What do the Italian words "scritti" and "scritta" mean, and what is
the difference between them?

Hello crowfeather


Both words are about something having been written, but they can turn
up as adjectives or nouns. I hope you'll bear with me as I go through
the various possibilities. I've included a couple of links to websites
which show the words in use, but they're not an essential part of the
explanation.


WHEN THEY'RE ADJECTIVES

Both words can mean 'written'. The difference between them here is due
to the Italian rule that an adjective must match the noun it's
describing.

I don't know if you're familiar with any other language which divides
nouns into feminine and masculine, like Spanish or French, but
certainly Italian does this. The adjective that goes with the noun has
to 'agree' and take a masculine or feminine form. It also has to be
singular or plural, like the noun. Grammar books usually call this
agreeing in gender and number.

'Scritta', with an 'a' at the end, is the feminine singular version.
So if you're talking about a letter that has been written,'lettera' or
letter is a feminine noun and so 'scritta' has to be feminine too.

For example, "una lettera scritta in lingua italiana" means a letter
written in the Italian language.

"Estratto di una lettera scritta in lingua Italiana il dì 21 Gennaio
1864"
http://www.maths.tcd.ie/pub/HistMath/People/Riemann/Cilind/

'Scritto' would be the masculine singular version of 'scritta', but
'scritti' is the masculine plural. Again it means 'written' but it's
only correct when teamed up with a masculine plural noun.

You might want to look at a webpage that sums up some of these points,
starting: "Adjectives in Italian must match the noun they describe in
gender and number".

Italian Grammar: Adjectives
http://www.gwc.org.uk/Italian/Adjectives.html


WHEN THEY'RE NOUNS

'Scritti' is very commonly used as a noun. It means writings or things
which have been written - often literary works.

Here's an example on a webpage of writings about a tower:

"Scritti e memorie sulla Torre"
http://www.castelbolognese.org/scritti.htm

'Scritta' as a noun can mean a legal contract, or a poster or notice.

Here's an example on a webpage with a picture of a notice written up
over an entrance:

"La scritta al di sopra dell'entrata" 
http://castellina.org/famiglia/esterno.htm

It's also found in instructions for using webpages. Where we might say
'click on the button' or 'click on the word', Italian sites may say
click on 'la scritta'.

Example: "la scritta Password"
http://www.media.unisi.it/italiano/servizi/faq.html


SUMMING UP

'Scritti' and 'scritta' are always connected with something having
been written. They come from the Italian word 'scrivere', which means
to write, and are cousins of English words like script or inscribed.

Used adjectivally, they mean written, inscribed or fated (as in
'written in the stars').

As nouns:
'scritta' - legal document, script, inscription, poster, notice
'scritti' - writing(s), essays, literary works


I hope this clears things up for you but if you would like further
explanation, feel free to get back to me with a request for
clarification.


Regards - Leli



I used the Cambridge Italian Dictionary, Cambridge University Press
(1975) to back up my knowledge of Italian.
Online you can use:
Travlang Italian-English dictionary
http://dictionaries.travlang.com/ItalianEnglish/

This search will lead to more Italian grammar than anyone could digest
in one go:
://www.google.co.uk/search?q=italian+grammar&ie=UTF-8&oe=UTF-8&hl=en&btnG=Google+Search&meta=

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Clarification of Answer by leli-ga on 02 Dec 2002 07:02 PST

Thank-you very much for the tip and the rating. I'm glad you found the
answer helpful.

Excellent. Just what I was looking for.