The most famous Italian dialects in advertising and movies

Italy's linguistic diversity is reflected in its many dialects, which play a crucial role not only in everyday life, but also in the movies and advertising. Making a precise count of the dialects in Italy is no easy matter, but they can be classified into four main categories based on their geographical location: north, center, south, and islands.

A geographical breakdown of the most famous Italian dialects

Historical note

In the early 1900s, Italians spoke essentially in dialect and the working classes were largely unfamiliar with the national language in newspapers and books. The unification of spoken Italian came later, driven mainly by radio, the movies and, subsequently, television. Radio broadcasts began in 1924, while the first talking picture was released in 1926.

This raised the problem of pronunciation and diction, which was supposed to be the same for everyone and standardized in some way. The government stepped in, and the first school of diction was established in Rome, where the country's first radio broadcasting station was based, and where the Cinecittà movie and television studios were founded in the 1930s.

The impact of dialects in advertising

The use of dialects in advertising began in the 1980s and 1990s, in some radio and TV commercials. In many instances, dialect was used in food advertising, highlighting the genuine nature of a product through the link with a particular geographical area.

Some of the most famous advertisements in Italian dialect include:

Ferrero Nutella TV commercial (various dialects)

Birra Messina TV commercial (Sicilian)

Pasta Voiello TV commercial (Neapolitan)

The variety of Italian dialects in the movies

Of all the many dialects featured in the movies, Roman is by far the most common. This is because of its close resemblance to Italian, which makes it easier to understand than other Italian dialects, and because of Rome's special role in the art of cinematography. Neapolitan comes second, followed by Sicilian, which is used primarily in movies about the Mafia.

Famous films in dialect:

Mamma Roma (Roman)

Il Padrino – The Godfather (Sicilian)

Voiceovers and dubbing: choosing the right dialect

Choosing the right dialect for a voiceover or dubbing project is not straightforward. Thought must be given to the target audience and the impact the accent will have on their reception of the message. Working with an Italian dubbing studio like ours, which is based in Rome, ensures that the chosen voice will not only be a native speaker, but also suited to the specific product context.