my daughter

Italian translation: figghia mia (figlia mia)

GLOSSARY ENTRY (DERIVED FROM QUESTION BELOW)
English term or phrase:my daughter
Italian translation:figghia mia (figlia mia)
Entered by: Oscar Romagnone

05:02 Feb 17, 2008
English to Italian translations [PRO]
Names (personal, company) / Mafia
English term or phrase: my daughter
I heard that the reason of naming Mafia in this way was that a member of this group who was riding a motorcyle snatched a carried daughter from a woman kidnapping her; however, such a woman hurried following him crying **Ma fi! Ma fi!** which means in English "My daughter! My daughter!"

However, I am not sure of the correct writing of this #Ma fi#
So, could you kindly help me find the correct translation of "my daughter" into Italian?
Have you any idea about this incident or something to this effect?
TIA
Saleh Dardeer
figghia mia (figlia mia)
Explanation:
Nonna Carmelina in un momento di silenzio della folla grida: " Figghia mia, figghia mia statte attenta cu nu te custipi, era megghiu cu te stai a casa..."
http://margantonio.blogspot.com/2007/11/giulia-2024.html

Se ci si riferisce al dialetto siciliano forse il termine nasce dall'invocazione stessa ripetuta due o più volte: "figghia mia/figghia mia" e successivamente storpiata...chissà?
Lascio la risoluzione del dilemma a qualche siciliano doc (ad esempio Giovanni Pizzati, se è all'ascolto)...;-)

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Note added at 22 ore (2008-02-18 03:55:59 GMT)
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Hi Saleh: that's true, you're right!...I'd better have written in english, I know (sorry), but now you have a lot of examples and you just have to choose the one more convincing. In the one posted by me yesterday actually I was trying to compare that cry to the initial part of "mi-a/figghia..." that is a local expression (sicilian regional dialect) corresponding to "figlia mia" in italian or "my daughter" in english. Bye!
Selected response from:

Oscar Romagnone
Italy
Local time: 14:09
Grading comment
Many thanks!
4 KudoZ points were awarded for this answer



Summary of answers provided
4 +3read carefully
Fiamma Lolli
3 +2ma fille (figlia mia)
Maria Rosa Fontana
2 +2figghia mia (figlia mia)
Oscar Romagnone
3Never heard about this legend...
Elisa Comito


Discussion entries: 1





  

Answers


2 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 4/5Answerer confidence 4/5 peer agreement (net): +3
read carefully


Explanation:
Dear Saleh, You'll be surprised to hear that, according to many experts, the word mafia comes from... arab (only in Palermo there were over 300 mosques; yes, once we and our people were nearer than we are now, for the good and the bad: and I dare to say especially for the good).
I never heard this "Ma fi (mia figlia)" legend, and I am quite a bit expert in mafia problem (but "quite a bit" is not enough, of course). I copy you some links to the ethimology of "mafia", hoping they will be helpful for you. Unfortunately the Merriam Webster dictionary will not help you, because it says the the word mafia comes from Sicilian "mafiusu" but does not goes beyond.
Have a nice day!
http://www.arts.auckland.ac.nz/students/index.cfm?P=5562
http://swobodin.fedora-tn.org/archives/149
http://www.unilibro.it/find_buy/findresult/libreria/prodotto...
http://www.alleanzacattolica.org/idis_dpf/english/m_the_mafi...


    Reference: http://www.umich.edu/~themafia/etymology.htm
    Reference: http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafia#Etymology
Fiamma Lolli
Italy
Local time: 14:09
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  F.: Anche io sono una "appassionata" della Mafia..
7 hrs
  -> grazie, Stefania.

agree  mariant: d'accordo, questa "leggenda" mi suona proprio strana!
12 hrs
  -> grazie, davvero.

agree  simona trapani: eh si confermo da palermitana doc e quindi, purtroppo, da persona che sa bene di che si tratta
1 day 1 hr
  -> grazie di cuore!
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5 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5 peer agreement (net): +2
ma fille (figlia mia)


Explanation:
According to the legend, that woman shouted "ma fille" (figlia mia) in French because the offenders wer French soldiers.

However ths is just a legend. For a more acurate explanation of the ethimology of "mafia", you should have a look at the links that Fiamma posted






    Reference: http://books.google.com/books?id=zH9YN-2nuTcC&pg=PA126&lpg=P...
Maria Rosa Fontana
Italy
Local time: 14:09
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  halifax
2 hrs
  -> thanks halifax

agree  Fiamma Lolli: yes, it is just a legend.
4 hrs
  -> thanks :-)
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8 hrs   confidence: Answerer confidence 3/5Answerer confidence 3/5
Never heard about this legend...


Explanation:
Many sicilian words are of arab origin. Regarding the term "mafia" you might find interesting to look at this wikipedia voice (http://it.wikipedia.org/wiki/Mafia ), even though it's in italian, to see the different arab words which might be at the origin of the name. But you must know that, besides sicilian, also other italian dialects had similiar words, which might have originated the term. In any case, the meaning of the word changed with time because, as they already told you, originally it had not necessarily a negative connotation. For example in sicilian if you called a woman "mafiusedda" you meant she was pretty, attractive, if you called a child "mafiusu" you meant he was pretty, quick-witted, clever...
But what are you translating? Is it something about mafia or is this organization mentioned only marginally?
In any case, personally I had never heard about the legend you reported, Its not credited here in Italy and I wouldn't spread it. You will understand that for us mafia is a very serious problem.
Good luck for your translation!

Elisa Comito
Local time: 14:09
Native speaker of: Italian

Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
neutral  Fiamma Lolli: well, dear Elisa, I would never call "mafiusedda" the granddaughter of Paolo Borsellino!!!! (For Saleh: Paolo Borsellino was a judge slaughtered by the mafia together with 4 men and a woman, with a car-bomb).
1 hr
  -> ;-) Neither would I, Fiamma, I talked about the far away past!
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14 mins   confidence: Answerer confidence 2/5Answerer confidence 2/5 peer agreement (net): +2
figghia mia (figlia mia)


Explanation:
Nonna Carmelina in un momento di silenzio della folla grida: " Figghia mia, figghia mia statte attenta cu nu te custipi, era megghiu cu te stai a casa..."
http://margantonio.blogspot.com/2007/11/giulia-2024.html

Se ci si riferisce al dialetto siciliano forse il termine nasce dall'invocazione stessa ripetuta due o più volte: "figghia mia/figghia mia" e successivamente storpiata...chissà?
Lascio la risoluzione del dilemma a qualche siciliano doc (ad esempio Giovanni Pizzati, se è all'ascolto)...;-)

--------------------------------------------------
Note added at 22 ore (2008-02-18 03:55:59 GMT)
--------------------------------------------------

Hi Saleh: that's true, you're right!...I'd better have written in english, I know (sorry), but now you have a lot of examples and you just have to choose the one more convincing. In the one posted by me yesterday actually I was trying to compare that cry to the initial part of "mi-a/figghia..." that is a local expression (sicilian regional dialect) corresponding to "figlia mia" in italian or "my daughter" in english. Bye!

Oscar Romagnone
Italy
Local time: 14:09
Native speaker of: Native in ItalianItalian
PRO pts in category: 4
Grading comment
Many thanks!
Notes to answerer
Asker: Thanks a lot Oscar! Unfortunately, I do not know Italian. Therefore, I prefered the answer to be in English but I do not why this does not appear.

Asker: I need this phrase in my translation from Arabic into English


Peer comments on this answer (and responses from the answerer)
agree  Gina Ferlisi: i am half sicilian, and i agree 100% with oscar :)
5 hrs
  -> thanks a lot Gina: really? I didn't know that! :-)

agree  Katia Siddi: it's impossible to translate it into English Saleh because you would miss the resemblance of sounds in words. Translate as Oscar suggested and write the English translation (my daughter) in brackets;-)
5 hrs
  -> thanks Katiuscia, very kind of you!! ;-)

agree  Laura Crocè: si, per tenere l'ordine delle parole potrebbe anche essere "me' figghia", anche se non è esclamativo...
6 hrs
  -> grazie Potlatch (e complimenti per la foto visto che non te li avevo ancora fatti!) in realtà ho risposto ma avevo forti dubbi perché mi sa che il termine sia nato quando ancora le moto non esistevano!! :)

disagree  Fiamma Lolli: sorry, Oscar, but "ma fi" in Italian does not mean anything, nor it resembles anything. If Saleh wants to know how to write "my daughter" then, yes, it is "figlia mia" but "figlia mia" (or in Sicilian "figghia mia") and "mi fi" have nothing in common.
10 hrs
  -> Ok Fiamma, forget it!...but, I want to say, just think of the possibility that such a woman was short of breath because running...;-)
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