Riocontra

{{Short description|Type of argot in the Italian language}}

Riocontra ({{IPA|it|rjoˈkontra}}) is a type of argot in the Italian language, featuring inversion of syllables in a word or metathesis, and is common in slang and youth language.

Background

The language developed in the 1970s in the neighborhood of Lambrate in Milan,{{Cite web|url=https://www.linkiesta.it/2017/10/vuoi-fottere-il-sistema-stai-calmo-e-usa-il-riocontra/?fbclid=IwAR0Uvg2qfjf9acVBXCS-24l5POwXSMuLxptu753PovQM21XhpxjYsMuED8I|title=Vuoi fottere il sistema? Stai calmo e usa il Riocontra|website=www.linkiesta.it|date=14 October 2017|accessdate=4 January 2021}} It was made famous by Guido Nicheli and Diego Abatantuono, in the 1983 film Il ras del quartiere. We remember the intervention by some amateurs who appeared sometimes on television in the Portobello program, in which amateurs preferred to reverse the order of the individual sounds and not of the syllables (casa (house) > "asac").

Formation rules of neologisms

In spite of insufficient education and non-standard use of the language, Riocontra speakers have produced a rich lexical repertoire. The passage from the official language to Riocontra occurs as mentioned mainly through the inversion of the syllables, but also with the change of the last vowel and truncation and elision in the last vowel of the neologism formed.

= Examples =

The table below summarizes and gives examples of this formation (the cell is left blank when the change does not apply to that term).

class = "wikitable"
scope=col | Initial term
phrase in jargon

! scope=col | Syllable
Division

! scope=col | Inversion

! scope=col | truncation

! scope=col | definite article

! scope=col | Translation in Italian

! scope=col | Translation in English

babbo

|bab-bo

|boba/bobaz (slang suffix)

|

|il/i

|padre

|father

bambino

|bambi-no

|nobambi

|

|

|

|kid

bella

|bel-la

|llabe

|

|

|ciao

|hi

bestia

|be-stia

|stiabe

|

|

|assai

|beast (means a lot, very good, depending on the situation)

capito

|capi-to

|tocapi

|

|

|

|understood

casa

|ca-sa

|saca

|

|

|

|home

cazzo

|ca-zzo

|zzoca

|

|

|

|penis (Intensifier)

chesciato

|chescia-to

|tocchescia

|

|

|ricco

|rich (from chesciare (make cash), from cash + -are)

cilotto

|ci-lotto

|

|lotto

|

|cilum

|chillum

cinque

|cin-que

|quinci

|

|

|

|five

culo

|cu-lo

|locu

|

|

|

|ass

crasto

|cra-sto

|stocra

|

|

|figo

|cool

droga

|dro-ga

|gadro

|

|

|

|drug

fattone

|fa-tto-ne

|

|toffa / tofa

|

|drogato

|drug addict

figa

|fi-ga

|gafi

|

|

|

|vulva

figo

|fi-go

|gofi

|

|

|

|cool guy

frate

|fra-te

|

|tefra

|

|fratello

|brother

fumo

|fu-mo

|moffo

|

|

|

|hashish

gabbio

|ga-bbio

|bioga

|

|

|gabbia

|prison (from gabbia (cage))

gergo

|ger-go

|gorge

|

|

|

|slang

grammo

|gra-mmo

|mogra

|

|

|

|gram

grano

|gra-no

|nogra

|

|

|

|money

grasso

|gra-sso

|sogra

|

|

|sostanzioso

|substantial

schiaffo

|fo-schia

|foschia/fischia

|

|

|

|slap

aggiunta

|iunta-agg'

|

|iunta

|

|

| adding a dose to the drugs sold by the dealer

peso

|pe-so

|sope

|

|

|

|heavy (difficult situation)

piazza

|pia-zza

|zapia

|

|

|

| square (neighborhood)

pizza

|pi-zza

|zapi

scudo

|scu-do

|doscu

|

|

|

|5 euros (etim. from Italian scudo)

tipa

|ti-pa

|pati

|

|

|

|girl

troia

|tro-ia

|iatro

|

|

|

|bitch

ladro

|la-dro

|drola

|

|

|

|thief

merda

|mer-da

|damer

|

|

|

|escrement

mezza

|zza-me

|zame

|

|

|

|half (50 euro)

palo

|lo-pa

|lopa

|

|

|

|pole (1000 euro)

madama

|ma-da-ma

|mamada

|

|

|polizia

|madame (police)

madre

|ma-dre

|drema

|

|

|

|mother

mezzo

|me-zzo

|zome

|

|

|mezzo di traporto

|means of transport / vehicle

padre

|pa-dre

|drepa

|

|

|

|father

pere

|pe-re

|repe

|

|

|seno

|breasts

pippare

|pippa-re

|repippa

|

|

|sniffare cocaina

|snorting cocaine (from pipa (pipe))

pula

|pu-la

|lapu

|

|

|polizia

|police (from the Milanese pulé or from pulotto)

pulito

|puli-to

|topuli

|

|

|

|clean

birra

|bi-rra

|rabi

|

|

|

|beer

sbatta

|sba-tta

|tasba

|

|

|impegnativo (from sbattimento)

|challenging

storia

|sto-ria

|riasto

|

|

|qualcosa

|history (something)

selvaggia

|sel-vaggia

|gioselva

|

|la/le

|ragazza prosperosa

|busty girl

sborra

|sbo-rra

|rasbo

|

|

|sperma

|sperm

schifosi

|schi-fo-se

|fosischi

|

|

|

|filthy

lurido

|luri-do

|doluri

|

|

|Paninaro (sandwich maker)

|filthy (Food truck)

sgamo

|sga-mo

|mosga

|

|

|

|suss out
To find out something secret

strada

|stra-da

|dastra

|

|

|

|road (neighborhood)

sbirro

|sbi-rro

|rosbi

|

|

|

|policeman/cop

spaccino

|spa-cci-no

|

|cispa

|

|

|drug dealer

soldi

|sol-di

|disol

|

|

|

|money

suono

|suo-no

|nosuo

|

|

|

|money

lavoro

|lavo-ro

|rolavo

|

|

|

|work/job

treno

|tre-no

|notre

|

|

|

|train

|

|

|

|

|

|

cesso

|ce-sso

|soce

|

|

|

|toilet (ugly boy/girl)

scopare

|sco-pa-re

|rescopa

|

|

|

|to sweep (to fuck)

pezzo

|pe-zzo

|zope

|

|

|pezzo di hashish

|piece of hashish

prete

|pre-te

|tepre

|

|

|

|priest (guy with a clean record)

vecchio

|ve-cchio

|chiove

|

|il/la

|

|elder

vibrazione

|vibra-zio-ne

|vibranezio

|

|

|

|vibration

vino

|vi-no

|novi

|

|

|

|wine

a caso

|a ca-so

|a soca

|

|

|casualmente

|casually

alla grande

|alla-gran-de

|

|alla degra

|

|

|great

di brutto

|di-bru-tto

|di tobru

|

|

|tantissimo

|a lot

figa di legno

|fi-ga-di-le-gno

|gafi di gnole

|

|

|

|wooden pussy (chaste, restrained girl)

bella di brutto

|be-lla-di-bru-tto

|labe di tobru

|

|

|

|very beautiful

chili di grano

|chi-li-di-gra-no

|lochi di nogra

|

|

|

|kilos of money (a lot of money)

Dio cane

|dio-ca-ne

|dio neca

|

|

|

|dog god (blasphemous profanity)

schifo al cazzo

|schi-fo-al-ca-zzo

|foschi allo zoca

|

|

|

|it sucks

tocco di fumo

|to-cco-di-fu-mo

|cotto di moffo

|

|

|

|piece of hashish

The r move

The pronunciation of the letter "r" at the end of an inverted word risks merging with the next word or even not being pronounced, so it is placed between the two syllables once inverted to make the pronunciation more fluid.

  • Furto - toFu(r) - to(r)Fu............. Torfu
  • Carte - teCa(r) - te(r)Ca............... Terca
  • Morte - teMo(r) - te(r)Mo............... Termo

The exception is the word merda, which although it can become darme, becomes damer or rdame

Some syntactic gemination also happens:

  • chesciato → tochescia → tocchescia
  • Riccone → nericco → nerrico
  • tocco → ccoto → cotto

It should also be noted that, with the inversion, the plural is lost.

  • Babbi → (i) boba
  • Sbirri → (i) rosbi
  • Selvagge → (le) gioselva
  • Tipe → (le) pati
  • Chili → (i) lochi

Developments of the riocontra

The riocontra then gradually spread throughout Italy with the advent of trap music,{{Cite magazine|url=https://www.billboard.it/musica/hiphop/le-regole-del-riocontra/2017/11/191339/|title=Rappare "al contrario": le regole del riocontra|magazine=Billboard|date=19 November 2017|accessdate=16 November 2019}} as the language of the youth groups. Taking up mechanisms similar to those of French verlan, similar jargons have also been established in other Western countries. On the other hand, the trancorio{{cite web| url=http://www.repubblica.it/2003/g/rubriche/lessicoenuvole/2lug/2lug.html|title=Do you speak Trancorio?|accessdate=25 February 2013}}[http://www.odiopiccolo.com/new_site/il-trancorio-storia-di-una-lingua-tutta-bresciana/ Il trancorio, storia di una lingua tutta bresciana] developed in the Mompiano district of Brescia. The Milanese rapper Nerone{{Cite web|url=http://www.rapburger.com/2017/02/06/guarda-nerone-rappare-invertendo-le-sillabe-real-talk/|title=Nerone porta il "Riocontra" ad un altro livello|website=rapburger.com|date=6 February 2017|accessdate=6 February 2019}} is until now the only one to have written a song almost entirely in Riocontra. The song is ironically titled La Miaccade Llade Scacru, or "La Accademia della Crusca" (Album: {{ill|Max (Nerone album)|lt=Max|it|Max (album)}}, 2017) or Foschi al zzoca (schifo al cazzo) (Album: {{ill|DM EP|it}}, 2020). The Milanese rapper Lazza usually uses Riocontra in his productions as with the album {{ill|Zzala|it}}. Quentin40 and Puritano's Thoiry piece is also of relevance for its jargon based on apocope or shortenings.

References

Bibliography

  • Aldofre e Nigiova Di Nobru, "Il Riocontra illutostra", Giulio è in Audi editore, 2017

See also