Paremie ed espressioni popolari legate al cibo nelle tradizioni catalane e algheresi: un’analisi comparativa

Abstract

Phraseological units that draw on alimentary imagery in Catalan and Algherese traditions – the latter being an archaic Catalan variety spoken in Sardinia – represent a linguistic and cultural heritage of significant value, as they not only reflect everyday practices but also convey symbolic meanings that shape the collective worldview and sustain community identity. In this sense, the prominence of food in these expressions accentuates its role as a fundamental element of daily life, capable of framing moral judgements, transmitting shared knowledge, and expressing societal attitudes.

For these reasons, focusing on some paremiological corpora of Catalan and Algherese, the aim of our analysis is to foreground both convergences and divergences between the Iberian variety and an insular community shaped by long-standing linguistic contact with Sardinian and Italian. The study reveals the frequent recurrence of staple products of the Mediterranean diet – wheat, wine, oil, legumes, vegetables, and fish – which, beyond their nutritional function, acquire a socio-cultural dimension. Through these references, values such as diligence, prudence, and generosity are praised, while their opposites – laziness, excess, and lack of discernment – are criticised. These items thus become conceptual categories through which people interpret and organise their experience, attributing to popular language a normative role.

From this perspective, the comparison between standard Catalan and the Algherese variety highlights their shared tradition while also emphasising the distinctive traits of Algherese, evident at lexical and semantic levels. Moreover, these characteristics show that paremiology is best understood as a dynamic field, responsive to social change and linguistic interaction. Accordingly, proverbs and sayings about food, its preparation, and its intrinsic qualities provide a valuable framework for examining the interplay between linguistic practices and societal dynamics, and offer insights into the processes of continuity and transformation that characterise minority languages today.