Valachi terminology

[maxiestern11]

Valachi said "boss", not rappresentante. Rappresentante is what Magaddino, Bruno, Patriarca, DeCavalcante, etc. all used when they were taped, so that was the proper term used by the rappresentanti themselves.

Detroit members were still using the term "il capo" (pronounce "u gob") into the 1960s to refer to the boss, which is what Nick Gentile and the Sicilian Mafia used, but in America few were calling the boss "il capo" by that point.

I've wondered before where the terms "caporegime" and "caporegima" come from, as it is not proper Italian and zero Sicilian sources use it. My own theory has been that "caporegima", which appeared in reports before "caporegime" appeared, was a corruption of "capodecina". In Sicilian dialect, "d" sounds like "r", "c" and "g" are used interchangeably, and "m" and "n" sound alike.

I finally saw the FBI acknowledge this in an early report thanks to a couple of Sicilian-American agents with the New York office. They had recently been introduced to the term "caporegima" and believed this was the result of illiterate, Americanized members not properly understanding the term "capodecina" and therefore mispronouncing it, along the lines of what I had figured. That would explain why Valachi got it wrong, as he was a great example of an uneducated Americanized member.

What's amazing to me is that this mistaken pronunciation would become the norm, with "caporegime" becoming much more common in recent decades than the traditional "capodecina", probably in large part to members seeing charts, reports, and articles that used it. Similar to the incorrect term "La Cosa Nostra" becoming used by members in recent years.

It is technically “Capo di decina”.... which over time was corrupted to the simpler “Capodecina” .... and later in America “caporegime”. ALL of them mean the exact same thing which is “head of the regime”....only the overall Boss is the “Capo”. Under him are bosses also; but only of individual “regimes”. THEN come the others....

Everything just became Americanized “simply” and lazy if you will. To the point in English it’s now “captain” or capo which technically they are NOT. They only head 1 regime each.

[maxiestern11]

One more thing. NOBODY, EVER, has used the term “Godfather” in the Street! Not real street guys. That’s a complete fallacy. THAT was the only phrase the Puzo created out of whole cloth.... if it was used. It was used by somebody NOT at all “in the know”. By some half a sucker trying to sound important.

Never, ever!!!!

[Pogo The Clown]

I'm also curious when members started to use "capo" as shorthand for capodecina. There was a point in time where if a member called someone a "capo", it would have meant boss of the entire family. Flash forward to present day, where it is the most common term for captains.

Offhand, Frank Bompensiero's cooperation in the late 1960s is the first time I've seen a member source refer to a capodecina simply as a "capo". Prior to this, I've seen sources use the terms "cappy" / "capi" as shorthand for captain / capodecina ("capi", though, would be plural of "capo").

Representante is still used today in the Colombos to describe acting bosses like Andy Russo. Are there any other families that have been taped using the term in the past few decades?

John Gotti used it on the Cirelli tapes when he was talking about what would happen if he went to prison. He referred to himself as rappresentante and then said Gravano would be his acting boss.

Thanks. Proposed member Gaetano Fatato also used the term in court testimony.

Gravano also used the term to refer to Gotti Sr. after they promoted Junior Gotti to Capo.

One more thing. NOBODY, EVER, has used the term “Godfather” in the Street! Not real street guys. That’s a complete fallacy. THAT was the only phrase the Puzo created out of whole cloth.... if it was used. It was used by somebody NOT at all “in the know”. By some half a sucker trying to sound important.

Never, ever!!!!

That is inaccurate. Valachi used the term in his testimony when he was going over his induction ceremony.


Pogo

[IrishDave]

Frank Culllota said something very strange on his new YouTube channel the other day, he said made guys were referred to as sash or something, I couldn’t quite understand, sounded like a military term. He was discerning between NY and Midwest mob vernacular lol

I believe he said "stash" as in mustache. Referring to Mustache Pete's

[Villain]

I'm also curious when members started to use "capo" as shorthand for capodecina. There was a point in time where if a member called someone a "capo", it would have meant boss of the entire family. Flash forward to present day, where it is the most common term for captains.

Offhand, Frank Bompensiero's cooperation in the late 1960s is the first time I've seen a member source refer to a capodecina simply as a "capo". Prior to this, I've seen sources use the terms "cappy" / "capi" as shorthand for captain / capodecina ("capi", though, would be plural of "capo").

Representante is still used today in the Colombos to describe acting bosses like Andy Russo. Are there any other families that have been taped using the term in the past few decades?

John Gotti used it on the Cirelli tapes when he was talking about what would happen if he went to prison. He referred to himself as rappresentante and then said Gravano would be his acting boss.

Thanks. Proposed member Gaetano Fatato also used the term in court testimony.

Gravano also used the term to refer to Gotti Sr. after they promoted Junior Gotti to Capo.

One more thing. NOBODY, EVER, has used the term “Godfather” in the Street! Not real street guys. That’s a complete fallacy. THAT was the only phrase the Puzo created out of whole cloth.... if it was used. It was used by somebody NOT at all “in the know”. By some half a sucker trying to sound important.

Never, ever!!!!

That is inaccurate. Valachi used the term in his testimony when he was going over his induction ceremony.


Pogo

Inaccurate in the already known Vacari style

[Antiliar]

My guess is that in America they had very large crews of 20 to 50 members, they called them a "regima" instead of a "decina," which means ten. It makes perfect sense. But if you look at this Italian chart it looks like they started using caporegime in Sicily too: https://books.google.com/books?id=DY7ZA ... H3oECFMQAg

Other terms that changed are "brugad" for borgata, literally "borough" or "village;" Sottocapo and underboss are common in the USA, but in Sicily and America before Prohibition they used "vice-rappresentante" or "vice-capo." ("Sotto-capo" was used in a military context way before the Mafia, such as here in this book from 1836: https://books.google.com/books?id=cTpOA ... po&f=false)
I think "Capo di Capi" or "Boss of Bosses" is also an American invention. In Sicily they had provincial bosses, but not bosses of the entire island. Before he came to America, Salvatore Maranzano was the provincial rappresentante of Trapani. Antonino Giammona was said to have been a Capo Supremo, but we don't know enough to state with certainty if it was an early name for a provincial boss or boss of bosses.

[Stroccos]

Strocco.. as in stramberg.yes for a made guy

@Bronx Thanks

[maxiestern11]

I'm also curious when members started to use "capo" as shorthand for capodecina. There was a point in time where if a member called someone a "capo", it would have meant boss of the entire family. Flash forward to present day, where it is the most common term for captains.

Offhand, Frank Bompensiero's cooperation in the late 1960s is the first time I've seen a member source refer to a capodecina simply as a "capo". Prior to this, I've seen sources use the terms "cappy" / "capi" as shorthand for captain / capodecina ("capi", though, would be plural of "capo").

Representante is still used today in the Colombos to describe acting bosses like Andy Russo. Are there any other families that have been taped using the term in the past few decades?

John Gotti used it on the Cirelli tapes when he was talking about what would happen if he went to prison. He referred to himself as rappresentante and then said Gravano would be his acting boss.

Thanks. Proposed member Gaetano Fatato also used the term in court testimony.

Gravano also used the term to refer to Gotti Sr. after they promoted Junior Gotti to Capo.

One more thing. NOBODY, EVER, has used the term “Godfather” in the Street! Not real street guys. That’s a complete fallacy. THAT was the only phrase the Puzo created out of whole cloth.... if it was used. It was used by somebody NOT at all “in the know”. By some half a sucker trying to sound important.

Never, ever!!!!

That is inaccurate. Valachi used the term in his testimony when he was going over his induction ceremony.


Pogo

Words PUT in his mouth by the FBI!.... I’m gonna repeat myself. NOBODY, no REAL street guy or mafioso has EVER used that term! PERIOD!!!

As far as I’m concerned, that’s not even open for interpretation!

And certain phrases like “compare” in the literal sense, translated into the English language literally mean something different. Such as Godfather in Italian translated is compare, understand Pogo?

So when/if Valachi says my compare pricked my finger, he DIDN’T actually mean “Godfather”, but his close mentor, sponsor, or whatever word you’d like to use for that.

To use the word “Godfather” is actually comical and has no place in the Italian underworld. period!!!

I’d stake my life on what I’m saying! Even though you might suspect or “Hope” that I’m a fraud, sucker, idiot, liar, banana, and don’t know what I’m speaking of. And I don’t mean to be condescending in my tone. I’m just telling you the Gods honest truth! (Believing me or not is your prerogative).

[Pogo The Clown]

Right the FBI just made up the term Godfather and made Valachi say it. You of course know as an ironclad fact what words every mobster was or wasn't using 90 years ago. Your bullshit knows no bounds.


Pogo

[maxiestern11]

In other words, “compare” does not translate to mean Godfather in English the way it was used by the FBI, media, etc.

I was baptized as a baby by my parents. I had a compare and comare assigned to me by my father and mother. Close close friends of theirs. My “Godfather” is my compare in the catholic faith. And in Italian culture.

And my Mafia mentor would be my close “compare” obviously. But so could/would many others in that life, understand? All compare means when used that way is to connote a very close friend, trusted buddy, etc. NOT the “boss” of a Mafia Family.

The “Capo” or “Boss” of a Mafia Family is NOT referred to as “The Godfather”! .... it’s silly. And was for Hollywood and movies, and to sell books. In other words it’s a bullshit term that’s doesn’t REALLY mean anything in the scheme of things in Cosa Nostra.

[maxiestern11]

THIS I know with every fiber of my being.....

I said my piece.... believe what you feel you need to believe to make yourselves feel good.

I refuse to argue with you two. Remember, I’m not getting paid for this. Lol

[thekiduknow]

I wonder what Valachi really meant when he referred to Bonanno as his “Godfather”. From what I recall, at his induction ceremony they did a numbers game with their fingers to see who would be his Godfather, so it’s not like Bonanno sponsored him. And it doesn’t seem like Valachi and Bonanno had any further contact since Valachi went with the Genovese’s when all was said and done.

[B.]

I wonder what Valachi really meant when he referred to Bonanno as his “Godfather”. From what I recall, at his induction ceremony they did a numbers game with their fingers to see who would be his Godfather, so it’s not like Bonanno sponsored him. And it doesn’t seem like Valachi and Bonanno had any further contact since Valachi went with the Genovese’s when all was said and done.

In Philadelphia they had this as well, and as CI Rocco Scafidi explained it, the compare/godfather is someone who is not the sponsor or capodecina of the soldier, but someone they can go to should they need advice/assistance. In Scafidi's case, his compare was Domenico Pollina, who was a capodecina but Scafidi didn't report to him. Interestingly, just like with Bonanno/Valachi, Pollina was randomly selected as Scafidi's compare through the "finger game".

My guess is that in America they had very large crews of 20 to 50 members, they called them a "regima" instead of a "decina," which means ten. It makes perfect sense. But if you look at this Italian chart it looks like they started using caporegime in Sicily too: https://books.google.com/books?id=DY7ZA ... H3oECFMQAg

Other terms that changed are "brugad" for borgata, literally "borough" or "village;" Sottocapo and underboss are common in the USA, but in Sicily and America before Prohibition they used "vice-rappresentante" or "vice-capo." I think "Capo di Capi" or "Boss of Bosses" is also an American invention. In Sicily they had provincial bosses, but not bosses of the entire island. Before he came to America, Salvatore Maranzano was the provincial rappresentante of Trapani. Antonino Giammona was said to have been a Capo Supremo, but we don't know enough to state with certainty if it was an early name for a provincial boss or boss of bosses.

I'm under the impression "brugad" was just a phonetic interpretation of borgata. You see it on transcriptions of the DeCavalcante tapes but I figured he must have been saying borgata and they didn't know how to transcribe it, which happened with many other terms also.

When Antonino Giuffre was made in the early 1980s, he was told Michele Greco was the "capo dei capi" but also said Greco's true rank was capoprovincia of Palermo. During those years, the capoprovincia of Palermo is said to be a defacto boss of bosses, but it was not an actual rank. I don't know about earlier but it may have been a similar situation all along.

Thanks for sharing that Italian book -- I'd be curious if the wording on those charts comes from an actual pentito or if they were just using the Americanized terminology for whatever reason given it was 1993 and "caporegime" was already a publicly known term.

--

Also, I should add that even though Valachi used the term "boss" in the interview I referred to in the original post, I found another interview with him where he uses the term "capo" for NYC bosses at the time he joined the organization. So Valachi did know and use the traditional term "capo" for boss.

[Antiliar]

I think "brugad" is just an example of the typical Italian-Americanization of the language like biscot for biscotti, gabagool for capicola, mutzadell for mozzarella, pruzhoot for proscuitto, etc. This is a good article that describes this language change: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/h ... -explained

[B.]

I think "brugad" is just an example of the typical Italian-Americanization of the language like biscot for biscotti, gabagool for capicola, mutzadell for mozzarella, pruzhoot for proscuitto, etc. This is a good article that describes this language change: https://www.atlasobscura.com/articles/h ... -explained

I agree 100% -- that's exactly what I meant by a phonetic transcription.