Why does everyone keep referring to Italian sandwiches as "a panini" or "paninis"?!
Why does everyone keep referring to Italian sandwiches as "a panini" or "paninis"?
Anyone know why the Italian word for sandwiches is so badly butchered in America? Here, the word is treated as a singular form; thus, you get people ordering "a panini" at restaurants, or talking about the "great paninis" they had somewhere. Even so-called Italian restaurants, who should have done at least 5 minutes' worth of research on the subject, make this mistake.
Anyone who has taken so much as a day or two worth of Italian language courses (or has cracked open an Italian dictionary) knows that the word "panini" is PLURAL and is translated as "sandwiches." The "i" at the end is the common indicator for a plural word in Italian. The singular form for sandwich is "panino."
So when you say "a panini," you are, in effect, saying "a sandwiches." To put an English plural "s" on the end of "panini" makes it even more nonsensical. "Sandwicheses?" Honestly.
Can anyone explain who is responsible for this error that has now, sadly, become very common?
Answers:
Welcome to the world of Americanized offensive stereotyping by marketing people who evidently never bother to do their homework. Unfortunately the wrong words are used because of their massive exposure in mainstream media.
Get used to the idea, no matter how much you try to clarify this misconception, the word is there to stay. Of course Americanized Italian restaurants will pick up the term because it sells.
I feel the same way with misconceptions like fajitas which everyone seems to label as Mexican.