^ top: “More taxes on your savings? No, thanks!” To which someone has responded: “What savings?” Italy doesn’t yet have a large enough Internet population to spawn interesting multimedia political parodists like JibJab. But citizens nonetheless find ways of talking back to their politicians… Note: All these pictures were posted by readers on the site… Continue reading Talking Back to Politicians: A Lesson in Modern Italian
Category: Italian language
It. Figures: Dealing with Numbers in Another Language
I suspect that most people, no matter how well they speak a foreign language, find it difficult to deal with numbers in other than their native tongue. I’ve noticed many times that someone has asked me to give them numbers in their own language, “because it’s easier.” I’m no different: if I have to write… Continue reading It. Figures: Dealing with Numbers in Another Language
What’s in a Title? Signora vs. Signorina in Italy
I’m 42 today and, waking up with blue circles and bags under my eyes, I look it. Well, that’s the result of two days on my feet in the kitchen, cooking for 35 people (yes, I did have lots of help – thank you, Shannon!) for our annual Thanksgiving/ birthday/ housewarming feast (the housewarming part… Continue reading What’s in a Title? Signora vs. Signorina in Italy
Italian Orphan Names
Italy has a millennia-old tradition of abandoning unwanted infants. The Romans exposed them on remote hillsides to be (hopefully) adopted by someone who needed a child or (more likely) eaten by wolves. In more recent times, babies were left on church steps, in most cases to be raised by the Church. Since no one knew… Continue reading Italian Orphan Names
Being Bilingual is Good for Your Brain
There is a deep-rooted superstition among some Italian doctors and teachers that raising a child bilingual causes the child problems, such as slower overall language development, and academic problems later in school. Fortunately, I never fell for that line, as I had done my homework about bilingualism while still pregnant (above). And it doesn’t stand… Continue reading Being Bilingual is Good for Your Brain