracuse Petrochemical District. They are known for its oil refineries, chemical productions, and power stations (La Sicilia in Rete, 2012). The third is the Enna Industrial District, which is known for the food industry. These three powerhouses have promoted industrial development by improvements from Sicily’s roads/transportation methods. Overall, Sicily is well respected in their industrial endeavors.

Politics

Politics, by definition of Merriam-Webster, is “the art or science of government” (Merriam-Webster, n.d.). It is typically the concerns of guiding or influencing governmental policy. When referring to Sicily’s politics, it is known that there is a difference between its state systems (the way that the governments are run) and their social stratification (how politics plays a role in a human being’s life). A general fact of Sicily is that their politics are known to be a semi-presidential system. This means that there is a prime minster under the president of Sicily. They are also known for their representative democracy. This means that there are not any direct members of their congress; moreover, a group of people that represent a specified party for the people.

Social Stratification

Social stratification is how politics plays into a specific person’s life. The power that can come with a role can be more than the power without a role. This political status is apparent in Sicily. For example, the executive power comes from the regional government. They also prepare the budgets, appoint boards of public agencies/companies, manage assets, and develop projects of governance (Ansa, 2015). Without this said power, these members are no more powerful than a normal human being.

The social status that can come with a role can be one of two things: positive or negative. For example, the positives can be an acceptance of a policy. This could be a new law that is put into place that the people approve. This can also be a negative because of the opposite reasons. It can also be a negative because of the laws that are meant for social control. In Sicily, there is a growing number of negativities because of the government’s movement towards a socialist party. All in all, the approval rating is still pretty high (Ansa, 2015).

Religion

Religion, just like politics, is a touchy subject for some people. Religion is “The belief and ritual concerned with supernatural beings, powers, and forces” (Kottak, 2019). Some may believe in one God (Monotheism), others believe in many Gods (Polytheism), while some don’t believe in a God (Atheism). The general belief is that Sicilians are predominately Roman Catholic. Although there are some outliers, Sicilians are extremely religious.

Roman Catholics

Roman Catholic is a specific type of Christianity that the Sicilians (and most Italians) follow heavily. The Roman Catholic church is the largest Christian Church, accounting for 1.3 billion baptized Catholics (Holy See Press Office, 2020). Baptism is the liminality of the rite of passage into God’s graces. The church consists of 3,500 dioceses around the world. The Roman Catholic church has one Pope, who is the bishop of Rome. The common belief is that they believe in “One, Holy, Catholic and apostolic church founded by Jesus Christ in his Great Commission” (Bokenkotter, 2004). There are seven sacraments (which are the requirements to the communitas and rites of passage in the Roman Catholic faith). All-in-all, the faith is there for the belief into the afterlife (which is heaven).

Culture

Culture is the study of anthropology in a general sense. This is not to be confused with the specific sense of culture. The specific sense is the characteristics that make Sicily different (or similar) to another culture through its extracurricular time. Culture is ultimately the diversity of Sicily. For the sake of the length of this paper, it is important to note only three specific elements of the Sicilian culture: arts, media, and sports. Arts and media include art, visual performances, architecture, films, and music. Media is an abundance of competitive, objective events that are culturally relevant to Sicily. These include Sports, movies, TV shows, video games, digital media, amusement parks, and fast-food. They are all tied into one broad category- Sicily’s culture.

Arts & Media

According to Calinger, Sicily has been affiliated with the arts for a very long time (Calinger, 1999). The associations include poets, writers, philosophers, intellectuals, architects, and painters. It is not a coincidence that there are a wide range of arts that come from Sicily. Also, it is important to note that the music and film industry in Sicily is quite grand. There have been numerous award-winning films at Italian cinemas that have come from Sicily. Sicily is also known for its opera. Lastly, literature has been a big part of the Sicilian culture. The information dates back from as early as the 1300’s (Calinger, 1999).

Sports

Sports play a vital role in the Sicilian culture. The most popular sport is futbol (American soccer). Some of the oldest soccer clubs in the world have originated from Sicily. The Sicilians have participated in a few World Cups; however, they haven’t won anything major. Although soccer is the primary sport of choice in Sicily, there is also room for racecar driving, volleyball, handball, and water polo. Particularly in motorsports, Sicily held a racetrack event for almost 80 years (Bright, 2010). Overall, the culture of Sicily does not disappoint.

Conclusion

Overall, the culture of Sicily has a lot to be happy about. The culture of Sicily is a sibling of the Italian culture; however, do not let that fool you. The island of Sicily- home of native Italians and plenty of other cultures surrounding the Mediterranean, is considered one of the most southern parts of Italy. It is considered the largest island of the Mediterranean Sea and one of 20 regions of Italy. Although its culture is well-diversified, it is Sicily’s art, music, literature, food, and architecture that stand out from the rest of it’s amazing qualities. The culture is unique for the better reasons.

Works Cited

Ansa. (2015, July 30). La Sicilia Approva La Riforma Delle Province. Retrieved from ANSA: www.ansa.it

Bacca. (2011, May 30). Produzione vino in Italia nel 2010. Retrieved from I Numeri Del Vino: http://www.inumeridelvino.it/2011/05/produzione-vino-in-italia-nel-2010-fonte-istat.html

Bokenkotter, T. (2004). A Concise History of the Catholic Church. New York: Doubleday.

Bright, R. (2010, December 30). Sicilian Derby Takes Centre Stage. Retrieved from Telegraph: https://www.telegraph.co.uk/sport/?xml=/sport/2004/11/11/sfneur11.xml

Calinger, R. S. (1999). A Contextual History of Mathematics. Prentice Hall.

Cipolla, G. (2005). The Sounds of Sicilian: A Pronunciation Guide. Ottawa: Legas.

Esploriamo.com. (2012, December 18). Economy of the Region of Sicily. Retrieved from Esploriamo: https://www.esploriamo.com/SICILIA/Sicilia_Economia.html

Etna Valley. (2012, November 27). Oggi la chiamano Etna Valley Lo sviluppo economico di Catania. Retrieved from Etna Valley: http://www.etnavalley.com/

Falco, E. (1933). The Family Corleone. (M. Puzo, Ed.) New York, New York, USA: Goodreads Author.

Hitz, G. (2018, January 22). Sicilian Gestures. Retrieved from siciliangestures.net

Holy See Press Office. (2020, March 25). Pubblicazione dell'Annuario Pontificio e dell'Annuario Statistico della Chiesa. Retrieved from The Vatican Press: press.vatican.va

Hull, G. (1989). Polyglot Italy: Languages, Dialects, Peoples. Melbourne: CIS Educational.

Kottak, C. P. (2019). Cultural Anthropology: Appreciating Cultural Diversity, 18th Edition (Vol. 18). (McGraw-Hill, Ed.) New York, NY, USA: McGraw-Hill Education.

La Sicilia in Rete. (2012, December 18). Economics of Sicily. Retrieved from Siciliano.it: http://sicilyweb.com/economia/agricoltura.htm

Maric, V. (n.d.). Sicily. Ediz. Inglese.

Merriam-Webster. (n.d.). Definitions. Retrieved from Merriam-Webster: https://www.merriam-webster.com/dictionary/economics

Novak, M. C. (2019, April 2). G2. Retrieved from G2 Learning Hub: https://learn.g2.com/types-of-communication