Question
Updated on
28 Jun 2021
- English (US)
-
Italian
Question about Italian
What is the difference between superstizioso and scaramantico - ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
What is the difference between superstizioso and scaramantico - ?Feel free to just provide example sentences.
Answers
28 Jun 2021
Featured answer
- Italian
The meaning of superstitious (superstizioso) or superstition (superstizione) is almost word by word identical to the meaning you can read in any English dictionary (for example I just checked the Merriam Webster online and it's basically the same definition I can find in any Italian dictionary).
"Scaramanzia" has somewhat of an esoteric and magical connotation.
While "superstizione" is usually used for referring to false beliefs, beliefs in a broad meaning, "scaramanzia" instead is used mostly for referring to specific actions, practices, objects (lucky charms) and more rarely even phrases, that people do/say/carry to attract good luck or push away bad luck.
We would say that "touching wood" with the intent to push away bad luck is a "gesto scaramantico" (a superstitious action) or, not as often, we might also say "rito scaramantico" (superstitious ritual. We say "rito" ritual because they kind of mock ancient ceremonies, like throwing salt behind your shoulders, but in fact they are very simple actions). "Gesto/rito scaramantico" would be the expression we would use 99% of time. We wouldn't say "gesto/rito superstizioso" unless we just blank and really can't remember the right word. We would understand it anyway because we don't really think too much about the difference, I mean, it's not blatantly wrong, it's just that "gesto scaramantico" sounds more natural when you refer to things like touching woods (we say "touching iron") or throwing salt, or avoiding to walk under a ladder, or change path when a black cat crosses your way. In all those cases we would say those are "gesti scaramantici" or "riti scaramantici".
On a final note, a religion might be called a "superstizione", but never ever a "scaramanzia", that wouldn't just sound unnatural, it would definitely be a mistake. Or again, Nostradamus prophecies, they are "superstizioni" not "scaramanzia" (when used as a noun it's uncountable).
A very famous lucky charm is the "cornetto napoletano" which is a little red horn and actually it's resembling more of a chili pepper than a horn. If you search it on google you would find any sort of key rings and similar stuff.
Despite being very well known all over Italy, nowadays it's just folklore and you won't find many people actually believing it can bring you any luck. Also you won't easily find it outside Naples.
Quick side note. I can't think of any phrase people still say nowadays with the actual intent of pushing away bad luck or attracting good luck, but if you think about it, in our everyday life we use one very often that was born as a lucky charm phrase, but today is just good manners: when someone sneeze we say "Salute!" (bless you) to wish someone good health.
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- Italian
Sono quasi identiche, la scaramanzia è una forma di superstizione che viene accompagnata da alcuni gesti o pratiche, tipo incrociare le dita, toccarsi le palle, fare le corna o, se un gatto nero attraversa la strada, fare tre passi indietro, diciamo che è una "superstizione reattiva"..
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- Italian
The meaning of superstitious (superstizioso) or superstition (superstizione) is almost word by word identical to the meaning you can read in any English dictionary (for example I just checked the Merriam Webster online and it's basically the same definition I can find in any Italian dictionary).
"Scaramanzia" has somewhat of an esoteric and magical connotation.
While "superstizione" is usually used for referring to false beliefs, beliefs in a broad meaning, "scaramanzia" instead is used mostly for referring to specific actions, practices, objects (lucky charms) and more rarely even phrases, that people do/say/carry to attract good luck or push away bad luck.
We would say that "touching wood" with the intent to push away bad luck is a "gesto scaramantico" (a superstitious action) or, not as often, we might also say "rito scaramantico" (superstitious ritual. We say "rito" ritual because they kind of mock ancient ceremonies, like throwing salt behind your shoulders, but in fact they are very simple actions). "Gesto/rito scaramantico" would be the expression we would use 99% of time. We wouldn't say "gesto/rito superstizioso" unless we just blank and really can't remember the right word. We would understand it anyway because we don't really think too much about the difference, I mean, it's not blatantly wrong, it's just that "gesto scaramantico" sounds more natural when you refer to things like touching woods (we say "touching iron") or throwing salt, or avoiding to walk under a ladder, or change path when a black cat crosses your way. In all those cases we would say those are "gesti scaramantici" or "riti scaramantici".
On a final note, a religion might be called a "superstizione", but never ever a "scaramanzia", that wouldn't just sound unnatural, it would definitely be a mistake. Or again, Nostradamus prophecies, they are "superstizioni" not "scaramanzia" (when used as a noun it's uncountable).
A very famous lucky charm is the "cornetto napoletano" which is a little red horn and actually it's resembling more of a chili pepper than a horn. If you search it on google you would find any sort of key rings and similar stuff.
Despite being very well known all over Italy, nowadays it's just folklore and you won't find many people actually believing it can bring you any luck. Also you won't easily find it outside Naples.
Quick side note. I can't think of any phrase people still say nowadays with the actual intent of pushing away bad luck or attracting good luck, but if you think about it, in our everyday life we use one very often that was born as a lucky charm phrase, but today is just good manners: when someone sneeze we say "Salute!" (bless you) to wish someone good health.
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