il telefonino
cell phone
One friend in Italy has given up cioccolata for quaresima (Lent); another is living without vino. Both chose these sacrifices over what Italian pastors are urging their congregations to deny themselves in the weeks before Easter: the ubiquitous telefonino (mobile phone).
Long before the portable phone craze hit the United States, Italians were addicted. Everywhere I go in Italy—to Easter Mass at the Vatican, the top of Mount Vesuvius, the movies, fine restaurants, museums, or the beach—I hear the chirpy squillo (chime, a word originally used for a cow bell) of telefonini. Most conversations start, “Mamma…” since that’s who gets the most calls, and are often accompanied by such vigorous gestures that I’ve learned to keep my distance from those who walk and talk at the same time. Fortunately, by law, Italian drivers must pull off the road when using a telefonino.
For chatting with friends, young Italians prefer text messaging or SMS, the abbreviation used worldwide, including Italy, for Short Message Service. In the process they’ve created another language, incomprehensible even to many Italians.
The first SMS message I received consisted of just four symbols: “dv 6?” I had to call the friend who had sent it so she could explain that she was asking, “Dove sei?” “Where are you?” (Italian messagers use the numeral six, which also translates as sei, for you.) My SMS vocabulary now includes ke (che—what), ki (chi –who), km (come—how), and smpr (sempre—always). The longest message I’ve ever sent was “Dm c sent” for “Domani ci sentiamo,” “We’ll talk tomorrow.”
Italy’s airwaves may be quieter over the next few Fridays because some bishops are calling for “no SMS days” as “a small way to remember the importance of concrete and not virtual relationships.” Others are urging a more complete “techno-fast,” with fewer phone calls, less surfing of the net, and no social networking on Facebook (a growing rage).
By email, I asked a friend in Italy if she thought that many Italians will comply with the Church’s directives. She responded in SMS jargon: "frs c," which stands for “forse si” (maybe yes).
Sayings and Expressions
Dammi un colpo di telefono - give me a call
messaggino – SMS, text message
messaggiare - to text message, to send a SMS
Sei la migliore = 6 la + (SMS for "You are the best")
Ti voglio tanto bene = tvtb (I love you so much)
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