The Italian alphabet consists of 21 letters from the modern Latin alphabet:
a, b, c, d, e, f, g, h, i, l, m, n, o, p, q, r, s, t, u, v, z
A, B, C, D, E, F, G, H, I, L, M, N, O, P, Q, R, S, T, U, V, Z
Substitutes for missing letters
- The letter J, when is pronounced like English consonantal Y as in most languages, is substituted by I; when the original word is English, it can be replaced with G or GI, respectively for the following vowels I, E or A, O, U;
- The letter K is substituted by C or CH, respectively for the following vowels A, O, U or I, E;
- The letter W is replaced by U as a consonant;
- The letter X represents a sound, /ks/, rarely encountered in Italian, and corresponds often to a /s/;
- The letter Y corresponds normally to a I.
Use of J, K, W, X and Y in Italian
Recent trends have it that foreign letters are seen as "exotic" and positive. Young people use often "K" instead of "CH" to save a character in SMS messages, and generally to "break the rules". "J" is, due to English influence, often pronounced /dʒ/, also in imported names such an Jessica (/dʒe'ssika/). In Italian orthography, it would be written Gessica. Nicknames often involve a final Y, as Miky for Michela. All these uses are normally not accepted as grammatically correct.
However, some words coming from foreign languages, or derived from Greek or Latin, do make use of non-standard characters, and are considered correct: xilofono, xenofobia, yen. Their numbers are however very small.
See also
