The beneficial effects of knowing or learning another language have been well documented. But what about speaking a dialect? Well, little by little researchers are studying this issue to see if there are benefits from speaking two different “dialects” of the same language.
Napoleon Katsos, a researcher at the University of Cambridge, together with colleagues at the University of Cyprus and Cyprus University of Technology, studied the cognitive performance of children who grew up speaking Cypriot Greek and modern Greek. They are two variations that are closely related but differ at every level of linguistic analysis (ie, vocabulary, pronunciation, and grammar). The analysis involved 64 bi-dialectic, 47 multilingual, and 25 single language children. The three groups were compared taking into account socio-economic conditions, general intelligence levels, and language skills. Multilingual and bi-dialectic children showed an advantage over monolingual children based on tests of memory, attention and flexibility.
A recent Norwegian study found that children who were taught writing in two dialects did better on national exams, including arithmetic and reading, than the average. An Italian study did not find immediate differences between children who used a mix of Sardegnian and Italian and those who only spoke standard Italian, but differences in favor of the former emerged over time. According to Katsos, “This suggests that the benefits previously associated with bilingualism can be shared by children who speak one or more dialects. These benefits arise with any combination of languages that differ enough to engage the brain. They can be dialects of the same language, two similar languages like Italian and Spanish, or totally different, like English and Mandarin. Systematically switching between any two seems to provide extra stimulation to the mind, which leads to higher cognitive performance. The plurality is what is important and in this regard, dialects have been underestimated.”
Dialects have long been branded as inferior, the language of the common people. They are spoken throughout the world. In Italy, their use has gradually declined, and now it’s up to science to encourage their use. Some children see their parents’ use of dialect as “uneducated,” and some parents discourage children’s use of dialect. Roberta D’Alessandro, professor of Italian Studies at Leiden University Centre for Linguistics in the Netherlands, says “Neapolitan, Sicilian, Abruzzo, Milan, Piedmont, and Veneto have developed independently from Latin without passing through Italian. Many parents, especially in the south, are terrified to hear the dialect of their children. It is a serious mistake because it puts up barriers to their cognitive development. A child who speaks Italian in school and Neapolitan at home is growing up bilingual with all the benefits that this entails.”
Era non solo una trattoria popolare, ma anche una risorsa della communità “Little Italy”. “Gli italiani si incontravano lì e condividevano notizie locali e la chiacchiera; Gennaro anche aiutava altri immigrati italiani a trovare un lavoro quando arrivavano,” secondo il proprietario corrente del ristorante.
napoletana sono sottili e hanno modeste quantità di condimenti. L’equivalente dell’Associazione Verace
Pizza Napoletana negli Stati Uniti è la Pizza Hall of Fame, che è stata istituita nel 2005 dalla rivista del settore. Questa “hall” virtuale (
Non sorprendentemente, Lombardi’s è nella Hall, come sono Totonno’s e John’s Pizzeria, insieme alla Patsy’s a East Harlem e Deninono’s a Staten Island. New York è uno dei mercati di pizza 
più competitivi del mondo. Ogni pizzeria deve trovare un modo per sopravvivere. John’s, per esempio, accetta solo contanti, ha un menu limitato, e ha un ambiente dell’epoca, dove una cassa degli anni ’30 da il resto ai clienti. Totonno’s, d’altra parte, ha aperto almeno 3 altre pizzerie a New York.
Un altro ristorante sulla costa orientale che è nella Hall è Frank Pepe Pizzeria Napoletana a New Haven, un’altra città americana che è ricca della storia degli immigrati italiani, e il luogo di nascita di mio marito. Pepe era un immigrato dalla costiera amalfitana che venne a New Haven nel 1920. Aprì una panetteria e consegnava le merci al quartiere con un carrello. Un giorno 
appiattì un po’ di pasta di pane e ci mise alcuni avanzi sopra, e la cosse. La Pizza di Pepe così nacque. È considerato il creatore della pizze di stile “New Haven”, che sono leggendarie per il loro aspetto deforme, la crosta sottile e i bordi carbonizzati. Oggi Pepe’s è famosa per la sua pizza alle vongole in bianco.
Non per caso la Pizza Hall of Fame fu aperta nel 2005 e accettò Lombardi’s come il primo membro al centesimo anniversario della pizzeria. Per commemorare la data, Lombardi’s vendette pizze intere per 5 centesimi, il prezzo all’apertura della pizzeria nel 1905.
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It is not by accident that the Pizza Hall of Fame opened in 2005 and inducted Lombardi’s as its first member on the pizzeria’s 100th anniversary. To commemorate the anniversary, Lombardi sold entire pizzas for 5 cents, their 1905 price at the pizzeria’s opening.
L'Olivo Santa Barbara 