Even though it is a linguistic variation referable to the central-southern Italian dialects, the Pretarolo is an immaterial cultural asset that distinguishes the community of Pietracamela, who have always been particularly attached to it. Although the complex phonetics (especially the vocalism) , recall, among others, some typical traits belonging to the phonetics of the Pennese dialects (for example the transition in a closed syllable of a tonic /e/ to an /o/, as in the toponyms PĬNNA > Penne / Pònne and Betlemme / Betlòmme: «ha netë a Betlòmmë lu Santë Bambun», according to a Pretarolo religious song) and more generally traits belonging to the koine from Abruzzo, like some fractures of the closed tonic vowels in an open syllable (PULLĬCĒNUM > pulcino / pëcèunë; NĔPOTEM > nipote / nipautë etc.) or the transformation, until it dissipates, of the final atonic vowel (V > [ë]), typical of the Adriatic side of the mountain and not the Aquila side, the most characteristic elements of the Pretarolo dialect concern the lexicon, the syntax and, from the sociolinguistic point of view, the configuration of the repertoire.

From the lexical point of view, we will point out some frequently used words, related to family life and of clear or possible foreign origin, in particular Albanian or more correctly Arbëreshe (Albanian of Italy), which seem not to be attested in any of the neighbouring or regional varieties, and thus act as authentic identifying markers of the Pretarolo community. This is most likely the case of vascia (“ragazza”=girl or “figlia”=daughter) in the Pretarolo dialect which we also find in Molise in the Italian-Albanian communities of Campomarino (CB) (vasheza in the determined singular feminine form) and Portocannone (CB) (vasha in the determined singular feminine form). More complex is the case of r(i)juf / r(u)woff(a) (“bambino”= little boy, “bambina”= little girl) in the Pretarolo dialect, which we could very cautiously relate to rufë, attested in Chieuti, an Arbëresh linguistic island in the province of Foggia, and indicating a baby’s cradle cap, through a metonymic procedure completely analogous to that which leads to “moccioso (snotty kid)” from “moccio (snot)”. The possible kinship with Italian-Albanian varieties could be explained by the documented presence of «Slavonic and Greek» leather merchants at Prati di Tivo in the seventeenth century. Moreover, it is partly supported by some peculiar anthropological aspects still alive in Pietracamela and still found today in some Italian-Albanian communities, such as the presence of mourners during funeral rites who, at the end of the rite, ask the relative of the deceased if they are satisfied with their work. We have recently found a similar formulation, in the same context, in Civita (Cosenza), an Arbëresh linguistic island in the Pollino mountain range. However, the research must be further investigated: here we want only to emphasize its fruitfulness.

Among the other noteworthy lexical peculiarities in this brief synthesis is the form of the numeral adjective “eighty”, which is built on a vigesimal basis (presumably of Celtic origin, arriving in central-southern Italy probably through the Normans), giving rise to the syntagma “four twenties”. This form survives in some localities of the inland areas of Abruzzo up to the Sulmona basin, but is in strong regression and is therefore particularly noticeable.

The Pretarolo language is also perceived as highly unusual because it must be included in a more complex repertoire that includes the Italian language, given the high level of education (also female) that has traditionally characterized the town, and the jargon of the wool carders, itinerant craftsmen typical of Pietracamela and the nearby Cerqueto.

Regarding the relationship between the jargon, the local dialect and the Italian language we have observed some interesting porosity (the singularity of the Pretarolo dialect already made some lexical elements available for the jargon) and, above all, the fact that the former has become a community heritage, being still widely known in the village, albeit in a fragmented way, at least by the over forty, both men and women. Regarding the Italian language, it is necessary to point out, rather paradoxically, that in the past people referred to Pietracamela as an “oasis of Italianness”. This is the case of Tommaso Bruno Stoppa, who observed in 1947 how many carders from Pietracamela having to go to Tuscany to work, brought back to the village the language that had emerged as the model of the national language.