Why is it important to learn a foreign language?
Language is part of one’s identity and culture. From a linguistics point of view, each of us has our language, called idiolect, which is part of who we are. On a larger scale, languages tell us a lot about the people that speak them.
I personally think that there is more to a language than just the ability to communicate with one another. There are bigger benefits: establishing deeper connections or getting a job in another country or simply watching a movie without subtitles.
The majority of my students want to learn Italian because they have an Italian partner or they have family from Italy and want to reconnect to their roots. They need to build a more genuine rapport with another person and the only way to do that is through learning Italian.
I decided to study foreign languages because I wanted to explore the world and learn about new cultures. For example, I chose Romanian as one of my subjects at University because I wanted to break the stereotype. I felt the need of exploring the language and the people to learn something new and I loved the whole experience.
Learning a foreign language is a mind-opening experience that goes beyond prejudice. Probably, the biggest benefit is the learning experience itself. It fulfils the need of being close to someone and enables a deeper understanding of each other.
Foto di Olya Kobruseva da Pexels
Where can I find cool Italian exercises for free?
For those who want to self study or are looking for some extra practice, there is a vast variety of resources available online. It can be overwhelming to find the right ones so I selected the best according to my experience.
A list of my favourites is:
http://www.languageclassinitaly.com
If you want fun exercises to improve your grammar and read interesting fact about Italy, Elisabetta’s website is the perfect choice. I suggest trying the grammar exercises /recipes, they are great!
https://italianoperstranieri.loescher.it/
An immense website full of any sort of activities. It contains some interesting reading too.
https://www.comeitaliani.it/
A mix of creativity, culture and learning tools, this website is mainly aimed at teachers. I adapt a lot of materials especially for my advanced students.
https://caffescuola.com/
Caffèscuola has a collection of free specimen of books from beginners to intermediate. I adore their listening activities!
What is Pasquetta?
Il giorno dopo Pasqua in Italia viene chiamato Pasquetta. In Italia è tradizione festeggiarla con un pic nic in campagna o una grigliata. Un po’ incuriosita, mi sono messa a cercare perché in Italia è solito fare un gita fuori porta il giorno di Pasquetta e ho trovato alcune storie molto interessanti.
Innanzitutto, la Pasquetta ha origini parzialmente religiose. Viene anche chiamata il Lunedì dell’Angelo in quanto, secondo il Vangelo, è stato proprio l’angelo ad annunciare la resurrezione di Gesù Cristo. I fedeli che erano andati a visitare il sepolcro di Gesù lo hanno trovato sorprendentemente vuoto. Nonostante il suo valore religioso, la Pasquetta è diventato un giorno di festa soltanto dal dopoguerra per dare un ulteriore giorno di riposo ai lavoratori. Infatti, non ci sono particolari riti religiosi associati alla Pasquetta ma è solito fare un pic nic, visitare la campagna o fare una grigliata.
Da cosa ho letto online e da cosa mi raccontavano i miei nonni, uscire dalla città e visitare la campagna è associato alla primavera e alla rinascita. Dopo un lungo inverno passato in casa è piacevole passare un giorno fuori città, all’aperto. In questa maniera, Gesù non è presente nel suo sepolcro, nella sua casa, perché è risorto.
Quindi Pasquetta sembra proprio l’esatto punto d’incontro tra la voglia di uscire e finalmente vedere il sole e la tradizione religiosa della resurrezione.
English version:
In Italy, the day after Easter is called Pasquetta. We usually celebrate this day with a picnic in the countryside or a barbecue. I was curious to find out why in Italy we are used to going to the countryside on Easter Monday and I found interesting stories about it.
First of all, Easter Monday is partly a religious holiday. It is also known as “The Monday of the Angel”. According to the Gospel it was an angel who announced the resurrection of Jesus Christ. To their surprise, the believers who went to visit his tomb found it empty.
Despite its religious meaning, Easter Monday became a holiday just after the War, to give workers an extra day to rest. There aren’t specific religious ceremonies linked to Easter Monday but we usually have a picnic, visit the countryside or have a barbecue.
From what I read online and from what my grandparents told me, going away from the city to the countryside is linked to springtime and rebirth. It’s very pleasant to spend a day outdoors after a long winter spent indoors. In this way, Jesus is not there in his tomb because he is reborn.
Therefore Easter Monday appears to be the meeting point between the desire of being out in the sun and the Christian emblem of the resurrection.
Nota: la versione italiana del post contiene semplificazioni per adeguarsi a un più ampio pubblico di studenti non eseperti.
Sources : https://www.ilpost.it/2021/04/05/pasquetta-storia-vangeli-lunedi-dell-angelo/ and www.lifeinitaly.com/lifestyle/holidays/easter/after-easter-pasquetta/.
Photo by Pexels, Taryn Elliot
My personal point of view about Italian language
I always have my doubts when I see ads that promise they’ll make you learn a language in 3 months. No, unfortunately, it doesn’t work like that. Learning a complex language like Italian requires time and practice. It doesn’t mean it’s going to be a traumatic experience but it needs time. When learning Italian, there are so many aspects to consider. I noticed that speakers of Latin-based languages such as French and Spanish are faster at learning grammar patterns. They have a great advantage as their native languages are similar to Italian. As a result, their fluency comes out more naturally but what they say is not always accurate or grammatically perfect. For example, Spanish native speakers tend to say “io aveva” (I had) instead of “io avevo”. In this case, they applied a Spanish grammatical rule to Italian and they made a mistake.
Standard Italian is also very much influenced by regional dialects, social changes, technology, and much more. Thinking about Italian – or any other language – as a set of fixed rules is wrong. There is a constant evolution in Italian language and the way we speak it in Italy and abroad. English and technology have had a massive impact on Italian. While other languages such as French created new words for new tech items, Italian borrowed those terms from English. <<Computer>> and <<mouse>> in Italian will remain the same. Then, this extended to business Italian where we integrate English words such as meeting in a conversation. I love to see my students’ reactions anytime I talk about the number of English words we use in Italian!
Foto di energepic.com da Pexels
Learn italian with recipes
There is one topic that is always present in every lesson: food! It’s inevitable, Italian language and Italian cuisine are closely related. Italian food consists of a variety of different regional dishes and various culinary traditions. In the same way, Italian language has a multitude of local dialects that are nothing like the so-called standard Italian.
Bonacci Editore probably agrees with me! Their book “Buon Appetito! Tra lingua italiana e cucina regionale” allowed me to teach Italian through regional recipes. I use the units in the book as they are or I adapt them to the needs of my students. I, myself, learned a few new regional recipes by using this book! It is fascinating to see how a recipe can grip the attention of students and be so versatile in teaching grammar and vocabulary. Definitely one of my favourite books!
Image from <a href=”https://www.vecteezy.com/free-photos/glass”>Glass Stock photos by Vecteezy</a>
How to start with italian?
The very first thing you will need to study Italian is a good old dictionary. It may sound very “school-like” but a dictionary surely has an answer to your linguistic questions. There are also free online dictionaries, extremely helpful and accessible. Among language professionals, the most used one is Wordreference.com. This resource is targeted mainly to English speakers as it has a fully developed English-Italian bilingual dictionary.
Then you need to consider whether you want to self-study Italian or if you prefer the help of a tutor. There are several options for you available and several things to consider. How fast do you want to learn? Will you be disciplined enough to pursue your studies alone or you need someone to keep you motivated? Are you exposed to the Italian language, i.e. you have friends and family that can speak Italian to you? You can also combine the help of a tutor with some self-study.
In any case, you can book a free consultation and we decide together the best path for you!
selenestefanini.com 