[emseetech]

I have relatives in Bari so I've been fascinated by Barese. My Italian is not good but I can passively pick it up when listening or watching television, but Barese sounds 100% like a completely different language to me. French and Spanish are more intelligible.

https://www.youtube.com/shorts/gEKxf8RD-OM

[eahm]

Funny also I moved to USA ~20 years ago and you lose the Italian, you don't remember words etc. but you'll never lose your dialect, it just comes natural because that's how you grew up instead of what you learned growing up and from school, Tuscan people have it easier because the language comes from their dialect, Dante etc.

And to add, I wouldn't click that link if you paid me lol, I hate the Barese... ok I clicked, funny stuff.

[ABS]

you are making the mistake of confusing your experience, which is of course legit but anecdata, with "how it works" in general.

I'm an almost 50 years old Italian so not a spring chicken but I definitely learnt Italian growing up, not a dialect, and not "from school".

I guess it's the difference between growing up in a city vs a village.

[jgwil2]

Well yeah, GP's comment obviously only applies in the case that your native language is not standard Italian.

[ABS]

not obvious at all when every sentence uses "you" to indicate a general rule that applies to every Italian rather than "I" to indicate a personal experience

[stavros]

Hah, Barese sounds like a Frenchman is trying to speak Italian but can't be bothered.