in our Facebook groupa common problem we encounter has to do with suffixes -Dude and – kill. Many of our readers have stated that these suffixes are often added to their names but they still don't know their meaning.
But before we delve into the implications -Dude and – killit is important to discuss the topic of modifying nouns and modifying suffixes.
What is a modifying suffix?
Adding a modifier suffix to a noun creates a new modified noun with a slightly different meaning, and there are many such modifier suffixes in Italian! Here are some of the most common questions you'll encounter as a learner.
The four different types of modifying nouns are: small words (little hint), enhancer (imply huge), words of intimacy and derogatory term. For example:
- Small: chocolate (chocolate) becomes chocolateIno (small chocolate)
- strengthen: Book (Book) becomes Bookone (big book)
- pet name: Bear (Bear) becomes OrHello (Teddy bear)
- Derogatory meaning: single word (single word) becomes spoken languagesteel (bad language)
-Dude and – killfrom Latin Usa (meters), are just two examples of these modifying suffixes, which according to the Italian dictionary Devoto-Oli, fall into the category of “small words”. However, their purpose is primarily to express affection and foster familiarity, so they are often classified under the “love words” category. (Thought Company) The plural form is -Uchi For masculine nouns and – For women.For those who grew up in Sicilian families, the equivalent of – use.
Here are some common nouns -Usio:
- hot (hot / Warm) becomes Warm (Warm and cosy)
- Cavallo (horse) becomes pony (pony)
- Amore (like) becomes Honey (Honey / Little Love)
- beak (beak) becomes spout (spout)
If you think these suffixes belong to only two categories, think again! -Dude and – kill It may also have a negative connotation, e.g. trade (trade) and small transactions (worthless transaction) or eraser (thing) and Rubbish (low quality thing) (Trecani). Whether the meaning is positive or negative depends largely on the surrounding context.
-Uccio/a added to personal name
My mother-in-law shared with me that her mother, Mariaaffectionately known as Mariuccia (“Little Mary”) was called by those around her, but she had never been called by her first name in her life.Interestingly, when my husband was a child, he would affectionately call her grandma usiahcompletely omitted Maria part.
additional practice -Usio Duplicate names are a common phenomenon throughout Italy. These adorable names exude a sweet and affectionate tone and are often used to express warmth and tenderness.In fact, the popularity of these nicknames is so common that some, such as the aforementioned Mariucciahas grown into an independent name!
All names are available -Usio suffix, but here are some common examples:
- mario become Mariuccio (“Little Mario”)
- paul become paul (“Little Paul”)
- Matteo become Matt Joe (“Little Matteo”)
- Kara become Calusia (“Little Kara”)
Heather Broster is a graduate with honors in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, fluent in English and Italian, as well as varying degrees of fluency in Japanese, Welsh and French. Originally from Toronto, Heather has lived in several countries, notably Italy for six years. Her main research areas are language acquisition, education and bilingual teaching.
