Latin still lives!

Hello Everyone,

As time progresses, everything around us evolves, and our language is no exception. In our daily routine, we use English words, and our vocabulary is continuously updating. However, today I would like to focus on how we Italians still keep our linguistic roots alive!

Despite the prevalence of modern language, we continue to use Latin words and expressions such as: carpe diem, curriculum vitae, alias, Deo gratias, etc., which have Italian equivalents. But why do we do this if Latin is no longer spoken in our daily lives?

Is it to showcase our intellectual prowess? Or do these specific Latin words and expressions convey our intended meaning more accurately?

To help unravel this little mystery of mine, driven by curiosity, I had an interesting conversation with one of my dearest friends. We have known each other for many years. He is an Italian, Latin, History, and Geography professor, also qualified to teach Greek. He resides in a small and beautiful town in Southern Italy named Mesoraca. I sought his opinion to compare our perspectives and to learn more from an expert. His name is Francesco Grano, and here I share his explanation:

He explained that we use these Latin words and expressions because they are “linguistic fossils,” some of which, over time, have permeated our daily speech due to their cultured origin. Many are common sayings embedded in our historical and linguistic memory, such as sic et simpliciter (thus and simply) and ex abrupto (without preparation). Others originate from literary traditions, like famous Latinisms still used in literature today. These belong to the refined lexicon of poets and prose writers. Additionally, some are cultured quotes memorized and repeated over time, present in the works of those who preceded us (for example, carpe diem by Horace and alea iacta est by Caesar). They have various levels of continuity.

Reading his messages was enlightening! The wealth of knowledge he shared was fascinating. What I cherished most was his quote, “If you think well, Italian is Latin!” This statement made me realize that we have a vast cultural and linguistic heritage that we will always carry with us.

A special thanks to my wonderful friend Francesco Grano, who is not only a learned professor but also a beautiful and warm-hearted human being!

I hope you enjoyed this article!

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Words are powerful!

Hello Everyone,

Have you ever considered the incredible power that words possess? Words can express love, hatred, they can hurt, persuade, and so much more. But why do they have such a profound influence on our thoughts?

The book “L’Italiano è bello” by Mariangela Galatea Vaglio offers an insightful explanation of the word rhetoric, which captured my attention.

She describes rhetoric as “…tecnica per parlare efficace, ovvero del saper costruire frasi adatte a colpire il genere di pubblico che interessa.” (Technique to talk efficiently, knowing how to construct sentences capable of moving the kind of audience we are addressing). The style used in a conversation is adapted to the audience. For instance, if the audience is graceful, the style will be mawkish; if the audience is uncivilized, the style will be direct and vulgar, and so on. It is a technique where all instruments are employed to achieve a specific purpose.

Consider our politicians, for example. They use good rhetoric to seduce us, using the right words to gain our votes, often with the help of speechwriters. Incredible, isn’t it? Of course, we are aware of this, but we may never truly know if they are manipulative. They use positive and good words, making us believe that everything is possible and that change can happen. However, when nothing improves, it becomes difficult to trust them. Should we always think this way?

It goes without saying that when words are used sincerely and positively, it is a pleasure to hear them.

Where does rhetoric originate? It was invented by the Greeks, but the Romans were the first to use it effectively. To master good rhetoric, the Romans distinguished five phases: inventio, dispositio, memoria, elocutio, and actio.

Inventio: This is like brainstorming, the act of writing a draft.

Dispositio: Creating an outline or schedule to convince the audience.

Memoria: Studying techniques to memorize the speech.

Elocutio: Choosing the best and final way to phrase sentences for an effective speech.

Actio: The actual presentation of the speech, focusing on pronunciation and delivery.

What a process, eh? So, if you want to be persuasive, now you have the means to do so! Jokes aside, remember that good rhetoric comes from being well-educated, reading extensively, and learning to speak effectively without being manipulative.

How often do you use good rhetoric, and what is your purpose in using it?

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Curiosities

Hello Everyone!

Sorry for my absence from the blog, my computer decided to break down on me! But finally, I’m back!!!

In this article, I want to share some fascinating curiosities I recently discovered. I find them quite interesting, and maybe you already know them, but they were new to me! 🙂

First Curiosity: Did you know that the letter “z” is a foreign letter in Italian? It is not originally Italian—what a surprise! As Mariangela Galatea Vaglio writes in her book “L’Italiano è bello,” the letter “z” comes from ancient Greek and didn’t even exist in the Latin alphabet. The Romans adopted it, and thanks to them, we now have this letter in Italian. So, we have words like zanzara, zebra, zaino, etc., which all begin with “z.”

Second Curiosity: The group of words starting with “pn-” is connected to the Greek word “pneuma,” which means “blow.” In medicine, we have words like pneumotorace, pneumologo, pneumococco, etc. In colloquial Italian, we use “pneumatico” to refer to car wheels. We say “il pneumatico” and “i pneumatici.” However, if we refer to perfect human beings inspired by the Pneuma, the divine breath, then we should use “gli pneumatici.” Interesting, right?

Third Curiosity: The pronoun “ne” in Italian means “this thing.” It comes from the Latin “inde,” which means “from there.” It can be an adverb of location, a personal or demonstrative pronoun preceded by the preposition “di” or “da.” For example, “Ne parlo con lui” means “Parlo con lui di questa cosa” (I talk with him about this thing). Whenever you know the subject, you use “ne” to avoid repetition.

Now that I am back, I will continue sharing every little or big discovery about this beautiful language and the others I speak!

STAY TUNED!!! Hope you have a nice autumn season!

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Our everyday chats…

Hello Dear Readers,

I would like to start today’s article with a simple question: Is it just me who thinks that our smartphones rule our daily lives? When you think about it carefully, we don’t even need to use a computer anymore. With smartphones and their applications, as well as the most popular social media platforms, we can accomplish so much instantly. We can chat with friends all over the world, and because we live in a time where we want to do many things simultaneously and quickly, we often shorten words to save time.

I’d like to share some examples in the five languages I know to illustrate how amusing, yet at times stressful and sad, it can be for language enthusiasts to see grammar being neglected. But well! Win some, lose some…

For example, the proper word for “message” is abbreviated as “msg.” So, “Can I send u a msg?” should be “Can I send you a message?”

Italian:

Text: Ciao! Cm stai? T posso kiam dopo? C ved fra 2 gg. Tvttb.

Full Sentence: Ciao! Come stai? Ti posso chiamare dopo? Ci vediamo fra due giorni. Ti voglio tanto tanto bene.

(Hi! How are you? Can I call you later? See you in two days. I love you so so much.)

Text: Xo Xké fai cs?

Full Sentence: Però perché fai così?

(But why do you act like this?)

Spanish:

Text: Wenas! bno ntp! ns vms dsps!

Full Sentence: Buenas tardes! Bueno no te preocupes! Nos vemos después!

(Good afternoon! Well, don’t worry! See you later!)

Text: Tkm, pr q sepas! xoxo

Full Sentence: Te quiero mucho, para que sepas! Besos y abrazos.

(I love you so much, just to let you know! Hugs and kisses)

English:

Text: Hi! How r u? TGIF!!! LOL

Full Sentence: Hi! How are you? Thank God it’s Friday!!! Laughing out loud

Text: TYVM 4 ur help! ILU!

Full Sentence: Thank you very much for your help! I love you!

Portuguese:

Text: Pdc, acho q vc está certo!

Full Sentence: Pode crer, acho que você está certo!

(You can believe it, I think you are right!)

Text: Te digo a vdd: tenho sdds d vc!!!

Full Sentence: Te digo a verdade: tenho saudades de você!!!

(I tell you the truth: I miss you!!!)

Norwegian:

Text: Ifht hva du sier, r d ikke mulig å gjøre d pga stedet.

Full Sentence: i forhold til hva du sier, er det ikke mulig å gjøre det på grunn av stedet.

(According to what you say, it is not possible to do that because of the place.)

Text: R de 3 elns? Også hvor r de?

Full Sentence: Er de tre eller noe sånt? Også hvor er de?

(Are they three or something like that? And also, where are they?)

As you can see, with this method, we create new vocabulary every day. However, it may not be quite understandable for everyone. Sometimes, I think it is better to value a single moment and take a minute to write a complete message.

Isn’t it better to read “I LOVE YOU” instead of “I LUV U”? Think about it!

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We don’t speak Italian!

The Evolution of Modern Italian: An International Influence

It is evident that the Italian we speak today has become quite international, primarily due to our habit of incorporating numerous foreign words into our daily conversations. As a result, it often doesn’t sound like a purely national language anymore. We adopt many loanwords from different cultures, not only because they are concise and help us communicate more quickly, but also because they make us appear “cool.” By “cool,” I mean sophisticated in our linguistic abilities, and our globalized society requires us to demonstrate our open-mindedness.

We frequently mix different languages into our own, such as:

Italian: Ci sentiamo questo weekend? Così ti mando il link del file che mi hai chiesto.

Translation: Shall we call each other this weekend? So I can send you the link of the file you asked me.

Italian: Ho bisogno di una babysitter.

Translation: I need a babysitter.

Italian: Dobbiamo trovare una bella location questo weekend per fare delle foto.

Translation: We have to find a nice location this weekend to take some pictures.

In these examples, approximately 30-50% of the sentences are in English, even though we are speaking Italian. The amusing part is that each of these words has a proper Italian translation, which we rarely use:

Weekend: fine settimana

Link: collegamento

File: cartella

Babysitter: tata

Location: posto, luogo

As you can see, we have numerous opportunities to elevate our language by using these Italian terms in our everyday speech. However, we often prefer the foreign words, possibly because we have become somewhat Americanized!

We might consider following the example of Spanish speakers, who translate almost everything from English to Spanish. They do this out of nationalism and a strong desire to preserve and promote their national language.

What are your thoughts on this? Do you mix different languages in your speech as well?

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