Dialect Poetry of Southern Italy (Italian Poetry in Translation Book 2)

euphemistic language of show business,

assembled on a bare lexicon, or of the often

meaningless or highly technical language of

politics and the esoteric and instrumental

language of sport.

In such a context, is the practice of

dialects justified in representing itself with

new credentials? In our opinion, there does

not seem to be any doubt. On the condition

that the instrument rid itself of all

traditional ballast: from that appropriated by

the languages of the mass media, to that

already disowned by the literature in the

common language; and that it be accorded as

well the expressive dignity of the languages

of poetry, not forced by ideological

prejudices toward determinate themes nor

imprisoned within codified norms.

Southern neodialect poets, as do poets in

Italian, tend today to regain the right to the