Do you want to speak Italian?

Considering Italian is spoken as a first language by only about 62 million people worldwide (compared with 322 million native Spanish speakers, 422 Arabic and 1212 million Chinese), it's amazing how many people want to learn it. Although many other languages - including English - are more useful for travelling the world, there is something special about Italian that attracts students from all walks of life.

So why do so many people choose Italian over other languages? For some, it is for cultural reasons - to be able to follow Italian opera or films without needing the subtitles or to read classic writers such as Dante and Macchiavelli in their original form. However, it is usually the prospect of a trip to Italy that stimulates people to study the language.

Italy has something for everyone, in abundance: sun, sea, mountains, art, architecture, music, history, wine, coffee, pasta, pizza not to mention energetic, effervescent people. Whether you're looking for excitement or relaxation, romance or family-friendly fun, you'll find it in Italy, in the spring, summer, autumn or winter.

Even a smattering of the language will enrich your experience immensely. Although many Italians speak English, it is definitely more fun - as well as more polite - for us to make the effort to speak Italian to them. When in Rome, talk as the Romans do. At least, we can do our best. In any case, once you leave the touristy areas, English is not as widespread and you may need some Italian, if just for shopping and asking directions.

If you have never tried to learn Italian before, you may be surprised at how (relatively) easy it is. Many English words also come straight from Latin and the words that came into English from Greek went into Italian in a similar way. What do you think "possibile" means? Or "secondo", "errore" or "fotografia"? There is so much you can guess.

Of the words that don't obviously correspond to the English, many can be deduced with a bit of lateral thinking, particularly when they are seen in context. For example, "dente" doesn't look like "tooth" but, as soon as you think of "dental" and "dentist", it makes sense. For this reason, even if you can't always work out the meaning of such words yourself, once you have learnt what they mean, it's easy to remember them.

A long-established fashion in Italy is to use a lot of English vocabulary. Some of it is so deeply entrenched that perhaps not everybody thinks of it as English any more ("club", "computer", "film") and some is more consciously English ("training", "partner", "freezer"). Conversely, English has assimilated many Italian words and expressions ("ghetto", "prima donna", "fiasco") and many more are used so that we too may sound fashionable ("riviera", "vista", "cappuccino").

When you can speak some Italian, it will allow you to dig much deeper into the real Italy. You'll understand what people are saying, not just to you but to each other; you'll be in on the jokes; you'll find out how Italians see the world.

Settling down to learn a foreign language can be a daunting task. The initial phase, particularly, is hard work and it can be a little while before you begin to see results. It takes determination and discipline. However, if you give it a good push at the beginning and then stay with it, your learning will soon gather a momentum of its own. One day, you'll suddenly find you have learnt enough to have a chat in the new language - and the satisfaction is enormous. Even if right now you don't know a single word of Italian, in three months' time you could be speaking fluently.

Article Source: http://www.health-fitness-for-all.com

If you would like to learn Italian, check out this site! Tons of info about Italy and Italian, including audio and a downloadable e-book written by professional teachers of Italian. Yes you can speak Italian!

Please Rate this Article

5 out of 54 out of 53 out of 52 out of 51 out of 5 

Not yet Rated