Ticinese is a comprehensive denomination for the varieties of Lombard language spoken in Canton Ticino (Tessin)

Ticino

Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...

 and in the north of the Province of Varese

Province of Varese

The Province of Varese is a province in the Lombardy region of Italy. Its capital is the city of Varese but its largest city is Busto Arsizio....

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The term Ticinesi refers to the citizens of Ticino or speakers of the language.

Ticinese koiné refers to a koiné

Koine language

In linguistics, a koiné language is a standard language or dialect that has arisen as a result of contact between two mutually intelligible varieties of the same language. Since the speakers have understood one another from before the advent of the koiné, the koineization process is not as rapid...

 form used by speakers of local dialects (particularly those diverging from the koinè itself, as e.g. Leventinese, etc.) when communicating with speakers of other Western Lombard

Western Lombard

Western Lombard is a Romance language spoken in Italy, in the Lombard provinces of Milan, Monza, Varese, Como, Lecco, Sondrio, a small part of Cremona , Lodi and Pavia, and the Piedmont provinces of Novara, Verbano-Cusio-Ossola and a small part of Vercelli , and Switzerland...

 dialects of Ticino

Ticino

Canton Ticino or Ticino is the southernmost canton of Switzerland. Named after the Ticino river, it is the only canton in which Italian is the sole official language...

, the Grisons

Graubünden

Graubünden or Grisons is the largest and easternmost canton of Switzerland. The canton shares borders with the cantons of Ticino, Uri, Glarus and St. Gallen and international borders with Italy, Austria and Liechtenstein...

 (collectively known as Swiss Italian) or Italian Lombardy

Lombardy

Lombardy is one of the 20 regions of Italy. The capital is Milan. One-sixth of Italy's population lives in Lombardy and about one fifth of Italy's GDP is produced in this region, making it the most populous and richest region in the country and one of the richest in the whole of Europe...

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Differences between Ticinese and Italian

The Ticinese dialect has adopted many terms from the French, Swiss German and Rumantsch regions of Switzerland and often bears Swiss German spelling. Consequently, Swiss cities, regions, food and cultural icons have an Italian translation unlike many other languages not recognized by the Swiss government e.g. Canton Zug is known as Zoug in French and Zugo in Italian, but remains Zug in Spanish, English, and Portuguese. Speakers of Lombard and Italian will often have trouble understanding these adopted words as they are of other linguistic origins. Many Italian native speakers of non-Ticino or Graubünden/Grisons origin often find themselves ostracized at social events as they cannot understand Ticinese. In addition is important to know that the Ticinese is not spoken the same way by everyone speaking dialect. So that it can not be referred as a single proper common dialect . In the area there are significant differences of pronunciation and vocabulary from village to village within Ticino and Grisons.

Some possible examples of Ticinese:

French Origins= F.O.

English	Ticinese	Italian
Good Morning/Good Afternoon	Bon Di!	Buon giorno (Buon Dì)
To be (verb)	Vèss	Essere
To have (verb)	Vegh	Avere
Chair	Cadrega	Sedia
Pencil	Lapis	Matita
Cell phone	Natel	Telefonino
Strawberry	Magiosc'tra	Fragola
Egg	öf (F.O.)	Uovo
Eye glasses	Ogiaa	Occhiali
Chestnut	Casc'tegna	Castagna
Stop!	Fermat!	Ferma! Fermati!
Today	Inchöö	Oggi
Honey	Mel	Miele
Ladle	Cazüü	Mestolo
Funnel	Pedriö	Imbuto
Cologne	Aqua d'uduu/ al profum	Profumo, Acqua di Colonia
Sankt Gallen Resident	San Galés	San Gallese
Fennel	Finöcc	Finocchio
Ceiling	Plafón (F.O.)	Soffitto
Nothing	Nagot (or Naot)	Niente
I eat/I don't eat	Mi a mangi/Mi a mangi mia	Io mangio/Io non mangio

Some possible expressions and idioms:

English	Ticinese	Italian
Sausages of low quality	Lüganich da scépa	Salsicce di infima qualità
To be naive	Beev l'acqua dal cudee	Credere a tutto ed a tutti
One makes nothing out of nothing	chi gha al goss al gha quaicoss, se l gha nagot al gha al goss da carez	Con niente si fa nulla

External links

• Dialectal lexicon of Italophone Switzerland - Official dictionary for the dialect
• RTSI: Acquarelli popolari - Media files in Ticinese (site metalanguage and some media files are in Italian
• Examples of Italian and Ticinese idioms with meanings (Lugano)
• Examples of Italian and Ticinese idioms with meanings (Basso Mendrisiotto)