# Italian (it-IT): Phonology Reference

**Code**: `it-IT` | **Family**: Indo-European > Romance > Italo-Romance | **Script**: Latin (alphabet)
**Quality tier**: research | **Sources**: Lepschy & Lepschy (1988), Maiden (1995), Rogers & d'Arcangeli (2004)

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## Consonant System

### C and G Softening

| Grapheme | Before e/i | Elsewhere | Digraphs |
|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---|
| c | [tʃ] | [k] | `ci`, `ce` → [tʃ]; `ch` → [k] always; `chi`, `che` → [k] |
| g | [dʒ] | [ɡ] | `gi`, `ge` → [dʒ]; `gh` → [ɡ] always; `ghi`, `ghe` → [ɡ] |

Examples:
- `cena` [ˈtʃeːna] "dinner" | `cosa` [ˈkɔːza] "thing"
- `gente` [ˈdʒɛnte] "people" | `gatto` [ˈɡatto] "cat"
- `cielo` [ˈtʃɛːlo] "sky" | `chiaro` [ˈkjaːro] "clear"

The ⟨i⟩ in `ci`, `gi` before another vowel is a graphemic marker only (not pronounced as [i]):
- `cielo` → [ˈtʃɛːlo], not [ˈtʃiɛːlo]

### SC: Affrication Before Front Vowels

| Environment | Realization | Examples |
|:---|:---:|:---|
| Before e/i | [ʃ] | `scena` [ˈʃɛːna], `scivolare` [ʃivoˈlaːɾe] |
| Elsewhere | [sk] | `scala` [ˈskala], `scoperta` [skoˈpɛrta] |

### GL: Lateral Palatalization

| Environment | Realization | Examples |
|:---|:---:|:---|
| Before i (⟨gli⟩) | [ʎ] | `gli` [ʎi], `figlio` [ˈfiʎʎo] |
| Elsewhere | [ɡl] | `glottale` [ɡlotˈtaːle] |

### S: Voicing

| Environment | Realization | Examples |
|:---|:---:|:---|
| Word-initial | [s] | `sole` [ˈsoːle] |
| Intervocalic (standard N. Italian) | [z] | `casa` [ˈkaːza], `rosa` [ˈroːza] |
| Before voiced consonant | [z] | `svelto` [ˈzvɛlto] |
| Elsewhere | [s] | `pasta` [ˈpasta] |

**Note**: Intervocalic voicing is standard in northern/central Italian. Southern varieties maintain [s] throughout.

### Z: Initial vs. Medial

| Environment | Realization | Examples |
|:---|:---:|:---|
| Word-initial | [dz] | `zero` [ˈdzeːro], `zona` [ˈdzoːna] |
| After consonant | [dz] | `marzo` [ˈmardzo] |
| Intervocalic | [ts] | `nazione` [natˈtsjoːne], `pizza` [ˈpittsa] |

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## Geminate Consonants

Italian makes systematic use of **geminate (long) consonants**, which are phonemically distinctive:

| Short | Long | Minimal pair |
|:---:|:---:|:---|
| `fato` [ˈfaːto] | `fatto` [ˈfatto] | destiny vs. done |
| `caro` [ˈkaːro] | `carro` [ˈkarro] | dear vs. cart |
| `pala` [ˈpaːla] | `palla` [ˈpalla] | shovel vs. ball |

Geminates in the spec: `bb→[bː]`, `cc→[kː]/[tːʃ]`, `dd→[dː]`, `ff→[fː]`, `gg→[ɡː]/[dːʒ]`, etc.

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## Vowel System

Italian has 7 vowel phonemes (5 in unstressed position):

| IPA | Stressed | Unstressed | Example |
|:---:|:---:|:---:|:---|
| a | ✓ | ✓ | `padre` [ˈpaːdɾe] |
| e | ✓ | ✓ | `sera` [ˈseːɾa] |
| ɛ | ✓ | — | `bello` [ˈbɛllo] |
| i | ✓ | ✓ | `filo` [ˈfiːlo] |
| o | ✓ | ✓ | `poco` [ˈpoːko] |
| ɔ | ✓ | — | `forte` [ˈfɔrte] |
| u | ✓ | ✓ | `luna` [ˈluːna] |

**Vowel length**: stressed open syllables have long vowels. Stressed closed syllables have short vowels.

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## Diphthongs and Glides

| Grapheme | IPA | Examples |
|:---:|:---:|:---|
| ie (stressed) | [jɛ] | `bene` → `beni`, `piedé` [pjɛˈde] |
| uo (stressed) | [wɔ] | `buono` [ˈbwɔno] |
| ia, io, iu | [ja], [jo], [ju] | `pianta` [ˈpjanta] |
| ua, ue, uo | [wa], [we], [wo] | `quando` [ˈkwando] |

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## References

- Lepschy, A.L. & Lepschy, G. (1988). *The Italian Language Today* (2nd ed.). Routledge.
- Maiden, M. (1995). *A Linguistic History of Italian*. Longman.
- Rogers, D. & d'Arcangeli, L. (2004). *Italian*. Journal of the IPA, 34(1), 117–121.
- Wikipedia: [Italian phonology](https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Italian_phonology)

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