GLI ITALIANISMI IN GIAPPONESE. UN’INTRODUZIONE

The paper provides a general introduction to the presence of words of Italian origin in Japanese, comparing their frequency and diffusion to the predominantly larger body of English loanwords. It highlights the specialization (and its evolution over time) of Italian words within specific semantic fields, such as music, fine arts, and food. The paper then analyzes the phonological differences between the two languages, which constrain the adaptation of Italian sounds and sound sequences in Japanese. In doing so, it proposes that these differences are particularly emphasized by the fact that loanwords in Japan are transcribed using the katakana syllabary. This script requires that their phonological form be adapted to align with the features the Japanese writing system can represent, excluding phonological characteristics that are not part of Japanese phonology. The phonological changes that Italian words undergo during their adaptation to Japanese phonology and writing are listed and described in summary. The paper focuses on phenomena such as sound substitutions, vowel insertions, coarticulation-induced palatalizations, among others. Additionally, some attention is given to the criteria used to incorporate Italian loanwords in Japanese into the OIM (Osservatorio degli Italianismi nel Mondo) classification and transcription system.