The world in a word

Dreams and sayings

"I always dream in Mòcheno when I dream at home. It’s as if the brain knows where I am: if I dream of the mountains, I hear my parents’ words; if I dream of work, I speak Italian.”
The boundary between languages is not clear-cut: it is a continuous passage of meanings, an internal dialogue that shapes identity.
Idioms also say a lot. In Mòcheno, for example, there are expressions that reveal a direct, tangible, almost pragmatic relationship with everyday life. There is no room for the abstract: every word has a weight, a flavour, a connection to the earth. Certain syntactic structures seem to reveal a people that lives in the present, aware of what is happening here and now—similar to what Leonardo Sciascia observed when speaking of Sicilians and their relationship with time.

Five words for visitors to the valley

Each language has its own access keys. Before coming to Valle dei Mòcheni, it would be good to know at least a few essential words:

• 'Grias de' - hello, a friendly familiar greeting;
• 'haus' - home, but also shelter, warmth;
• 'bòlt' - a wood, an essential element of the landscape and imagery;
• 'muas' - a typical dish, a symbol of country cuisine;
• 'lem ' - "to live", but also the noun life.

Five words, five doors into a world.

Language and the future

Mòcheno is not a museum exhibit. It’s a living language, taught in schools, used on public signs, talked about at language festivals. But above all, it is a language that innovates, welcoming new terms, adapting and reshaping them according to its own sounds. This is how a community stays alive while remaining true to itself.
Those who wish to learn the Mòcheno language can do so with the courses, workshops and online materials offered by the Istituto Culturale Mòcheno / Bersntoler Kulturinstitut. But the best way remains the same: talking to those who live it, listening to the stories, embracing the rhythm of the words.

A proverb for smiling

Like in every peasant culture, mòcheno also has its ironic, wisdom-filled proverbs. For example:

- pesser an larn piatt as a lara pfònn (better a plate than an empty pan). Beyond the obvious culinary reference, the proverb can also be read figuratively: it encourages careful management of what you own. The pan represents the basis of the meal, while the plate is only the final result.

- de pèrng stea' still, ober de lait trèffen se bider (the mountains stand still, but people meet). A reminder that, despite distances or difficulties, human beings always find a way to keep in touch.

- mèss drai vert ont schnai a vòrt aloa' (measure three times and cut once). Prudence above all! Before a final action, take the time to check, gather information, and weigh the consequences. “Prepare carefully and act decisively so you won’t have to correct mistakes later.”

A world that keeps talking

Every language that dies takes with it a vision of the world. Speaking Mòcheno today means combating the silence of standardisation, choosing to preserve a diversity that enriches everyone.
Because each word conceals a universe, and every living language, a people who continue to talk about it.