Totemismo e cultura dialettale. Alcune evidenze a partire dal repertorio paremiologico e fraseologico siciliano

Abstract

The present work sheds light on the relationship between totemism and dialectal culture starting from the analysis of a range of Sicilian proverbs and phraseologies regarding wild animals (birds, insects and reptiles). The corpus is made up of proverbs and idioms from macro- and micro-areal lexicographical or paremiological repertoires, also considered on the basis of demo-ethnographical studies dealing with Sicilian customs, beliefs and superstitions. The article is aimed both at explaining, from a motivational view point, the value or the origin of a specific expression according to the totemic hypothesis, and at analysing aspects of an ancient era which still dwell in one of the most linguistically conservative levels of the Italo-romance dialects. In particular, the study focusses on two specific features of totemism: on the one hand, the animals’ magical-prophetic power influencing both agricultural and pastoral activities and, more in general, man’s destiny; on the other hand, the fauna’s holiness which justifies expressions of taboo or respect. Moreover, a special attention is paid to fatalism, a common thread which characterises the presence of the animals in the several examples taken into account.