Why do Sardinians say “ajò”?
The origins of the most famous island word in the worldWhether you write "Ajò" or "aiò" the meaning is always the same and the theories are different. "Ajò" is undoubtedly one of the best known Sardinian words, perhaps the best known, in the world . It is used in all the variants of the Sardinian language, in Campidanese, Nuorese, Logudorese, but also in Sassari, Gallurese and even, it is also used in Corsica . Knows different meanings depending on the context. It is used with the meaning of:
- "Let's go!"
- "Force!"
- "Come on"
An example: «Ajò a mangia» (let's go eat!). It is also used to respond to arrogant and liars. Let's assume we are talking to a fisherman who overemphasizes the size of the freshly caught fish: in this case “ajò” is used to say: «Come on, what are you saying!».
At the level of origins we have two preponderant theories .
- According to the first, the term "ajò" could derive from the Latin verb "ire" (to go).
- The second leads the origins of "ajò" to a historical period prior to the Latin one. According to this theory, in fact, "ajò" could derive from the Assyrian "aḫû", which means "to be brothers", "to be together", "to be friends".