Calabrian Criminal Slang

Abstract

The article outlines a basic lexicon of the technical slang used by Calabria’s criminal organization called ’Ndrànghita or ’Ndràngata, part of its semantics and its long-term origins. It shows a strong Greek element alongside the basic Latin elements of Calabrian Romance, as well as some Arabic, here generally viâ Turkish, Slav and Persian elements. The whole shows the composite nature of Calabrian Romance, even of its criminal elements. This permits us to reach two basic conclusions: (1) the Greek in Calabrian Romance cannot be tied down to one specific period but goes from antique Doric to Hellenistic, from Hellenistic to Late Byzantine in a linguistic continuum; (2) there is a strong Byzantine Greek element even in the technicalities of Calabria’s criminal code.