Chapters
Pavarotti, Vivaldi, Gucci, do these names ring a bell?
These are just three examples of how Italy performs on the world stage.
Italian culture is one of the most well-known and celebrated across the globe.
Its gastronomy, history, art and fashion are what make the centre of the Roman Empire so popular with the rest of the world.
So, there are lots to keep you motivated in your Italian learning start by looking for Italian classes near me.
Language learning is about for more than reciting from an Italian phrasebook or learning how to conjugate Italian verbs; it's about getting to know about the culture and history behind the romance language and learning to appreciate why learning Italian is such a good way to learn about Italy.
Your Italian teacher will certainly help you, the learner, discover and fall in love with all of the marvels that Italy and its beautiful language have to offer.
Italian: The Language of Music
Maybe you already know French or German, and you now want to have a go at another European language, so why not try Italian?
When you learn to speak Italian, you learn a lot more than just the language with its specific vocabulary and conjugation.
Behind its expressive words and phrases is its history as the language of music.
It’s a rich history which began at the time of the great operas. Even Mozart, who was of German origin, wrote his pieces in Italian.
Italian is the official language of music and always has been.
Opera was born in the 17th century in Florence. In 1607, Claudio Monteverdi became the first composer to merge lyrical song with theatre in a work entitled ‘Orfeo’. The opera style was a great success and spread through the rest of the country and into Europe.
And this is part of the reason why, even today, Italian vocabulary is used in musical scores!
In order to distinguish between the different volumes of an instrument, you talk about piano, mezzo-forte and forte.
The pattern is the same when it comes to varying ranges in pitch of a singing voice:
- Soprano (high female)
- Alto (low female)
- Tenor (high male)
- Bass (low male)
Even today in high school orchestra rehearsals across the globe, this sort of language is used to talk about musical arrangements, regardless of the native language of the pupils.
Luciano Pavarotti, who died in 2007, was one of opera’s great stars and Andrea Bocelli is another big name.
The Italian Language in the World of Gastronomy
When you think of Italy, you think of the food!
Italy has even asked that its Neapolitan pizza be added to UNESCO’s cultural heritage list, where it would join French gastronomy and the Mediterranean diet.
Of course, there’s so much more to Italian gastronomy than its pizza.
The art of making spaghetti, a word of Italian origin which is used across the globe, is an important tradition in Italy. In ancient times, the Greeks and Romans ate ‘laganon’, a sort of large noodle which looks like the lasagne sheets we use today.
It wasn’t until the Middle Ages that the first pasta recipe came about in a book entitled ‘De arte Coquinaria per vermicelli e macaroni siciliani’, meaning ‘The Art of Cooking Sicilian Macaroni and Vermicelli’.
In the year 1150, an Arabian geographer wrote that dry pasta was produced in Terbes, near Palermo, and was then shipped by boat all over the world. So, Italian gastronomy had an important place in the economy of the time.
Italian vocabulary has become a part of the way we speak about food and cooking today.
In the South of Italy, pasta is traditionally cooked on a low heat, whereas in the North, they’re cooked al dente. However, today, the majority of Italians choose al dente and celebrate the 25th October as their national pasta day.
Italy has exported this culinary knowledge, which is now used on the International stage, reaching countries such as Argentina, where migration from Italy has played a large part in the country’s cultural heritage.
This culture that is still found today in Argentine dishes such as milanesa: a breaded escalope covered with ham and tomato sauce. Whether it is 30° or -10°, the Argentineans have kept the Italian habit of finishing the meal with homemade ice cream.
Italian food isn’t just popular – it’s an art where many chefs have found fame and fortune.
In 2016, 38 chefs starred in the Michelin guide. Massimo Bottura, who campaigns against wasting food, was one of them.
It can be incredibly useful to take Italian language classes if you’re hoping for a career in gastronomy.
Even a short trip to Italy can give you a flavour of the country's rich culture and colourful history.
Take online Italian courses here.
Learn Italian for a Career in Fashion
Italy is never forgotten in the fashion industry.
If you’re aiming to get into the world of fashion, deepening your knowledge of Italian and working on your language skills will only help you.
Although Paris is considered to be the fashion capital, its Italian cousin, Milan, is never far behind.
If you get an opportunity to visit, you’ll discover the true beauty of Italian fashion.
Many major brands have started there, such as:
- Gucci,
- Versace,
- Giorgio Armani,
- Dolce & Gabbana.
Lots of labels like these have made their way in the fashion industry by creating voluptuous yet functional styles.
And be sure that you don’t miss fashion week!
Fashion week is an annual event where the biggest clothing brands show off their creations. It’s an opportunity to network with others in the community and keep an eye out for the newest trends!
This is yet another reason to learn Italian.
Knowing how to speak Italian will be a valuable asset throughout your career - you can find Italian lessons London here on Superprof to get you started in style!
The communication and exchanges that take place every year between the British, American and Italian fashion industries mean that you’ll be far more likely to land a job if you speak Italian.
As an Italian speaker, you’ll likely be used in the very heart of fashion businesses, and you may be tasked with arranging meetings as well as visiting Italy on business trips.
Total immersion in Italy means that you’ll learn to speak Italian more easily as you will be surrounded by the language in its spoken and written forms.
In addition to working on basic Italian grammar rules and vocabulary, you’ll be in a perfect position to practice your conversational Italian and see how your comprehension is improving.
Your Italian pronunciation will quickly get better as you get used to the accent around you.
So, spending time in Italia will teach you a lot about the language as you learn every day.
Whether you choose to study, work or simply holiday in Italy, you’ll surprise yourself with how much your Italian conversation improves.
Italian: One of the World’s Beautiful Languages
If you’re still not completely convinced by the importance of the Italian language in the working world, why not simply appreciate its beauty?
Italian is considered to be the language of love, and Venice is just one of the romantic hotspots visited by couples year on year.
Known all over the world for its canals which replace roads, Venice welcomes over 22 million visitors every year.
If you fancy a romantic Venetian getaway with your other half, you’ll not only discover the melodic accent but also the history of Italy’s native language.
Modern Italian is derived from Latin, the language of the Roman Empire.
Before Italy became the country that we know today, it was divided into different regions, each one with its own distinct dialect.
As part of its unification in 1861, Italy chose Tuscan as its official language, and this branch of Italian came to dominate art and literature throughout the country.
Tuscan is the language of Florence, a cultural hub of Italy and a strong symbol of Italy’s rich history.
Many artists have been known to spread their love for Italian culture through their art.
Umberto Eco sold millions of copies of his book, The Name of the Rose. Translated and sold all over the world, Eco is one of the great authors of the 20th century.
Learning a language such and speaking Italian fluently can be incredibly beneficial if you’re heading towards a career in a predominantly Italian industry.
Regardless of whether you learn at a language school, study Italian with private tutoring, or learn Italian online, the way you learn this beautiful foreign language is completely up to you.
And this goes for other languages, too.
For instance, if you’d like to learn French, learn Chinese, learn Russian, learn Arabic, learn Portuguese, learn Japanese, learn Spanish or learn German, there are many routes you can take to achieve fluency in your second language.
The platform that connects tutors and students
Enjoyed this article? Leave a rating.
Loading...
