Help deciphering Camorra-related term from katakana
Sarah Neufeld
I need some help deciphering an Italian term. I'm translating a light novel that deals with gangs in 1930s New York, and the term the author uses for a Camorra accountant is コンタユオーロ (glossed as 出納係 for the Japanese audience). It's "conta-something" for sure, but due to the time period, "conta euro" is definitely out. I've seen "conta è oro", "conta d'oro" and "conta l'oro" given as suggestions elsewhere, and I'm leaning towards the last one, but I haven't been able to find confirmation anywhere. Making things a bit more complicated, the Camorra originated in Naples, and there's a possibility that the term is in the Neopolitan dialect. The author's been shockingly good about basing things on accurate research so far, so I doubt it's something he just made up, but unfortunately, since I'm working for a publisher, there's no way I can ask him directly and get an answer in time. (And, for better or worse, I don't have any Camorra contacts to ask... >_>b) Any ideas?
Sarah Neufeld
Beaverton, OR
hal
il «contaiulo» era una sorta di notaio dell'organizzazione che convalidava le affiliazioni e, preventivamente, verificava i requisiti per l'ammissione
The "contaiulo" was a sort of notary organization that validates affiliations and, in advance, verified the requirements for admission.
Hào Anh Lê
timl...@aol.com
FWIW
Tim Leeney
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Sarah Neufeld
hal
- マルティージョ･ファミリーの『 出納係 （コンタユオーロ）』。一見穏やかだがナイフの腕前はかなりのもの。元錬金術師の不死者。男性。
- Hào Anh Lê
On Thursday, October 22, 2015 at 9:38:52 AM UTC-7, Sarah Neufeld wrote:
Dan Lucas
Francesco Cappello
Hello Sara,
No doubt this is "contaiuolo", which means "accountant" in the camorra jargon.
Best regards.
Francesco Cappello
Verona, Italy
--
Herman
> "出納係" in the sense of cashier or treasurer would make sense in the
> context of Sarah's comments about this character mostly handling the
> accounts.
> On the other hand, the original author's use of "contaiulo" (notary) may
> be a mistake of comprehension i.e. he may have believed it meant
> something like treasurer, but that does not seem to be the case.
would be a possible translation for 出納係 in this case; "cashier"
doesn't really make sense. Regarding the reference to "una sorta di
notaio", "notaio" here should be understood as something like
"secretary", not notary in the sense of notary public.
Herman Kahn
Alan Siegrist
It seems clear that ‘contaiuolo’ is the correct spelling and the word is from the Neapolitan dialect. But the exact function of this person within the organization is a little unclear. Here is an interesting quote from a book about the camorristi:
“The story revolved around a thief who wanted to be admitted to the Honoured Society. What made his case unusual and controversial was that many camorristi suspected the thief of being a pederast. In the old days there would have been no debate: cuckolded husbands, thieves and pederasts were all banned. Accordingly, the then contaiuolo (bookkeeper) of the Honored Society invoked the old rules and obstinately refused to make him a member. But opinion within the camorra was split; the ‘pederast’ was lobbying hard among his camorrista friends. The dispute rumbled on until one evening, in a tavern in the Forcella quarter, the ‘pederast’ provoked a fight in which the contaiuolo suffered serious head injuries.”
Despite the English equivalent of “bookkeeper” appearing in the quote above, as one can see from the story, a contaiuolo clearly has power over who can become a member of the society and who cannot. This is not the sort of power that one would normally envision from the English word “bookkeeper,” meaning someone that mostly handles the more mundane tasks of handling and recording financial transactions.
Here is another passage:
“The Major Society contained the more senior criminals, known as camorristi. Both the Major and the Minor had their own boss and a contaiuolo, or bookkeeper, who gathered and redistributed the gang’s income from crime. Each new member had to undergo an initiation ritual to join the Society…”
Evidently the contaiuolo not only handled the duties of collecting and redistributing their ill-gotten gains, but also appears to have had an authoritative say in deciding who exactly is in and thus deserving of a share.
Best,
Alan Siegrist
Orinda, CA, USA
--
John Stroman
Alan Siegrist
John,
Right. I think they called Guzik the “treasurer” of the gang, and that seems to imply somewhat more authority, respect and power than “bookkeeper.”
Best,
Alan
John Stroman writes:
Alan,
Perhaps similar to Jake Guzik in the Capone gang?
John Stroman
Francesco Cappello
It seems to me that "notary", as used in the newspaper article linked above, might be too broad compared to the meaning found in other sources, but it could be that the role sees variations depending on the organization or historical moment.
... organizzata finanziariamente da un contaiuolo, che provvede a riscuotere i proventi delle estorsioni e e li ripartisce in base alle regole interne.
...financially organized by a contaiuolo, which collects proceeds from extortion and distributes them according to internal rules.
La camorra nomina un contaiuolo a segretario e ragioniere, che annota lira per lira bische, sbruffo, prostitute e soldi a usura...
The camorra appoints one contaiuolo as secretary and accountant, who writes down every single penny coming from gambling houses, sbruffo (extortion), prostitutes, and money lent upon usury...
Best regards
Francesco Cappello
Verona, Italy
John Stroman
Link: http://disagiosud.blogspot.com/2014/06/history-of-organized-crime-in-south.html
The "Company majeure" includes the real Camorra, while affiliandi ("lads are honored", "Picciotto", "picciotti of Sgarro" are part of the "Society minor." In each of the twelve districts of Naples operates a "society" divided into local "fishing boats" (groups with different specializations), governed by a "caposocietà" or "capintrito", assisted by the "contaiuolo", which serves as secretary-treasurer.
John Stroman
Stephen Suloway
> Herman <sl...@lmi.net> wrote:
>
> Regarding the reference to "una sorta di notaio", "notaio" here should be understood as something like "secretary", not notary in the sense of notary public.
Regards,
Stephen
~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~ ~
Stephen Suloway
Herman
>
>> Herman <sl...@lmi.net> wrote:
>>
>> Regarding the reference to "una sorta di notaio", "notaio" here
>> should be understood as something like "secretary", not notary in
>> the sense of notary public.
>
>
> I think the “notaio” is more than a secretary, someone trained in
> civil law and able to prepare contractual documents and, outside the
> mafia anyway, to legally register and certify them.
>
sitting in a secretarial pool, but rather the title "secretary" (as in
secretary general, first secretary, etc), meaning something like "a
senior official who handles important/confidential work for a powerful
individual/organization".
As a professional description, notaio corresponds to the English "civil
law notary".
Herman Kahn
Jens Wilkinson
Hello Sara,
No doubt this is "contaiuolo", which means "accountant" in the camorra jargon.
Best regards.
Francesco Cappello
Verona, Italy
Francesco Cappello
Probably so. I have to say I remember only one name that ends with the same suffix which is "mariuolo" meaning "small thief" but in that case it doesn't appear to be attached to a verb. There might be a connection with the Italian suffix -iolo which is found in boscaiolo (woodman), pizzaiolo (pizza chef) etc.
Sarah Neufeld
- Sarah
Sarah Neufeld
And I'd been wondering where "-iuolo" had come from as well; my Italian is minimal and incredibly rusty at this point, but it didn't look even remotely familiar, and I never would have thought of it. I'm very, very glad I asked. Again, many thanks!
Sarah Neufeld