Italian Accent Voice Over? Top 73 Best Answers

Improving your Italian pronunciation is one of the most difficult tasks in learning this wonderful language.

In fact, it’s not just about understanding and mastering the Italian sounds, but also about applying the right prosodic features – intonation, rhythm, accent, etc.

This if you want to sound like a native Italian. If you don’t care about sounding Italian, you can usually skip working on your intonation and rhythm.

So how can you improve your Italian pronunciation?

As always, there is no magic wand, but there are many different exercises to try. Let’s see them together.

TUNE IN YOUR EARS

If your problem is pronouncing certain Italian sounds, you can listen to the sound that is giving you trouble and then repeat it many times.

Fortunately, nowadays there are many different online Italian dictionaries where you can listen to the correct pronunciation of Italian words.

Some examples are: Dizionario di italiano multimediale, Dizionario italiano, The free dictionary.

LISTEN TO ITALIAN SONGS

Listening and singing Italian songs can help you better understand the correct pronunciation of Italian words and make them easier to pronounce.

To learn more about the benefits of songs, take a look at Learn Italian with Italian Songs.

USE A MIRROR

If you’re struggling with certain Italian sounds, try using a mirror. Moving your mouth and tongue like a native speaker would can help you pronounce the sound correctly.

To see how an Italian speaker’s mouth moves when pronouncing certain words, just type “Italian Pronunciation” on YouTube and you’ll be presented with plenty of videos. Alternatively, you can rely on Italian television programs.

TRAIN YOUR SUBCONSCIOUSNESS

Listen to as many recordings, radio stations or native speakers as possible, watch as many films as possible. In this way you will begin to understand some Italian prosodic features and/or train your subconscious to recognize and use them.

There are many online Italian radio stations like RAI Italy. A list of Italian radio stations can be found here.

If instead you want to hear some books read by professional actors, you can visit Ad Alta Voce.

PARROT NATIVE TALKER

This is an exercise that you can really enjoy, and it’s a complete one too. In fact, improving your Italian accent as well as your intonation, rhythm, and noises is very helpful.

Listen to real life conversations and just repeat what was said as best you can. Do it many times, regularly.

You can use whatever medium you prefer: podcasts, videos, films…

RECORD YOURSELF

You can do this exercise with the help of a native speaker or by transcribing some audio or video files.

Say a sentence and record yourself. Then listen to a native Italian speaker pronounce the same sentence. Try imitating his/her pronunciation a few times and then record yourself.

Now play both recordings. can you hear the difference

This way you can see how you usually speak Italian and correct the mistakes yourself, thereby improving your Italian pronunciation.

Practice regularly

Practice is always one of the keys to success. So remember to practice your Italian pronunciation regularly if you want to improve it. It will take time, but results will come.

What about you? How did you improve your Italian pronunciation? Or are you still struggling with it?

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Have you ever wondered what makes Italian so musical? Among other reasons, there is the fact that the rhythm within the sentences is set by the raising and lowering of one’s own voice, dictated by… yes, you guessed it! The Accento, as they say “accent” in Italian.

Accents and vowel changes are what make Italian so musical!

Accents are small (and often invisible) signs that help us speak and write correctly. That’s why getting Italian accent marks right on the page and knowing the few rules that govern them is so important. Ready to go? Start with a bonus and download the Must-Know Vocabulary PDF for Beginners for FREE! (Only for logged in members)

1. Introduction to Italian Accents

First, let’s get one important point straight. In this article we will only focus on orthographic characters and not on the wonderful variety of regional variations that Italians use to speak. That’s a completely different topic, even if it also has to do with the musicality of the Italian language. But keep checking the ItalianPod101.com blog because in the future you might discover how to do an Italian accent!

The accents we’re going to talk about are those little orthographic marks you write on top of vowels to emphasize or stress a syllable, basically to indicate that your voice needs to stop there for a moment. In Italian, the only accented letters are: à, è, é, ì, ò, ù.

When we speak, we put the accent on every word we say, even if we don’t realize it. And rightly so, because every word has an accent. But in writing it is seldom mandatory to indicate the accent, as the Italian words with accent marks are in the minority compared to those without an accent.

In Italian there are only two accents:

Grave accent (`) as in città (“city”)

acute accent (´) as in perché (“why”)

In the past, there was a circumflex accent (^) in certain cases, but – fortunately – it was left out.

2. Italian accents and their functions

In summary, there are two types of Italian accents (acute and serious) and they have two functions:

They indicate which syllable to put the stress on when you speak.

They indicate whether the vowel is open (grave = `) or closed (acute = ´).

In the first case, in Italian it is only obligatory to place the accent mark if the stress is on the last syllable. These are called parole tronche (“shortened words”).

Roma it una bellissima citta. (“Rome is a beautiful city.”)

I don’t sell danno la felicità. (“Money can not buy happiness.”)

La pazienza è la virtu dei forti. (“Patience is the virtue of the strong.”)

With an accent or without…?

Note that when the stress on the last syllable falls on the vowels a, i, o, or u, the stress is always serious: à, ì, ò, ù. When it falls on the vowel e, it can be serious (è) or acute (è), depending on the open or closed pronunciation of the vowel. (You can watch this video on Italian accents when pronouncing vowels for more information.)

For example, it is acute with the causal conjunctions perché (“why”/”because”), affinché (“so that”), cosicché (“so”), giacché (“since”), poiché (“because”), etc., or on the compound words tre (‘three’), ventitré (‘twenty-three’), trenatré (‘thirty-three’), etc. In most other cases it is serious.

To know when to put the accent, it’s helpful to remember that all English words ending in -ty (city, society, diversity, immensity, etc.) end in -tà in Italian ( città, società, varietyà, immense, etc.). Note that they end with the accent à.

Then there is a certain number of monosyllabic words that consist of only one syllable and must have an accent. The small accented Italian words are:

Dà (“She/He/There is”)

Là, Lì (“There”)

Sì (“Yes”)

Tè (“tea”)

È (“It is”)

Né (“Nor” / “Neither”)

Sé (“himself”)

Ciò (“that”, as a pronoun)

Già (“Already”)

Giù (“Down”)

Più (“More”)

Può (“He can”)

Other places where you have to consistently set accents? Here you are:

About the third person singular of passato remoto (“distant past”, which corresponds to the preterite past). It’s actually a bit more advanced. Would you like to know more? Andò (“He went”) Mangiò (“She ate”) Dormì (“He slept”)

On the first and third person singular of the future tense: Andrò / Andrà (“I will go” / “He will go”) Mangerò / Mangerà (“I will eat” / “She will eat”) Dormirò / Dormirà (“I will sleep” / “He will sleep”)

On all names of days except sabato and domenica (“Saturday” and “Sunday”). This is because they are compounds of the word dì, which is another way of saying giorno (“day”). Lunedì (“Monday”) Martedì (“Tuesday”) Mercoledì (“Wednesday”) Giovedì (“Thursday”) Venerdì (“Friday”)

3. The Most Important Italian Accent Mark of All (È vs. E)

The accented è in Italian is extremely important. As the third person singular of the verb essere (“verb ‘to be'”) you can imagine how useful it is when writing and how often you need to write it.

Because of this, Italian teachers can overlook some spelling and grammatical errors, but one thing that’s sure to leave a red mark on your homework is to omit the ` accent from è (“it is”) or to use e (“and”). .

Beware! È vs. E is a red pen error!

In fact, in this case it is not just a matter of style, but directly affects the meaning of the sentence. And since both parts (conjunction and verb “to be”) are so common and essential in every sentence, it’s clear why getting them right is so important. To help kids remember whether or not to write e with an accent, Italian teachers use this little rhyme with kids:

E che lega / È che spiega (“E that connects / È that explains”).

Try repeating it a few times to memorize it. And if you still need more practice, check out one of the many resources at ItalianPod101.com.

4. Are Italian accent marks optional?

Accents on parole tronche (“truncated words”), those words where the stress is on the last syllable, are the only case where accents are not optional. And – theoretically – you should respect the correct orthography of the accent (basically the direction in which you write it ` vs. ´). But be careful, many Italians don’t pay much attention to it these days, especially with all the fast typing in chats and on the phone…

If the stress falls in the words, it is not mandatory to write the accent. However, it is extremely useful for clarifying pronunciation (yes, sometimes even Italians can get confused when it comes to pronouncing long words correctly…). You will also find it useful for distinguishing cases where two words look the same but have different meanings depending on where the accent is or what type of accent it is. In this case, the choice of whether or not to use the accent is left to the writer, depending on the degree of context ambiguity. As in lèggere (“to read”) vs. leggère (“easily” f. pl.).

Mi piace molto leggere storie leggere. (“I really like reading light stories.”)

Most of the time you will only see these accents in Italian dictionaries when you look up the definition of the word.

5. Homograph Words (Same Words, Different Meanings)

The example above perfectly demonstrates the other function of Italian accents, which is phonetic rather than orthographic. This means that it affects the pronunciation and not the writing. These accents help you know how to pronounce a certain word and they clarify things in the case of homographs, which are two words that are spelled the same way but have different meanings depending on where the accent falls.

Homograph words… what is that?

1- Same accent, different position

To better understand the meaning of Italian accent mark pronunciation, here is a list of Italian words with hidden accent marks that have different meanings depending on the position or type of accents. However, keep in mind that these accents are not usually written and only appear in dictionaries.

Lèggere / Leggère (“read” / “light”)

Meta / Metà (“Goal” / “Half”)

La meta di quest’anno è le metà dell’anno passato. (“This year’s goal is half that of last year.”)

Prìncipi / Princìpi (“Princes” / “Principles”)

La storia è piena di principi senza principi. (“History is full of unprincipled princes.”)

Capitàno / Càpitano (“Captain” / “They pass”)

Il capitàno ha detto che sono cose che capitano. (“The captain said these things can happen.”)

Áncora / Ancòra (“Anchor” / “Still” or “Still”)

La nave non ha ancòra gettato l’àncora. (“The ship has not yet dropped anchor.”)

2- Same position, different accent

In other cases, the accent is in the same place, but it’s a different type (acute vs. severe). When this happens, the meaning also changes, as in these examples.

La bótte (“the barrel”) vs. Le bòtte (“the punches”)

Affètto (“affection”) vs. affétto (“I cut”)

Pèsca (“peach”) vs. Pésca (“he fishes”/”fishing”)

Èsca (“bait”) vs. Ésca (“she goes”, subjunctive of uscire)

It’s not always easy, even for an Italian ear, to hear the difference, especially since regional accents can affect pronunciation. So it’s always easier to tell the difference based on the context of the sentence.

6. A Brief History of Italian Accents

Old Italian has many more accents…

So now you know that accents are sometimes there (we pronounce them) but not really there (we don’t write them). Are you wondering why?

Accents in all Romance languages ​​derive from Greek. In Italy, up until the 19th century, there were no fixed rules and everyone used them as they wished… sort of. Therefore, if you try to read a very old Italian text, you may find many accents that are no longer written today. And just recently the grammarians got together and laid down the rules you just learned here.

7. How to type Italian accents

Now you might be wondering, “How do I type Italian accent marks?”

Sometimes the biggest challenge when writing in another language is finding unfamiliar letters and accents on your keyboard. Fortunately, in Italian you only have to worry about è, é, à, ì, ò, ù. So, here’s a little guide to help you learn how to write Italian accents.

1- On phones

Smartphones with touch screens usually have a very useful feature. Holding your finger on a letter will show all possible combinations and variations of that letter, including accents.

2- On an Italian keyboard

If you happen to be in Italy and use an Italian keyboard (at a friend’s, in a library or in an internet café), you will find the vocali accented (“accented vowels”) on the right side of the keyboard (à, è, é, ì , ò, ù). Very pleasant! However, you won’t find a capital È (“It is”) on the keyboard. But since it’s the only thing you’ll ever really need, you can copy and paste from other text, for example here: È! 🙂

The key combination writes à è é ì ò ù

3- On other keyboards

However, if you need to type Italian accent marks on non-Italian keyboards, it’ll take a little patience and some trial and error before you can write that perfect letter to your friend or finish your Italian homework.

On keyboards with the ` and ´ keys, you usually only need to press one of those keys, followed by the vowel you want the accent on.

For the serious accent:

à = ` then press the ‘a’ key.

è = ` then press the ‘e’ key.

ì = ` then press the “i” key.

ò = ` then press the ‘o’ key.

ù = ` then press the ‘u’ key.

For the acute accent:

à = ´ then press the “a” key.

é = ´ then press the “e” key. (The only one you’ll actually need.)

(The only one you’ll actually need.) í = ´, then press the “i” key.

ó = ´ then press the “o” key.

ú = ´ then press the “u” key.

4- On a Mac

To type Italian accent marks on Mac keyboards, for the grave accent, you need to press Option, Tilde (~), and then the vowel you want the accent on:

à = option + tilde (~) / then press the “a” key.

è = option + tilde (~) / then press the “e” key.

ì = Option + tilde (~) / then press the “i” key.

ò = option + tilde (~) / then press the “o” key.

ù = option + tilde (~) / then press the “u” key.

To write with the acute, you need to press the option key, the “e” key, and then the vowel you need to put the accent on, like this:

à = option + key “e” / then press key “a”.

é = option + key “e” / then press key “e” again. (The only one you’ll actually need.)

(The only one you’ll actually need.) í = Option + “e” key / then press the “i” key.

ó = option + key “e” / then press key “o”.

ú = option + key “e” / then press key “u”.

5- On search engines

One thing you don’t need to worry too much about is using the correct accent when looking something up in a search engine. Motors actually give you complete results whether you put the accent or not.

For example, if you search for meta in an Italian search engine, you’ll find links, articles, and definitions on both the goal (meta) of this year’s edition review and the difference between metà and mezza (actually both, meaning “half”) in the results.

8. How to get all your Italian accents right with ItalianPod101.com!

Are you now ready to write the perfect letter, resume or cover letter? Are you confident enough to comfortably message and chat with your Italian friends?

Making progress in learning a language becomes easier when you have the right tools. And what could be better than free resources, mobile apps, a personalized learning system, or audio and video lessons to help you keep improving every day? Find all this and more at ItalianPod101.com, the site for innovative languages ​​to learn on the go. Listen!

Italian accents and dialects are very useful for Italian learners. In this article you will learn Italian accents so that you can communicate with Italians more easily.

Standard Italian, descended from medieval Tuscan, became the language of modern Italy with the invention of television and radio (and the Internet). But that doesn’t mean that the regional Italian dialects and accents haven’t survived. Throughout Italy you can still hear the different accents, each with its own grammar and vocabulary, from Venetian in the north to Sicilian in the south. Learning these accents will make it easier for you to communicate with Italians across Italy and will greatly improve your listening skills.

Venetian

Like several Italian dialects, Venetian is so different from standard Italian that it is a language of its own.

La serenissima, as the Republic of Venice was called, was a powerful commercial center and therefore heavily influenced by foreign languages ​​such as Austrian, Slovene and Spanish, so Venetians use the Spanish definite article el. The language has words that can be traced back to Persian (e.g. ancuo, “today”) or Greek (piron, “fork”).

Venetian has also traveled himself: a dialect of the language, Tialan, is spoken by thousands of people in Brazil. In addition, some Venetian words have even found their way into English, such as

But what about the accent? Some key characteristics of the Venetian accent are:

Vowels are dropped at the end of words (e.g. vino > vin).

The omission of internal consonants (e.g. signora, “woman”, becomes siora or figlio, “son”, becomes fio).

xe for è (“he/she/it is”) and ga for ha (“he/she/it has”).

Would you like to know more? Here are some Venetian vocabulary and phrases.

Tuscan

Medieval Tuscan dialect (the Italian spoken in Tuscany) is the ancestor of standard Italian through writers such as Dante Alighieri. However, the Tuscan dialect has evolved, although it is still not very different from standard Italian.

The first thing you will notice about the Tuscan accent is the Tuscan Giorgia, “Tuscan throat”. This is the phenomenon of the lisping of certain consonants when pronounced between two vowels (although it is not seen in written language):

c becomes h (e.g. la casa, “the house”, becomes la hasa).

t becomes th (e.g. Italia, “Italy”, becomes Italia).

p becomes ph (e.g. appunto, “appointment, becomes apphunto).

Because of the similarity between Tuscan and Standard Italian, there are few dialect features. The most prominent of these are the doubling of the indirect pronoun and faccio and vado turning into fo and vo by the same processes that produced the irregular sto and do in standard Italian.

Romanesco

The Romanesco dialect, a combination of Tuscan and southern Italian language influences, was originally only spoken within the walls of Rome but has now spread to the wider Lazio region.

The two main characteristics of the Romanesco accent are the omission of the end of a word (e.g. per, “for”, becomes pe’) and the pronunciation of an initial consonant (after a vowel) as if it were doubled, e.g. (e poi, “and then”, becomes e ppoi).

There are also some letters that are pronounced differently:

i becomes e (e.g. the definite article is er or il).

gl becomes j (e.g. figlia, “daughter”, becomes fija).

l becomes r before another consonant (e.g. calcio, “football”, becomes carcio).

In addition to Romanesco, there are several other central Italian dialects, such as B. Sabino, which is used in Aquila and Rieti and is particularly interesting for its similarity to Late Latin.

Neapolitan

Neapolitan is spoken throughout southern Italy, not just Naples, but it is called Neapolitan because it arose during the Kingdom of Naples. Due to the long political separation of southern Italy from the rest of the country, Neapolitan is classified as a language like Venetian.

Neapolitan is characterized by:

Dropping the end of words (e.g. aspetta, ‘to wait’ becomes aspett’).

Some consonants change, for example qu becomes ch (e.g. quello, “that”, becomes chillo).

As in Romanesco, initial consonants are often doubled.

The definite articles are different: the masculine is ‘o (lo) and the feminine is ‘a (la). (The article becomes ll’ before vowels).

Then there’s the Neapolitan schwa, which is part of a larger theme…

Neapolitans (and Sicilians) in Diaspora:

It is important to learn the Neapolitan accent because, along with Sicilian, it is the main Italian language used in the Italian diaspora. This means if you come from an area with a lot of Italian immigrants (or have an Italian immigrant background yourself), you can pronounce Italian words in dialect pronunciation.

In fact, a feature of the Neapolitan accent, the Neapolitan schwa, is responsible for many foreigners mispronouncing Standard Italian. Neapolitan schwa causes speakers to pronounce unstressed vowels (especially o and e) with an “uh” sound, and Italian learners pronounce words like amore as “a-mor-uh” instead of “a-mor-eh”. .

To hear the schwa, listen to the Neapolitan song “O Sole Mio”. But make sure it’s sung by a Neapolitan: other Italians (unlike foreigners) will forget to pronounce the schwa.

Sicilian

Like Venetian and Neapolitan, Sicilian is a language, not a dialect. Sicily has the most unique Italian accent because it was conquered at various times by the Greeks, Romans, Ostrogoths, Byzantines, Arabs, Normans and Spaniards.

All of these linguistic influences have made the Sicilian accent very different from a standard Italian. Some of its main features are:

The masculine singular ending is -u (e.g. libro, “book”, becomes libbru).

The plural of both genders is -i (e.g. case, “houses”, becomes casi).

Omission of vowels, especially i, at the beginning of a word (e.g. americano, “American”, becomes miricanu).

Consonant changes and doublings including: ll to dd (e.g. bello, ‘beautiful’, becomes beddu) and b to v (e.g. la barca, ‘the boat’, becomes ‘a varca).

Conclusion

The Italian dialects are very useful for Italian learners, not only when traveling but because in the case of the Neapolitan schwa, understanding the difference between a standard Italian accent and a dialect can affect your pronunciation.

Hopefully this guide has given you an understanding of the basic differences between regional Italian accents. However, if you’re feeling confused or think you might have a problem with Neapolitan schwa, please check out our free dictation and listening exercises.

In many parts of the world, tourists are treated differently than locals. Having opportunities to adopt local customs can help you have an authentic experience and better understand the culture. When I think of the places that culture lovers love most and people dream of visiting, Italy immediately comes to mind. It is high on most people’s list of must-see places, and even those who have visited Italy dream of returning. It’s easy to see why Italy is beautiful and beautiful in every way – including history, art, architecture, food and wine. In addition, people visit Italy’s top tourist attractions such as the Colosseum and Leaning Tower of Pisa to experience the Italian way of life. With a unique set of customs, traveling in Italy is a much better experience when you have some knowledge and insight from a local. For this reason, in this article I will share with you the most important tips to visit Italy. When planning a trip to Italy, don’t forget even the most basic information like Italy tourist visa.

Map of Italy

Italy is located on the Apennine peninsula, which is compared to the “boot” because of its unusual shape. The very ancient history has given this country amazing Italian cities like the capital of Italy, Rome, the “open air museum” Florence and the water city Venice. Italians are proud of their history and architecture, music, fashion, cinema and Italian cuisine, one of the most popular in the world. Italy brings together almost 20 historical regions such as Veneto, Lombardy, Tuscany, Sicily and Sardinia. Often the inhabitants of these places consider themselves Tuscans or Lombards and then Italians.

Weather in Italy

is the brainchild of the warmth of the seas and mountain peaks that act as a natural barrier against cold outside winds. In summer, dryness is combined with high temperatures. Winter brings the long-awaited coolness of the sunniest Sardinia, and Italy’s capital, Rome, can also bring snow. The Adriatic, together with the Apennines, forms its microclimate in eastern Italy. Here, too, everything is not so clear: where the coasts are higher, the winters are pleasant, and on these coasts themselves they are cold, wet and windy. The western part of the Apennine country, where Liguria and Tuscany are located, is called the Tyrrhenian coast, and the climate here is also special. Winter can be fleeting and benign, morphing into sustained rains and freezing temperatures. Located in the Padawan Plain, mainland Italy is characterized by high humidity, resulting in cold, misty winters and sweltering summers. But precipitation is a rare guest. The Alps of Italy are a different story. Summer and winter can only be distinguished by the type of precipitation, that is heavy rain, the rest of the time heavy snowfall. Closer to the water, the alpine hardness softens. An example is Lake Garda, framed by gardens and palm trees. The main part of the “boot” of the map of Italy is at the mercy of the climatic features of the Apennines, adapted for zoning. Frosty winters, summer heat, rain in the west and snow in the east are the main features of the weather in this part of Italy. You have basic information for traveling to Italy. Let’s dive into the details.

1. Greet everyone with two kisses

Regardless of age, gender, and how well you know them, when you meet someone, greet them with two kisses, one on each cheek. Italians love people very much and are not afraid to pop into a personal bubble to say hello. Two kisses is a common greeting in Italy, and anything else will look awkward. Of course, at the moment, and in general, this rule does not work for fairly official meetings.

2. Don’t order a cappuccino after 11am

Cappuccino is purely a breakfast drink. If you order it after 11am, especially at mealtime, people will think you’re either weird or had a sleepless night and just woke up. However, this rule can easily be broken in the cold season!

3. Enjoy “Riposino” at lunchtime

Foreigners often complain that shops close at lunchtime. Unfortunately, this is the reality in Italy, especially in summer. The stifling midday heat forces everyone to hide from the sun during the hottest hours of the day. Take the “Riposino” (time to rest) and try again after 16:00, you have better chances of finding open deals.

4. Don’t add ketchup to pasta or pizza

Every time you ask for ketchup in a restaurant, you break the heart of an Italian chef. Ketchup is perfectly acceptable on a burger or fries, but if you put it on pasta or pizza you’ll look like a sick tourist in Italy and earn a few disapproving nods from people at nearby tables.

5. Start your day with a sweet breakfast

A classic Italian breakfast is some type of sweet pastry, coffee or cappuccino, and sometimes orange juice. Most Italian hotels and restaurants don’t even serve a cooked, salty breakfast. So join the start of your new Italian day by heading to the nearest bar and ordering “un caffe” to enjoy a drink at the bar with your croissant and orange juice.

6. Dress up

It’s not just a stereotype; Italians like to dress well. Although some Italians don’t wear casual clothes, most of them are well dressed. So show off a new dress or pair of sunglasses on your next trip to Italy and you’ll be mixing with the trendy locals, especially in Milan.

7. Don’t wait in line

have a special way of queuing. They try to avoid it wherever possible. Wherever you go, you’ll find informal queues – whether you’re buying a movie ticket, ordering food from McDonald’s, or waiting to board a plane. The queues are more mafia like, not a regular queue. It’s normal in Italy and you have to learn to deal with it if you don’t want to have the worst seat on the plane. Make your way to the front and stand with the attitude as if it’s your rightful place in the queue. People will rarely challenge you, mostly because they’re also likely to shorten the queue to be ahead of you.

8. Drink only water, wine or beer

Both at home and in restaurants, the most common drinks will always be water, beer or wine. Most restaurants do not serve cocktails. Children can drink soda while eating, but adults should keep cool as it is thought to mask the taste of the food, while water allows you to really enjoy your meal.

9. Accept the “aperitivo” as a way of life

In case you didn’t know, Italians love food. As three meals a day are not enough for us to fully enjoy all our delicious Italian cuisine, we decided to add a meal between lunch and dinner – a nice “aperitivo”. Designed for a pre-dinner meal, this can often turn into a full meal, depending on where you are. If you sit down for an aperitivo between 5pm and 8pm, most bars will bring you fries, pizza and all sorts of snacks and snacks to go with your aperol spritz (an aperitivo drink by definition). Many places have evolved into an “aperitif price” where you can get a drink and all you can eat “buffet” for 10 euros. An aperitivo is usually the most common type of social gathering, and if you really want to blend in with Italy, you should try it.

10. Stop and talk to people

Nobody is in a hurry in Italy. No matter what your commitments, if you meet someone you know in the middle of the street, stop to chat. Yes, you may be late to reserve a table at a restaurant, but communicating with the locals in Italy is important to better understand the local lifestyle. In general, people are still late. Especially if you’re traveling alone in Italy, be polite when someone says hello and remember the phrase “buona giornata” meaning “have a nice day” when saying “goodbye” and you’ll easily become new find acquaintances.

11. Don’t plan a solo trip to Italy in the summer

Summer is the worst time to visit Italy and many Italians leave the country. Due to the school holidays and the good weather, tourists from all over the world flock to Italy, which causes all prices to skyrocket. When visiting Italian cities like Rome or Milan, the Italian heat combined with the crowds of tourists will make this a particularly uncomfortable experience. Instead, try to visit the city in spring or fall, when the weather is still mild, prices are cheaper, and Italy’s sights aren’t as crowded. The beginning of June is perfect, when the days are still long and the prospect of the coming summer puts you in a good mood.

12. Do things later

Everything happens later in Italy. They wake up later, have lunch and dinner later, and go to bed later. If you invite your new Italian friends over for dinner just before 7pm, they will look at you in horror.

13. Gesticulation in Italian

Again, this is not just a cliché. Italians make a lot of gestures during a conversation. They don’t even realize they’re doing it. They find it adds to the conversation, especially when explaining the directions. Try it. Next time you’re talking to someone in Italy, make a few hand gestures – it’ll make you more understandable!

14. Have a coffee at the bar

When you order coffee at the counter in Italy, you never pay more than 1 EUR, maximum 1.50. However, if you sit down at the table, they can charge you as much as they want as the service costs it to bring it to you. At prestigious tourist attractions such as Duomo Square in Milan or St. Mark’s Square in Venice, it can even be more than 5 euros. Be like the Italians and save some money by having coffee at the counter along the way. You can order it by saying “un caffe per favore”. No matter what interesting places you visit in Italy, the most important piece of advice is very simple: stop and enjoy every moment observing the local people and their habits. Take private sightseeing tours to Italy and you will see this country from a new and more mysterious angle. All of these tips together will make you feel completely immersed in this wonderful country.

Americans are warmly welcomed all over the world. These 10 countries are the ones that have that special “extra” bond with the US.

“People don’t travel, travel takes people.”

-John Steinbeck

Half the fun of traveling is the experience of meeting new people. However, we all want to feel welcome when we visit a foreign country. One of the most frequently asked questions is: “Where are you from? and how do you like it here?” Most of the time, people’s eyes light up when you say you’re from the United States. Some people will be happy to practice their English with you, while others will ask for travel tips on the best places in the US. Above all, they are very curious about the American way of life.

The Lonely Shores of Ireland.

According to a variety of sources, including a new study from the Pew Research Center, we’ve compiled a list of 10 countries that see Americans positively and welcome them with open arms. We did not include all countries in these studies, but chose destinations based on their convenience to American visitors.

Poland

Why they like visitors from the US | In Poland, according to the Pew Research Center, 73% of Poles surveyed have a positive attitude towards Americans. In Warsaw you will find American hot dogs and hamburgers. American television and Hollywood films are eagerly watched. Poland has been one of the most pro-American countries in Europe for decades, considering the United States its benefactor and ally, as the United States was an early sponsor of its independence in 1918. A more recent joint success has been America’s support for the Solidarity movement. Additionally, there is a strong Polish-American community in the United States, with many people who still have family members living in Poland.

What to see | Explore Kraków, the jewel of Central Europe. Visit Krakow’s Medieval Square, the second largest in Europe, or the preserved remains of the infamous Auschwitz-Birkenau concentration camps, then tour the colorful cities of Wroclaw and Torun before heading to the bustling coastal city of Gdansk.

Wawel Castle in Krakow, Poland.

Tours to Poland

Italy

Why they like visitors from the US | According to the Pew Research Center, 63% of Italians surveyed have positive attitudes towards Americans. In general, Italians respect Americans and always welcome them as friends. They love American tourists’ curiosity about experiencing Italian culture, and they love the way Americans enjoy their food. Another strong connection is historical; They are grateful to the United States for saving the country from total chaos at the end of World War II. Americans also love Italian culture, and that shouldn’t come as a surprise given that there are approximately 17 million people of Italian descent living in the United States.

What to see | Americans have a love affair with Italy, from the beautiful hill town of Tuscany to the sun-kissed coast of Amalfi, Italy enchanted. Experience the cradle of the Renaissance in Florence, Siena and Pisa and the splendor of Rome. Explore the sun-kissed Amalfi Coast, visit Sorrento, Capri, Naples and Positano, then get a taste of the ancient world by walking the ruins of Pompeii.

Endless exploration along Italy’s Amalfi Coast.

Tours to Italy

Vietnam

Why they like visitors from the US | There is strong support for American tourists in Vietnam, with 84% of Pew Research Center respondents leaning favorably toward Americans. The Vietnamese are so welcoming to Americans that many feel very comfortable, almost “at home” when visiting this country. There is a great appreciation for America in South Vietnam as they have tried to help establish a democracy. There is no resentment in the North – after all, the US was just a brief invasion that the country has seen in thousands of years. The Chinese, Japanese, and French, among others, stayed much longer, destroying as much as they contributed to the local culture. In short, the Vietnamese are incredibly forgiving and welcoming.

What to see | Experience the vibrant cities of Saigon and Hanoi and the rich heritage of the Mekong Delta. Relax in the beauty of the Perfume River and watch the sun set on Ha Long Bay. Explore quaint fishing villages that look lost in time as they are surrounded by jungle-capped mountains. Don’t miss out on shopping for arts and crafts at one of Vietnam’s many colorful markets – it’s fun, lively and a memorable way to meet the locals.

Traditional boating on a Vietnamese canal at sunset.

Tours to Vietnam

Japan

Why they like visitors from the US | 58% of Japanese agree they like Americans. In fact, most Japanese people love Americans and American culture and look forward to meeting travelers from America! In general, especially young people feel that there is more freedom in America than in Japan. You are curious about what you do, where you come from and what you like to do. Many young people are engrossed in American culture – music, fashion, food and even baseball! They are nice and want to know about you and your family. The Japanese love going to an “izakaya,” or local bar, which is a great way to start an interesting conversation.

What to see | The Land of the Rising Sun is an oasis of grand wonder, from the skyscrapers of Tokyo to the tranquility of Zen gardens, Japan is a place where modern minimalism meets ancient teak temples. Take a bullet train to Osaka to explore the Dotonbori Canal, a popular dining, shopping, and entertainment district. Then drive to Nata where many temples and shrines from the 8th century are located. Visit the Peace Memorial in Hiroshima before heading to magical Kyoto to visit Nijo Castle and the winding streets of the Higashiyama district. End the day with a relaxing Japanese tea ceremony, a ritual dating back centuries. When timed right, the springtime Japanese cherry blossom celebration is a blooming event like no other.

Cherry blossom season amidst Japan’s deep cultural heritage.

Tours to Japan

Philippines

Why they like visitors from the US | In general, people in the Philippines love Americans, with 78% having a favorable opinion, according to the Pew Research Center study. Filipinos are the most Americanized people in Asia. Part of the close ties with the US is the result of a treaty signed back in 1898 called the Treaty of Paris. Spain ceded the Philippines to the US for $20 million, stuffed with a sham war between Spain and the US to show the US had won. That’s history, but rest assured, Americans are welcome here. Filipinos greet visitors with the words “Feel at home!” to ensure visitors enjoy their stay. Hospitality is a hallmark of Filipinos.

What to see | Long idyllic beaches and islands, lively festivals and world-renowned natural wonders such as the underground river and rice terraces are just some of the reasons to visit. Manila, the “Pearl of the Orient,” is a bustling historic city with many things to do and see, including museums, parks, theaters, shopping centers and fabulous restaurants. Dating back to the Spanish colonial era, the town of Vigan is a UNESCO World Heritage Site full of Asian-European architecture with winding cobblestone streets lined with shops and restaurants. Looking like something Willie Wonka would have dreamed up, the Chocolate Hills are just one of the natural wonders of the Philippines.

Malcapuya Island. One of the 1000 idyllic islands that make up the Philippines.

United Kingdom & Ireland

Why they like visitors from the US | The UK is an easy country to travel to for Americans and we are always welcome. It’s easy to have fun, light-hearted conversations with British people, especially in pubs! The British relish American enthusiasm for how old some of their palaces are. In recent years, many people have moved to England from the US and many people from the UK have moved across the pond. There is an extraordinary bond between the two countries, including similar values, culture and common language, making this one of the friendliest and easiest countries to visit.

What to see | There is just so much to see…castles, historic gardens, art, architecture, food, fashion and tea with clotted cream and scones…the UK offers an experience of a lifetime. Ireland’s beauty, with its magical landscape and friendly people, has inspired artists, writers and visitors for centuries. From the vibrant city of Dublin and the untamed beauty of the Dingle Peninsula to the majestic Cliffs of Moher and the scenic beauty of Galway Bay, you will be immersed in the beauty of Ireland. Lose yourself in time in this remote village on Achill Island. As you drive through Connemara you will understand why so many films have been filmed here.

Iconic Big Ben. The United Kingdom is full of historical and well-known sights.

Canada

Why they like visitors from the US | Our neighbors to the north are famous for their friendliness and hospitality. America shares a border with Canada that is one of the longest in the world. Canada is more than just our neighbor, it’s more like a beloved relative as many Americans are also of Canadian descent and some of us have families there. It’s an easy country to visit as we share similar values ​​and Canadians often switch to English when they see we struggle with French. A few words in French, out of respect for the culture, are enough!

What to see | Canada’s mix of vibrant, colorful cities like Quebec, Montreal and Toronto enchant and beguile with their food, friendliness, shops, museums and architecture. The great outdoors, this is Canada, is great, from the majesty of the Canadian Rockies to the tranquil beauty of Banff and the ecological wonders and wilderness of Canada’s National Parks, there is something for everyone to experience while enjoying the company of our friendly neighbors the North.

Endless natural beauty in the Canadian Rocky Mountains.

Tours to Canada Canada travel destination guide

Brazil

Why they like visitors from the US | According to the Pew Research Center, 72% of Brazilians view Americans positively. Brazil is known for its sociable and energetic population. It is one of the largest countries in the world that has very few American tourists. Although Portuguese is the primary language and English is not widely spoken outside of Rio or Sao Paulo, Brazilians will find a way to communicate.

What to see | There are more than 1500 beaches that make Brazil a paradise for sun lovers. Carnival in Brazil is just WOW with its outrageous costumes, street dances, parades and parties that last until dawn. And then there are the natural wonders, ranging from the amazing Amazon forest, a biodiversity ecotourism paradise, to the thundering Iguazu Falls, which leave visitors in awe by their power.

The Iguazú Falls are one of the most incredible natural wonders in the world.

Israel

Why they like visitors from the US | In Israel, 81% of people have a positive attitude toward Americans. Most Israelis believe Americans are pro-Israel. Many think Americans are a bit naïve when it comes to shopping because everything is negotiable in the markets. Israeli culture is heavily influenced by American culture, particularly in the form of films and television. English is widely taught at school so communication is fairly easy. Many Israelis believe that Israel is the 51st state. Always expect a warm welcome, but be prepared to negotiate!

What to see | Israel offers a cultural and historical experience of biblical proportions. Tel Aviv is a modern, vibrant city that makes a visit very interesting. The Old City of Jerusalem offers an epic array of attractions, from the Temple Mount and Church of the Holy Sepulchre, to the Western Wall and Mount of Olives. No visit to Israel is complete without a visit to the Dead Sea and Masada, an ancient city perched on an isolated cliff in the Judean Desert.

The Wailing Wall. A must on any trip to Israel.

Tours to Israel

Columbia

Why they like visitors from the US | According to the Pew study, 51% of respondents in Colombia have positive attitudes towards Americans. Colombian culture is inherently friendly and family-oriented, and they love American visitors. After years of civil war, tourism is now a top industry in the country, where extreme measures have been taken to make visitors feel welcome and even an entire police division has been set up to protect tourists. Due to the close ties between Colombia and the United States, all you need to enter the country is a passport and a return ticket. Many improvements in tourism infrastructure have been made, such as the new cable car network in Medellin, helping visitors move around this sprawling old town with ease.

What to see | Colombia is an amazing land of contrasts with an interesting history and rugged and dramatic terrain for outdoor adventures. Colombia is one of the most biodiverse countries in the world with 51 national parks ranging from coral reefs to deserts to rainforests. Cartagena is a UNESCO World Heritage Site for its walled city center and rustic Spanish colonial buildings. The offshore Rosario Islands are one of the Caribbean’s most important coral reefs. Bogota, the capital of Colombia, is a sprawling city at the foot of the Andes that offers a mix of traditional and chic modern neighborhoods. The city of Medellin is Colombia’s new hotspot and is located in an area of ​​great natural beauty. The city’s nightlife, museums and festivals, as well as a new, modern and affordable transport system make this city a must-see!

Colombia is trending as a sustainable travel destination. The national parks are second to none.

Tours to Colombia

Discovering and experiencing new cultures and people is one of the best parts of travelling. Despite what you hear, Americans are always welcomed with open arms. That’s crystal clear! These destinations are just a few that truly celebrate their relationship with the US and tend to have strong cultural ties. If you’re tired of going to any destination on your own, an escorted tour is a great idea.

Plan your trip

America welcomed the world and still does. The Statue of Liberty in New York City.

Why award tours?

part of the Italian language

Hand gestures are used in regions of Italy and in the Italian language as a form of non-verbal communication and expression. The gestures in the Italian lexicon are dominated by movements of the hands and fingers, but can also include movements of facial features such as eyebrows and mouth.[1] Theories exist as to the exact origin of hand gestures as a method of communication in Italy, but it is likely that they arose out of necessity as a universal, non-verbal method of communication across different regional Italian dialects.[2] Although the majority of today’s Italian population speaks standardized Italian, hand gestures have remained as a means of expression to accompany verbal speech in many regions of Italy, particularly in the southern regions.

About 250 specific hand gestures have been identified, believed to have evolved during a period of occupation in which seven main groups are believed to have established themselves in Italy: the Germanic tribes (Vandals, Ostrogoths and Lombards), the Moors, Normans, French, Spaniards and Austrians. Since there was no common language, a rudimentary sign language may have evolved, forming the basis of modern hand gestures.

Historical background and development[edit]

The exact origin of hand gestures as a popular part of Italian communication is still a matter of debate. De Jorio interprets the persistence of hand gestures, particularly in southern Italy, as a cultural heritage of the Romans, who used the art of chironomia in everyday communication and speech.[3]

The development of hand gestures is closely related to the communicative phenomenon,[4] and this non-verbal communication system cannot be formed in a short period of time. Early urbanization in Italy is believed to have seeded local capitalism, creating more opportunities for bargaining and bargaining.[5] The increasing demand for communication stimulates the widespread use of hand gestures in Italy. In addition, colonization stimulates cultural fusion leading to the need for another language to communicate, hand gestures. According to research, ancient Greek settlement along the Mediterranean coast, including southern Italy, can be traced back to the early 8th century BC. 1000 BC.[6] After the fall of the Western Roman Empire, the local language ceased to be dominant due to the arrival of new immigrants and colonizers from other regions of the world.[7] The dates show the seven main groups: the Carolingians, the Visigoths, the Normans, Saracens, the German tribes, French and Austrians.[7] In addition, based on the surviving tombstone from the 5th century BC. Two soldiers were photographed shaking hands in the Pergamon Museum in Berlin.[8] This is believed to be evidence of gestures in Ancient Greek, which passed from generation to generation to Italian non-verbal communication and influenced it even more than language. As of the 21st century, around 250 hand gestures used by Italians in everyday conversations have been identified.[9]

The irreplaceable role of gesture in medieval societies, especially in the Renaissance, is described by Jacques Le Goff as “une civilization du gesture”.[10] One reason that can explain the rich history of Italian hand gestures, and one of them is cultural transmission and emotional expression during the Renaissance. The Renaissance emphasized the restoration of human nature in the classical era with the aim of breaking the shackles of religion.[11] At this time, people have a greater willingness to express themselves and attract other people’s attention with the goal of human liberation.[12] By using hand gestures, they can gain a sense of satisfaction when voicing their thoughts. Therefore, the Renaissance is an excellent time for the development of Italian hand gestures.

Hand gestures were extremely prominent in early modern Italy.[3] This may have been due to the emergence of densely populated, large city-states across Italy, such as Florence and Naples, where people were forced to occupy a larger space through their movements and expressions in order to be understood.[13] The greater use of hand gestures among people living or raised in Italian cities can still be observed in a contemporary context.

Gesture border[ edit ]

In Italy, there is a “gesture border” that separates gestures common in southern Italy from those common in northern Italy.[3] This boundary is reflected in the different meanings of the “chin-snapping” gesture. In northern Italy, this gesture generally means “go away,” while in southern Italy it simply means “no.”[14] According to Morris[14] this is due to the ancient Greek colonization of southern Italy, as the Greeks also used the “chin flick” gesture to mean “no”. A study conducted in central Italy proved this gesture limit to be true; despite the mobility of the Italian population and the existence of nationwide media, the majority of the northern Roman population used “snapping” with the northern meaning, and the southern Neapolitan population used the southern meaning.[14]

This division is evident both between northern and southern Europe and within Italy, for example speakers of English and Dutch generally use significantly less gestures in their language than Italians and Greeks.[3] The heavy use of gestures in communication has historically been taken by Northern European nations as indicating a lack of civilization in Southern European nations.[3]

Role of gestures in communication[edit]

The continuation of hand gestures as part of the Italian lexicon can best be understood as a form of cultural coding, as Italian children unconsciously imitate the behavior of their parents and peers, thereby developing gestures during conversation as an involuntary habit.[15]

The use of hand gestures has always served a dual purpose in Italian culture; a substantive purpose that expresses verbal communication and indicates emotion, and a pragmatic purpose that can serve as a substitute for verbal communication.[2]

In a contemporary context, hand gestures among Italians are mainly used as a form of expression to accompany conversation rather than as a substitute for verbal communication.[16] The proliferation of hand gestures in communication in major Italian cities is believed to be due to competition, as individuals subconsciously wish to be more visible and take up more space in a busy urban environment by adding physical elements to their communication.[1]

Communication vs. Information[edit]

Pointing at Uncle Sam is an example of strong non-verbal communication, while in many countries this gesture is considered rude

communication [edit]

Communicative attitudes would be referred to as active attitudes because they are intentionally given by individuals. For example, if a speaker is enthusiastic about conveying important information to their audience, they may try to focus on hand gestures rather than speech.[17] A good example is the image of Uncle Sam pointing his index finger directly at you, which is considered a strong expression.[18]

information [edit]

Informative gestures or passive postures refer to hand movements that are not necessary or meaningful to the conversation, such as behaviors such as scratching, putting on clothes, and tapping.[17] Since this part of the gesture does not focus on communication, it usually does not involve additional verbal communication.

Classification of Italian hand gestures[ edit ]

There are two ways to classify the Italian hand gestures. The first way is to distinguish them by the occasions they used, such as religious rites, gladiator arenas, and daily conversations.[19] Another possibility is to distinguish the communicative and informative hand gestures in the Italian language system.[20] These two types of gestures can occur automatically while using the informational-communicative dichotomy to explore the actual intention behind them behind the conversation.[20]

Annunciation icons

Religious rites[ edit ]

In the oldest surviving image of the Annunciation, the Icons of the Annunciation, the archangel Gabriel is found to generally raise his hand before beginning to mention anything important. And this kind of gesture had been amply expressed by the behavior of Roman rhetoricians when they were about to emphasize a key point.[21] This tradition still affects the conversation of Italians beginning an exordium.

Gladiator arenas[ edit ]

Recent research suggests that the use of thumbs up and thumbs down in gladiator arenas originated in Rome to decide the fate of the loser in that fight.[22] The loser can ask for mercy from the crowd that would decide his fate by giving the thumbs up or down. If he got more thumbs-up than thumbs-down gestures, the gladiator should be spared. Thumbs down, on the other hand, meant execution.[23] However, there is still controversy among scholars as to the exact meaning of thumbs up and thumbs down in ancient Rome.

Daily routine[edit]

The habit of speaking with one’s hands in Italy has been reported to appeal to and reinforce the meaning of expressions. An iconic symbol of the Italian gesture is the movement of the hand in an up-down motion. In normal conversation, gesturing helps convey meaning and receive information. For example, when an Italian asks for help, he puts his palms together with outstretched fingers and squeezes. Due to the different local context and cultural background, Italian has its own hand gesture system, which may not always have the same usage in different regions, even northern and southern regions.

Basic gestures[ edit ]

The following section introduces some common and useful gestures regularly used in Italian conversations with described words.[24]

Che vuoi? Finger pouches/pinched fingers/🤌 (different meanings, often “what do you want/what do you mean”). Hold your fingers together with the tips touching and pointing up. The arm is about a foot from the body. Hands can be moved up and down at the wrist or held.[25]

Please do me a favor – Lay your palms reverently (🙏) on top and press them in front of your chest.

Excellent – Gather ten fingers together and raise them to the same level as the mouth. Then touch your lips with your hand.

Perfect – Thumb and forefinger form a circle, with the other three fingers extended (👌) and draw a straight vertical line or relaxed. Also known as the OK gesture.

Yummy – Place an index finger on your cheek[1] or touch the tips of all the fingers on one hand and kiss them while stretching your arm away from your mouth.

Think twice – Extend your index finger and point it to one side of your head.

Danger! – Pull the lower eyelid with your index finger.

I swear – Make an X in front of your chest with two index fingers.

See you later – Use an index finger and stretch it out to draw a small circle in the air.

Dramatic Change – Place your palm down, then rotate your palm to the up position.

Get Started – With palm inward, flatten fingers except for thumb, then shake hand several times in an up and down motion.[25]

Asking another person for a cigarette – Index and middle fingers form a V pointing up as the hand is brought in and out of the mouth.[1]

The Chin Flick person quickly tilts their head back while making a useful sound with their mouth. In southern Italy and other Mediterranean countries, “no” means. In northern Italy and other countries like France, means “to get lost”.[25]

“Get Lost” – The arm is outstretched, the hand is flat. Wrist moves up and down. Used either ironically or maliciously.[25]

Signs of Disbelief – Palms and fingertips pressed into a rounded shape, hands move up and down.[1]

“L’ombrello” – The Umbrella – common profanity. One arm bends up, the other strikes the crook of the elbow of the bent arm.[25]

I don’t give a damn – The hand is under the chin and repeatedly wiggles outward.[26]

Benefits [ edit ]

The elaboration of hand and everyday communication shows some advantages and the use of gestures makes the Italian expression easier to understand, which psychologists believe.[27] There are a few reasons to explain this.

Hand gestures reflect the thoughts in the speaker’s mind

Hand gestures act as proxies to transform intangible thoughts into hand movements that present the idea in a direct way. More recently, further research has improved that there is a connection between cognition and action.[28] For example, Broca’s Area, a brain region that plays an important role in speech. In addition, this area is active simultaneously with a hand movement.[29]

Gesturing helps understanding

Effective communication, particularly teaching, is a central application of cognitive psychology. The explanation of chronological processes is a special challenge, above all because of the complexity of the courses of action and their causes and consequences. Adding gestures designed to congruently represent the actions to the verbal explanation deepens the understanding of the actions and the system as a whole. Gestures are particularly effective because they can resemble and represent as well as embody action.[30] Gesticulating is therefore also considered a “second language”. Italians use the hand gestures in conjunction with their own language to convey the information, so the gestures complement the oral communication.[31]

Early hand gestures in childhood predict development for children

There is an experiment conducted based on the effects of hand gestures on children. It was found that hand gestures used at 14 months of age were an important predictor of vocabulary size at 42 months of age, and the vocabulary size of normal children who were only affected significantly outweighed the parent and child’s words 14 months.[32] Not only for the language system, the early gesturing immersive environment has a potential impact on the personality of the individual. So far, there is no solid evidence to explain the link between gesture and biological genes. Whereas it turns out that people who prefer to gesture during their conversation tend to be warm, pleasant and energetic, while less lively speakers are relatively logical, cold and analytical.[33]

References[ edit ]

Amanda Bjork

Why do they tawk like Dat? A brief study of the New York accent

New York can easily be described as the largest collection of villages in the world, a melting pot of almost every culture in the world in one small place. For years, the New York accent — from famous faces like Rosie Perez to Spike Lee, Fran Drescher to Archie Bunker — has been scrutinized, praised, and ridiculed (Bortolot, 2011). New Yorkers retain their accents wherever they may originally have come from, and the resulting sounds form the globally recognized accent found in the unique New York City English. There are many different but recognizable features and sounds that make up the famous accent. Many of them may have surprising origins, and many whose origins may never be known. Contrary to popular belief, the origin and classification of accent in New York City is linked to ethnicity rather than a speaker’s specific geographic region (e.g., borough). Over the years and through the evolution of the New York accent, there have been many different responses and responses to it, from wearing it proudly to trying to “unlearn” it altogether. The New York accent is a variation of the English language spoken by many people in New York City and much of the surrounding metropolitan area. American sociolinguistics pioneer William Labov did most of the work on this specific topic, describing it as the most recognizable variety of sounds in American English. Collectively, the New York accent is made up of all elements within the speaker and the city and has defined the language of New Yorkers for generations.

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To understand where the accent came from, we must first be familiar with some of the distinctive sounds that may previously have been unknown or unidentified as New York City traits. Based on years of research, American sociolinguist William Labov has concluded that the New York accent arose as a derivation of a British accent, particularly by South London speakers. But the many aspects of the accent have roots across Europe. The New York accent, unlike most American accents, is a non-rhotic accent, which simply means that the “r” is not usually pronounced, just like in most British varieties of English. There are sounds that we all recognize as part of the New York accent. Words and expressions such as “schtreet” (road), “yaw mutha” (your mother) and “waduh” (water) (Quinlan, 2013). The unique way New Yorkers draw their vowels is another important characteristic. New Yorkers are also guilty of the intrusive “r”. When the “r”s are omitted, New Yorkers often put them back where they don’t belong. For example, “Linda” can become “Linder” and there are phrases like “Come on heah and bring me a soder”. Another distinct and possibly the most well-known sound of the New York accent is the “aw” sound, as in “cawfee,” “tawk,” or “sawce” (coffee, talk, sauce). New Yorkers tend to extend the vowel “a,” saying “awe-ful” instead of “awful,” for example. One may also hear (or not hear) a dropped “H” in the New York slang, for example “uge” instead of “huge” and “uman” instead of “human”. The New York accent sometimes features “TH” pronounced as if it were a “T” or a singular “D”, where a word like “pathmark” becomes “pat-mark” or “dese” and ” dose” for “these” and “those”. The only immigrant language to contain the “th” sound was Greek, meaning that all other travelers to the New World had difficulty pronouncing the sound. Another interesting aspect of accent is the fact that New York vowels can switch from one tone to another during pronunciation. These alternating vowels are called diphthongs. This is believed to be part of the Irish influence on accent, as Irish people often interchange the diphthong ‘OI’ with ‘ER’ or ‘IR’. Two of the most popular and well-known examples are when the word ‘oil’ sounds like ‘earl’ and ‘toilette’ like ‘terlet’, although this practice has shown a sharp decline over the generations. Another feature of the European influence on the New York accent is the word “youse”. It is very rare to hear this outside of New York and is believed to be Italian influenced because the Italian language has a plural “du” but not English. The New York accent is also influenced by the Yiddish (Jewish) language, introducing the intrusive “G”. In Yiddish there is no soft “G” like in English, so the “ing” sound becomes “tinte” (Tannen, 1981). For example, “seeing” is pronounced “seeink” and “doing” is pronounced “doink.” Yiddish syntax is also different than English, so it’s possible to hear phrases (in New York accent) like “a genius, he’s not.”

New York City is a melting pot of different cultures that have immigrated from all over the world over the years. The origins of the New York accent are varied, and the source of many traits is likely unrecoverable. William Labov has pointed out that many of the features mentioned above were originally found in southern England. He also claims that the vocalization and subsequent loss of the “r” was copied from the prestigious London pronunciation, and so it began in upper class New York and later spread to other socioeconomic classes. So it was reasonably concluded that the New York Accent originated in London and was ‘brought’ here for simple explanation. By the 1800s all major East Coast towns began copying British pronunciation; instead of saying “car” “caah” and not pronouncing the final “r” as a consonant. New York did not directly imitate London. There were some changes in the vowels, so the New York accent and dialect began to branch out in its own direction, while still having major influence on the London pattern of “r-less” speech. The East Coast is referred to by linguists as a “corridor without an R,” and other coastal cities have accents with commonalities with New York, such as Boston and Charleston, S.C. These towns were settled at about the same time, and the speakers came from one particular place, south London, with a distinctive-sounding British English. It cannot be determined exactly when the other distinctive features merged into the accent we know today. After the British, the next generation of European immigrants to New York City (Irish, German, Jewish, Eastern European, Russian, and Italian) brought their own distinct characteristics. The New York accent depends less on what city or county the speaker is from than what country the ancestors are from. It was a common misconception (even among New Yorkers) that the accent is related to the borough; that there was a Queen accent or a Brooklyn accent or a Manhattan accent. This is not really the case as it would be independent of the speaker’s ancestry or ethnicity, like an Italian New York accent or a Hispanic New York accent. The variations in the New York accent are the result of the overlaying of ethnic language with the influence of immigration waves. Over time, the collective influences combined to give New York City (and the surrounding areas) a distinct and recognizable accent. Sociolinguistic research, which is still ongoing, suggests that there may be some differentiation between the accents of these groups. Differences in the rate and degree of language of Italian-origin New Yorkers versus Jewish New Yorkers have been noted (Mammen, 1936). The characteristics of the New York accent of Irish origin are the most stigmatized, suggesting that these characteristics have diminished over the years. William Labov has argued that these differences are relatively small. All European American groups share relevant and similar accent characteristics. Lots of people posing as Italian-American speak “New Yorkese,” Labov says, no matter where they live. Labov gave this example: “In Philadelphia, a city where the R is pronounced, there is a degree of R deficiency among Italian-Americans.” (Virginia, 2010) There are neighborhoods throughout the city that are predominantly one belong to a specific ethnic group, but they are not restricted to a district, so the accent cannot be so classified. As seen earlier in this essay, some of the other variations of the New York accent are Irish, Yiddish, even Russian, and Arabic. So the New York accent is essentially a product of evolution, ethnic roots, and immigration.

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Over the years, there have been myriad different reactions to the New York accent. These reactions were present to New Yorkers personally or even in society through the accent’s portrayal in the media (movies, television, etc.). In a study of language and social class, Labov wrote, “The term ‘linguistic self-loathing’ is not too extreme to use.” People from New York and New Jersey described their own language as “distorted,” “sloppy,” and “awful “. (Virginia, 2010) Some New Yorkers even go so far as to take classes to lose or “unlearn” their accents. Labov also found (in separate interviews) that only a third of New Yorkers liked their accent and most felt that other Americans generally disliked the accent (Tierney, 1995). Many professional-class New Yorkers from high socioeconomic backgrounds make an effort, often with concentration, to speak with less conspicuous accents for this reason and in order to be taken seriously; In particular, many use rhotic pronunciations in place of New York’s distinctive non-rhotic pronunciations while retaining some of the less stigmatized features of the accent. However, the shared association of the New York accent with the working and middle classes has also led many upper class New Yorkers not to speak with a New York accent since the second half of the 20th century. Because of the accent’s more humble origins, generations of parents hoping their children would grow up to be doctors or lawyers and get out of the “neighborhood” encouraged their children to leave it behind, believing it to be lower class, ethnic, or coarse. The New York accent has also often been associated with negative stereotypes such as gangsters, mobsters, criminals, and thugs. The portrayal of the accent in some kind of negative light (e.g. in TV shows and films) has made New Yorkers aware of their accent, and not in a good way. The accent was even somewhat unpopular in colonial times. People didn’t want to sound like New Yorkers, so the accent didn’t spread like others, remaining almost exclusively in New York City and parts of New Jersey and Long Island. But there are two sides to this coin, as some New Yorkers wear and project their accents with pride, pride that comes with being from New York City. And there is hope for the media, perhaps television will help erase old regional and social differences rather than erase them (Virginia, 2010). Outside of New York City, the accent used to be stigmatized, but inside New York City it’s a positive thing. Being from New York is important and people need to get that message across, and one way to get that across is through language (Bortolot, 2011). Until 1945 it was considered noble to omit the “r”. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said in his radio addresses, “We have nothing to fe-ah, but fe-ah itself.” After World War II, however, Americans stopped considering British English as so prestigious. But the classic New York City accent is fading. It has been derided and stereotyped to the point that it has fallen out of favor with the majority. Contrary to the popular impression that accents are disappearing, sociolinguists say that even when they change, regional accents are still distinct. Renée Blake (professor of sociocultural linguistics at NYU specializing in English in New York City) says that “while the New York accent will never die out, the importance of the accent continues to evolve with the city.” Accent is one aspect of the Evolution (Quinlan, 2013).

Finally, where did the famous and recognizable New York accent come from? Well, essentially it came from the people. From the native New Yorkers who chose to sound different. But it’s not hard to figure out that the accent is from London. Since the British colonized America, it could safely be argued that all native accents in America were originally derived from British. But many of the distinctive sounds of the New York accent can easily be traced back to their British counterparts. As it turns out, however, there’s more than one aspect to what defines the New York accent. The other main piece of the puzzle is ethnic roots or ancestry. Due to the city’s longstanding reputation as the gateway to America, a veritable melting pot of people and cultures, there are different variants of the New York accent based on ethnicity. There are Italian New Yorkers, Spanish New Yorkers, and Yiddish New Yorkers, each with a unique sound. Those were just a few, but the list of different types of accents in New York City could go on for a long time. Or maybe not, as there’s a growing number of New Yorkers who have developed a distaste for the way they sound and want to change their accents. While some New Yorkers don’t have a problem with their accents or sport them proudly, most of them look down on them and gradually fade them. But the accent will never die, and no matter how many habits New Yorkers consciously unlearn, they will still unconsciously say some things differently from the rest of the country (Tierney, 1995). Many New Yorkers pride themselves on their unique sound; it is still widely spoken in the city today, even without strong class distinctions. The accent has many strange phonological features that stand out compared to other accents. These characteristics show how the accent has evolved into a unique style of speech that reflects New York speakers and their city’s history. New Yorkers from all backgrounds have and will continually shape their accents to suit their needs; this process of change will never stop as long as the accent is used. Conversely, it remains to be seen whether the negative attitudes towards the New York language held by people from other parts of the United States will change in the future and whether New Yorkers will continue to appreciate the traditional, unique characteristics of their accent. It’s a powerful symbol for and of New York City. And while some look down on accent, there are just as many who see their language and accent as an integral part of the city’s identity. Although the New York City speech has a pretty bad reputation in America, it is still loved and appreciated by its speakers. Perhaps it’s that shame that’s partly responsible for the accent’s prevalence and persistence among New Yorkers. It’s also a New York state of mind; they rebel, consciously or unconsciously, against the beliefs of the majority. Regardless, the accent is permanently rooted in and connected to the thriving metropolis and will continue to grow and change as does New York City itself.

References:

Which Italian dialect is the most beautiful? Pages: 1 2 Next page G-TALK Fri 02/08/2008 03:11 GMT In Italy, which Italian dialect is the most beautiful? Milan dialect? Roman dialect? Florentine dialect? Dialect from Naples? Toscana dialect (standard Italian)? or some others? Please explain it in detail. Thanks very much! Guest Fri 02/08/2008 03:44 GMT You mean that the farm boy with Rosetta Stone now has to choose the prettiest dialect to impress the Italian supermodel? G-TALK Friday February 08 2008 4:23 GMT I’ve been told the dialect of Milan is very different from standard Itlian, is it correct? Guest Fri Feb 08 2008 4:34 GMT As Ziad Fazah (no, just kidding, I’m not) I recommend you go to Wikipedia (sometimes good, sometimes not) and type in Italian dialects. There is an interesting map (but no opinions on the prettiest type) and some links below. G-TALK Friday 8 February 2008 4:48 GMT Characteristics of urban dialects

1, Milan

The dialect of Milan or Milanese is classified as a septentrial dialect, particularly in the Gallo-Italic subgroup. As in German and French, the front vowels ö and ü are present: fök (fuoco), kör (cuore), brut (brutto).

2, Venice

Like Milanese, Venetian is a septentrial dialect; but falls under another subgroup: the Venetians. Unlike Milanese, Venetian does not have the ‘Gaulic’ vowels ö and ü and in this respect shares some similarities with the Tuscan dialects of the south. The verb xe serves in the third person for the standard words è (is) and sono (are). Double consonants are partially singularized in Venetian: el galo (il gallo), el leto (il letto); also note the use of the masculine article el (il).

3, Florence

The Tuscan dialects, including Florentine, are the most conservative of the Italian dialects. An example of its conservatism is the retention of the consonant cluster -nd- as in quando; In most dialects, this cluster is flattened to -nn-, e.g. Quanno. This feature also applies to Standard Modern Italian, which is based on the literary Florentine in which Dante and Petrarch wrote. Still, there are some local quirks that set Florentines apart from standard Italian. Most notable is the so-called ‘Gorgia Toscana’, the throaty striving of registers, believed to be rooted in Etruscan phonology. The Gorgia has a sound like Greek Chi or German ch, similar to a raspy English h. Thus we hear chasa for casa (house), ficho for fico (fig); a similar striving also occurs before the medial t: andatho or andaho (andato), datho or daho (dato).

4, Rome

With Romanesco we see some deviations from standard Italian. First, -nd- is usually leveled to -nn-: thus quanno (quando), monno (mondo). The standard gl (similar to the -lli- in English million) is realized as j (pronounced like English y): vojo (voglio); Maya (maglia). We also see that l is replaced by r in some places: er core (il cuore); and Vorta (Volta).

5, Naples

The Neapolitan dialect, Napoletano, is the most well-known dialect, along with the standard language, as it is often used by Italian folk songs. It is a typical meridional dialect in which the initial chi- takes the place of pi-; i.e. chiù (più) and chiove (piove). Unaccented final vowels are often pronounced as an undifferentiated vowel, similar to English schwa. The articles (except ll’) in Napoletano are shortened to mere vowels: ‘o libbro (il libro), ‘a casa (la casa), ‘e piatte (i piatti). Guest Fri Feb 8 2008 23:47 GMT I don’t understand you, G-talk. If you’re already familiar with Italian dialects, why are you asking? However, I would like to hear some sound files of these accents. does anyone have any Guest Fri 02/08/2008 23:50 GMT The best dialect is Roman. Guest Fri 02/08/2008 23:53 GMT Venice

Like Milanese, Venetian is a septentrial dialect; but falls under another subgroup: the Venetians. Unlike Milanese, Venetian does not have the ‘Gaulic’ vowels ö and ü and in this respect shares some similarities with the Tuscan dialects of the south. The verb xe serves in the third person for the standard words è (is) and sono (are). Double consonants are partially singularized in Venetian: el galo (il gallo), el leto (il letto); also note the use of the masculine article el (il).

As far as this paragraph says, Venetian appears to be like Italian spoken by a Spanish speaker. Guest Sat Feb 9, 2008 1:31 GMT “As far as this paragraph says, Venetian appears to be like Italian spoken by a Spanish speaker.”

In a way yes. But it flows extremely softly, almost feminine.

Regardless of the local dialect, anyone in Rome, Florence, Bologna, Milan or Turin can speak very clean, clearly articulated and easily understood Italian.

But beware of Venice and Naples. Most of the people there use an incorrect pronunciation, they can’t help but mix standard Italian with dialect. Guest Sat 02/09/2008 01:50 GMT What about Sicily and Sardinia? Guest Saturday February 9, 2008 2:00 GMT G-Talk just wants to start a fight. He asks when he’s already an expert making stupid “what’s nicer” statements. When will people stop making ridiculous statements about the beauty of languages ​​that are 100% subjective? Guest Sat 02/09/2008 02:15 GMT Is it true that the Italian spoken in Turin sounds a bit like French? Guest Saturday February 9, 2008 2:24 GMT “G-Talk just wants to start a fight. He asks when he’s already an expert making stupid “What’s nicer” statements. When will people stop making ridiculous statements about the beauty of languages, it’s 100% subjective”

I agree with that. It’s that hilarious “What language sounds best?” Question. Languages ​​are not beauty queens, even if some believe they are. G-TALK Sat Feb 9 2008 2:41 GMT .

NO! You misunderstood me. I would just like to learn more about it by listening to others. Guest Sat 02/09/2008 02:47 GMT Where do you speak the strangest Italian? Pages: 1 2 Next page

Tip: Check out my list of the most common mistakes in English. It will teach you how to avoid mistakes with commas, prepositions, irregular verbs and more. Stress is variable in Italian, just like in English (the stressed syllable changes from word to word). However, Italian has somewhat stricter rules for stress than English, and unlike English, there are cases where stress must be indicated with diacritics (or “accents”). Grave Accent There are two types of accents in Italian. By far the most common is the so-called accento grave (or “grave accent” in English, usually pronounced /ɡrɑːv/), which is a small downward-pointing dash that can appear over any vowel, e.g.

citta—city

è – is

morì—he/she died

falò—bonfire

Peru – Peru

(note that it replaces the dot in “i”). The use of the Grave accent is mandatory in the following cases:

1) In polysyllabic words (words with more than one syllable) where the last syllable is stressed, such as B. città, falò or Perù. Note that in certain cases the acute (which we’ll talk about later) appears above the letter “e” instead. 2) In monosyllabic words of the form “consonant + i or u + vowel”, namely chiù (horned owl), ciò (this, that), già (yet, already), giù (below), piè (footer), più ( more), può (he can), scià (Shah, a Persian ruler). The words qua and qui (both meaning “here”) are written without an accent since the “u” is part of the digraph “qu”. 3) In some monosyllabic words, to distinguish two different meanings of the word: da – from or since; dà – he/she gives

di – from, from; dì – day, as opposed to night

e—and; è – he/she/it is

la—the; là – there

si—oneself, oneself; sì – ja Also in certain cases, which will be explained later, the acute accent is used instead. In some monosyllabic words, to distinguish two different meanings of the word: Again, in certain cases that will be explained later, the acute accent is used instead.

In some cases, a word can have two possible pronunciations with different stress positions, with the two pronunciations expressing two entirely different things. For example, the word principi changes its meaning depending on the word where the first syllable is stressed:

principi (PREEN-chee-pee) = plural of principe, “prince”,

principi (preen-CHEE-pee) = plural of principio, “beginning” or “principle”.

In this case it is possible to indicate the stress position with the grave accent, but this is uncommon outside the context of dictionaries and language teaching. For example, “Harry and William are princes in Britain” could be translated as

Harry and William sono principi in the Gran Bretagna. (most common)

Harry and William sono prìncipi in the Gran Bretagna. (possible)

It would be wrong to write “Harry e William sono princìpi in Gran Bretagna” since “princìpi” does not mean “prince”.

Here are a few other examples of words that change meaning depending on the stress position (as mentioned above, the accents are not usually written, but they can be used in certain contexts to make the intended pronunciation clear):

àncora—anchor; ancòra—again, another time

nòcciolo — fruit core (seed); nocciòlo—hazel

sùbito—immediately; subìto—to endure

There are even words with three possible stress positions, for example spìano = they spy, spiàno = I level; spianò = he/she has leveled. The first two do not usually have a written accent, but the accent is obligatory in the last since it is on the last syllable.

acute accent

The acute is a small upward stroke that is also sometimes used in English in words like “café” and “fiancée” (which, however, are French, not Italian). In Italian, the acute accent is usually only used in conjunction with the letter “e” (and possibly with the letter “o”, as we shall see below). The vowel “e” in stressed syllables has two possible pronunciations in Italian: a narrow one, with the tongue close to the soft palate, and an open one, which corresponds to the “e” in the English word “bet”.

The grave accent (“è”) usually indicates open pronunciation, so to distinguish words with the near e, the acute accent (“é”) is used instead. Most importantly, words ending in -ché have an acute accent over “e”, e.g. perché (why), poiché (there, because), affinché (so that), as well as numbers ending in -tré, e.g. ventitré (twenty-three).

It is also used in some monosyllabic words to distinguish two different meanings (and pronunciations), e.g. né (neither nor) as opposed to ne (‘from there’ or ‘of it’) and sé (oneself) as opposed to se (‘if’).

Just like the grave accent, the acute accent is not usually used when the stressed syllable is other than the last. It can be used in dictionaries and language classes to help learners remember the correct pronunciation, but in practice you need to memorize whether an “e” is actually an “é” or “è”.

It’s worth noting that “é” is the least common letter of the Italian alphabet, so don’t worry too much about general rules governing its use; it’s better to just memorize the few words that contain it.

Strictly speaking, an even rarer letter of the Italian alphabet is the “ó”, which, like “é”, indicates the close pronunciation of the letter “o”, but since this pronunciation is not at the end of the word, you hardly ever gets it in the See practice except in dictionaries.

stress pattern

Stress in Italian is variable, but it is often possible to guess its position even if it is not marked with diacritics. First, a little practical advice: if you have no idea where to pronounce the stress in a particular word, put it on the penultimate (penultimate) syllable. Most words in Italian are stressed on the penultimate syllable, which statistically increases your chances of pronouncing the word correctly (of course, if you have time to check the correct pronunciation in a dictionary, it’s better than any guess).

The above advice should be combined with the following information. Just as we know that the third to last syllable is stressed in English words ending in -logical, such as B. geological, physiological and psychological, there are certain suffixes in Italian that stress the word on the third to last syllable. These are:

-agine, -aggine, -igine, -iggine, -edine, -udine, -abile, -evole, -ibile, -ico, -aceo, -ognolo, -oide, -cefalo, -crate, -dromo, -fago , -filo, -fobo, -fono, -gamo, -geno, -gono, -grafo, -logo, -mane, -metro, -nomo, -stato, -tesi, -ttero, -fero, -fugo, – voro

To apply the rule correctly, you must be sure that the group of letters described above is a real suffix; For example, the suffix -voro corresponds to English -vore, as in carnivoro, but it is not a suffix in lavoro, meaning “work,” which is stressed on “vo.”

Main ethnic groups in Italy

Ethnic Italians make up the vast majority of the population. About 92% of people in Italy are ethnic Italians. In addition to immigrants from abroad, there are Italian citizens who belong to an ethnic minority. These include Albanians, Greeks, Germans, Friuli and Sardinians. Friulians and Germans, the two largest ethnic minorities, live mainly in the north-east of the country.

Italian

Here are some frequently asked questions about Italians:

Who are the Italians? Italians are people whose ancestors came from Italy. Most people in Italy speak one of the many dialects of the Italian language. However, there are several ethnic minorities in Italy that have their own history and culture.

Is Italian a race? No, Italian is not a race. They are part of the Caucasian (or White) race.

Is Italian a nationality? Yes, persons who are Italian citizens hold Italian citizenship.

Italians are the descendants of the many different people who inhabited the Italian peninsula, including Romans, Greeks, Etruscans, Osci, Umbrians, Celts, etc. However, all Italian dialects descended from Latin, the language of the Romans. Any language that evolved from Latin is called a Romance language. Other Romance languages ​​are Spanish, Portuguese, French and Romanian.

Because Italy has been divided into several separate states for most of its history, regionalism is an important part of Italian culture. Many Italians consider themselves Tuscan, Sicilian, Venetian, etc. rather than simply Italian. Although almost all Italians identify as ethnic Italians, there is a strong regional identity. Some foreigners divide Italians into three types: French Italians, German Italians, and Greek Italians. In Italy itself, however, this distinction is not made.

The culture, economy and languages ​​of northern and southern Italy are particularly different. This difference dates back to the Middle Ages when most of northern Italy was controlled by the Holy Roman Empire and most of southern Italy was controlled by the Kingdom of Naples. Northern Italy is historically much more economically developed than the south. In addition, the Italian regional dialects differ greatly from each other. For this reason, a uniform Italian language had to be developed. Standard Italian is based on the Tuscan dialect.

In many parts of the world, tourists are treated differently than locals. Having opportunities to adopt local customs can help you have an authentic experience and better understand the culture. When I think of the places that culture lovers love most and people dream of visiting, Italy immediately comes to mind. It is high on most people’s list of must-see places, and even those who have visited Italy dream of returning. It’s easy to see why Italy is beautiful and beautiful in every way – including history, art, architecture, food and wine. In addition, people visit Italy’s top tourist attractions such as the Colosseum and Leaning Tower of Pisa to experience the Italian way of life. With a unique set of customs, traveling in Italy is a much better experience when you have some knowledge and insight from a local. For this reason, in this article I will share with you the most important tips to visit Italy. When planning a trip to Italy, don’t forget even the most basic information like Italy tourist visa.

Map of Italy

Italy is located on the Apennine peninsula, which is compared to the “boot” because of its unusual shape. The very ancient history has given this country amazing Italian cities like the capital of Italy, Rome, the “open air museum” Florence and the water city Venice. Italians are proud of their history and architecture, music, fashion, cinema and Italian cuisine, one of the most popular in the world. Italy brings together almost 20 historical regions such as Veneto, Lombardy, Tuscany, Sicily and Sardinia. Often the inhabitants of these places consider themselves Tuscans or Lombards and then Italians.

Weather in Italy

is the brainchild of the warmth of the seas and mountain peaks that act as a natural barrier against cold outside winds. In summer, dryness is combined with high temperatures. Winter brings the long-awaited coolness of the sunniest Sardinia, and Italy’s capital, Rome, can also bring snow. The Adriatic, together with the Apennines, forms its microclimate in eastern Italy. Here, too, everything is not so clear: where the coasts are higher, the winters are pleasant, and on these coasts themselves they are cold, wet and windy. The western part of the Apennine country, where Liguria and Tuscany are located, is called the Tyrrhenian coast, and the climate here is also special. Winter can be fleeting and benign, morphing into sustained rains and freezing temperatures. Located in the Padawan Plain, mainland Italy is characterized by high humidity, resulting in cold, misty winters and sweltering summers. But precipitation is a rare guest. The Alps of Italy are a different story. Summer and winter can only be distinguished by the type of precipitation, that is heavy rain, the rest of the time heavy snowfall. Closer to the water, the alpine hardness softens. An example is Lake Garda, framed by gardens and palm trees. The main part of the “boot” of the map of Italy is at the mercy of the climatic features of the Apennines, adapted for zoning. Frosty winters, summer heat, rain in the west and snow in the east are the main features of the weather in this part of Italy. You have basic information for traveling to Italy. Let’s dive into the details.

1. Greet everyone with two kisses

Regardless of age, gender, and how well you know them, when you meet someone, greet them with two kisses, one on each cheek. Italians love people very much and are not afraid to pop into a personal bubble to say hello. Two kisses is a common greeting in Italy, and anything else will look awkward. Of course, at the moment, and in general, this rule does not work for fairly official meetings.

2. Don’t order a cappuccino after 11am

Cappuccino is purely a breakfast drink. If you order it after 11am, especially at mealtime, people will think you’re either weird or had a sleepless night and just woke up. However, this rule can easily be broken in the cold season!

3. Enjoy “Riposino” at lunchtime

Foreigners often complain that shops close at lunchtime. Unfortunately, this is the reality in Italy, especially in summer. The stifling midday heat forces everyone to hide from the sun during the hottest hours of the day. Take the “Riposino” (time to rest) and try again after 16:00, you have better chances of finding open deals.

4. Don’t add ketchup to pasta or pizza

Every time you ask for ketchup in a restaurant, you break the heart of an Italian chef. Ketchup is perfectly acceptable on a burger or fries, but if you put it on pasta or pizza you’ll look like a sick tourist in Italy and earn a few disapproving nods from people at nearby tables.

5. Start your day with a sweet breakfast

A classic Italian breakfast is some type of sweet pastry, coffee or cappuccino, and sometimes orange juice. Most Italian hotels and restaurants don’t even serve a cooked, salty breakfast. So join the start of your new Italian day by heading to the nearest bar and ordering “un caffe” to enjoy a drink at the bar with your croissant and orange juice.

6. Dress up

It’s not just a stereotype; Italians like to dress well. Although some Italians don’t wear casual clothes, most of them are well dressed. So show off a new dress or pair of sunglasses on your next trip to Italy and you’ll be mixing with the trendy locals, especially in Milan.

7. Don’t wait in line

have a special way of queuing. They try to avoid it wherever possible. Wherever you go, you’ll find informal queues – whether you’re buying a movie ticket, ordering food from McDonald’s, or waiting to board a plane. The queues are more mafia like, not a regular queue. It’s normal in Italy and you have to learn to deal with it if you don’t want to have the worst seat on the plane. Make your way to the front and stand with the attitude as if it’s your rightful place in the queue. People will rarely challenge you, mostly because they’re also likely to shorten the queue to be ahead of you.

8. Drink only water, wine or beer

Both at home and in restaurants, the most common drinks will always be water, beer or wine. Most restaurants do not serve cocktails. Children can drink soda while eating, but adults should keep cool as it is thought to mask the taste of the food, while water allows you to really enjoy your meal.

9. Accept the “aperitivo” as a way of life

In case you didn’t know, Italians love food. As three meals a day are not enough for us to fully enjoy all our delicious Italian cuisine, we decided to add a meal between lunch and dinner – a nice “aperitivo”. Designed for a pre-dinner meal, this can often turn into a full meal, depending on where you are. If you sit down for an aperitivo between 5pm and 8pm, most bars will bring you fries, pizza and all sorts of snacks and snacks to go with your aperol spritz (an aperitivo drink by definition). Many places have evolved into an “aperitif price” where you can get a drink and all you can eat “buffet” for 10 euros. An aperitivo is usually the most common type of social gathering, and if you really want to blend in with Italy, you should try it.

10. Stop and talk to people

Nobody is in a hurry in Italy. No matter what your commitments, if you meet someone you know in the middle of the street, stop to chat. Yes, you may be late to reserve a table at a restaurant, but communicating with the locals in Italy is important to better understand the local lifestyle. In general, people are still late. Especially if you’re traveling alone in Italy, be polite when someone says hello and remember the phrase “buona giornata” meaning “have a nice day” when saying “goodbye” and you’ll easily become new find acquaintances.

11. Don’t plan a solo trip to Italy in the summer

Summer is the worst time to visit Italy and many Italians leave the country. Due to the school holidays and the good weather, tourists from all over the world flock to Italy, which causes all prices to skyrocket. When visiting Italian cities like Rome or Milan, the Italian heat combined with the crowds of tourists will make this a particularly uncomfortable experience. Instead, try to visit the city in spring or fall, when the weather is still mild, prices are cheaper, and Italy’s sights aren’t as crowded. The beginning of June is perfect, when the days are still long and the prospect of the coming summer puts you in a good mood.

12. Do things later

Everything happens later in Italy. They wake up later, have lunch and dinner later, and go to bed later. If you invite your new Italian friends over for dinner just before 7pm, they will look at you in horror.

13. Gesticulation in Italian

Again, this is not just a cliché. Italians make a lot of gestures during a conversation. They don’t even realize they’re doing it. They find it adds to the conversation, especially when explaining the directions. Try it. Next time you’re talking to someone in Italy, make a few hand gestures – it’ll make you more understandable!

14. Have a coffee at the bar

When you order coffee at the counter in Italy, you never pay more than 1 EUR, maximum 1.50. However, if you sit down at the table, they can charge you as much as they want as the service costs it to bring it to you. At prestigious tourist attractions such as Duomo Square in Milan or St. Mark’s Square in Venice, it can even be more than 5 euros. Be like the Italians and save some money by having coffee at the counter along the way. You can order it by saying “un caffe per favore”. No matter what interesting places you visit in Italy, the most important piece of advice is very simple: stop and enjoy every moment observing the local people and their habits. Take private sightseeing tours to Italy and you will see this country from a new and more mysterious angle. All of these tips together will make you feel completely immersed in this wonderful country.

In this article, I’ll give you 9 tricks to speak Italian as a real native speaker and stop sounding like a foreigner! These tricks are of course used by Italian speakers in their daily conversations!

Learn to speak fluently like an Italian speaker

The first trick is:

1 – Answer like an Italian

You’ve probably noticed that there are some small answers that Italians use almost automatically, without even thinking about it, in any context. Here are some examples: “Ah sì?” (“Ah yes?”), “Dawvero?/Ma va?” (“Really?”), “Sul serio?/Seriamente?” (“Seriously?”)

Here are some examples:

Rocco: “Ho vinto al SuperEnalotto!” (“I won the SuperEnalotto!”)

Graziana: “Ah sì?” (“Ah yes?”)

Rocco: “1 MILLION” (“1 MILLION!”)

Graziana: “Dawvero?” (“Really?”)

Rocco: “Non ci posso credere!” (“I can’t believe it!”)

Graziana: “Ma va?” (“Really?”)

Trick number two:

2 – Say SE instead of SI’ (YES)

This trick may seem a bit strange to you, but you should know that Italians very often, especially in informal contexts, use SE instead of SI’ to give an affirmative answer to a question.

Graziana: “Hey, hai preso tu le mie cuffiette?” (“Hey, did you take my headphones?”)

Rocco: “Se, le ho prese io!” (“Se, I took her!”)

Trick number three:

3 – Apostrophe with the pronouns MI, TI, LO, LA, CI, VI

Even in informal contexts, where the only thing that matters is getting the message across as quickly as possible without attaching too much importance to form, Italians tend not to pronounce the last vowel of the pronouns MI, TI, LO, LA, CI, VI if these precede a word beginning with H or VOWEL.

With LO and LA this is the norm, but in my opinion it is not recommended to do this with other pronouns in formal contexts.

Here are some examples:

Graziana: “Sai chi m’ha chiamato prima?” (“Guess who called before?”)

Rocco: “La tipa che t’ha derubato la borsa?” (“The girl who robbed you?”)

Graceiana: No! Il poliziotto che c’aiutati a sporgere denuncia!’ (‘No! The policeman who helped us to file a complaint!’)

Rocco: “Meno male che l’abbiamo visto!” (“Thank God we saw him!”)

Trick number four:

4 – Use CEH

To be honest I am not sure how to spell this word as it is only used as a proverb in oral or spoken language and is not recorded in dictionaries. In any case, CEH is a word used to clarify or rephrase what has been said previously. In fact, I’m pretty sure it’s an abbreviation developed from the word CIOÈ.

Let’s look at some examples:

Rocco: “Non penso che licenziarsi fosse una buona scelta… Ceh, capisco che fosse infelice, ma ora come farà a mantenere la sua famiglia?” (“I don’t think quitting was a good choice… Ceh, I understand that he was unhappy, but how will he support his family now?”)

Graziana: “Non sono d’accordo con te… Ceh, non è che quello che tu abbia detto sia sbagliato, però credo che una persona debba prima di tutto essere felice con se stessa.” (“I don’t agree with you… Ceh, it’s not that what you said is wrong, but I think a person should be comfortable with themselves first.”)

Trick number five:

5 – Use “DICIAMO” (let’s say) as an expression

Italians, especially to buy time or to be vague, add the word “DICIAMO” to almost every sentence. It’s not a nice habit and if you overdo it, it might even be annoying or sound ridiculous. However, when used wisely, it will give you that natural touch you are looking for!

Here is an example:

Rocco: “Che ne pensi se, diciamo, aprissimo un altro canale nel quale giochiamo ai videogiochi?” (“What do you think if we, say, open another channel where we play video games?”)

Graziana: “Ecco, diciamo… non è proprio il genere di cose che piace a me…” (“Well, let’s say… it’s not really the kind of thing I like…”)

Trick number six:

6 – Use “ECCO” instead of “CAPISCO”

Very often Italians say “Ecco” instead of “Ho capito” (“I understand”) or “Capito” (“understood”). I’ll give you an example so you understand how it should be used :

Graziana: “Perché non sei uscito con la macchina?” (“Why didn’t you go out in the car?”)

Rocco: “Perché si è rotta la marmitta!” (“Because the silencer broke!”)

Graziana: “Ach ecco!” (“Oh got it!”)

Trick number seven:

7 – Sign up for Italiano in Contesto

It’s the Italian course that we at LearnAmo created to give thousands of people around the world who are willing to learn Italian the opportunity to pretend it’s in Italy!

“Italiano in Contesto” is the only fully contextualized Italian video course that allows you to learn thousands of words, phrases and situations that you could only learn if you were in Italy! With subtitles in Italian and English, “Italiano in Contesto” offers a series of automatic exercises and the possibility to comment on your doubts or questions by writing your doubts or your questions and receive answers directly from me in a few minutes!

Finally, if you want to enroll in the Italiano in Contesto course, use the VoglioParlare coupon code to get a 37% discount at the time of enrollment! What are you waiting for?

Trick number eight:

8 – Use idiomatic expressions

You will never be able to speak Italian as a true native speaker without using idiomatic expressions! Don’t worry, I know it may seem like an impossible mission, but I’ve thought of everything: I made a playlist with my friend with hundreds of idioms for you to try and learn as much as possible!

The last trick, as well as the most important one, is:

9 – Ask rhetorical questions

This is a powerful rhetorical device that we can use to form statements in the form of questions. In other words, a rhetorical question is presented as a real question that we don’t need answers to!

Let’s look at some examples:

Rocco: “Prima sei andata al supermercato, no? Perché non hai comprato la Nutella?” (“You went to the supermarket before, right? Why didn’t you buy Nutella?”)

Graziana: “Non credi che la Nutella faccia ingrassare? Dovresti metterti a dieta, sai?” (“Don’t you think Nutella makes you fat? You should go on a diet, you know?”)

Rocco: “Non pensi di essere un po’troppo ossessionata con questa storia della dieta? Quello che conta è essere belli dentro, no?” (“Don’t you think you’re a little too obsessed with this diet thing? What counts is being beautiful on the inside, doesn’t it?”)

Words and phrases in red can be used to construct rhetorical questions as in the example.

You now know the 9 tricks to speak Italian like a native speaker, but don’t forget to sign up for our Italiano in Contesto course! If you use the VoglioStudiare coupon code, you will get a 37% discount!

Amanda Bjork

Why do they tawk like Dat? A brief study of the New York accent

New York can easily be described as the largest collection of villages in the world, a melting pot of almost every culture in the world in one small place. For years, the New York accent — from famous faces like Rosie Perez to Spike Lee, Fran Drescher to Archie Bunker — has been scrutinized, praised, and ridiculed (Bortolot, 2011). New Yorkers retain their accents wherever they may originally have come from, and the resulting sounds form the globally recognized accent found in the unique New York City English. There are many different but recognizable features and sounds that make up the famous accent. Many of them may have surprising origins, and many whose origins may never be known. Contrary to popular belief, the origin and classification of accent in New York City is linked to ethnicity rather than a speaker’s specific geographic region (e.g., borough). Over the years and through the evolution of the New York accent, there have been many different responses and responses to it, from wearing it proudly to trying to “unlearn” it altogether. The New York accent is a variation of the English language spoken by many people in New York City and much of the surrounding metropolitan area. American sociolinguistics pioneer William Labov did most of the work on this specific topic, describing it as the most recognizable variety of sounds in American English. Collectively, the New York accent is made up of all elements within the speaker and the city and has defined the language of New Yorkers for generations.

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To understand where the accent came from, we must first be familiar with some of the distinctive sounds that may previously have been unknown or unidentified as New York City traits. Based on years of research, American sociolinguist William Labov has concluded that the New York accent arose as a derivation of a British accent, particularly by South London speakers. But the many aspects of the accent have roots across Europe. The New York accent, unlike most American accents, is a non-rhotic accent, which simply means that the “r” is not usually pronounced, just like in most British varieties of English. There are sounds that we all recognize as part of the New York accent. Words and expressions such as “schtreet” (road), “yaw mutha” (your mother) and “waduh” (water) (Quinlan, 2013). The unique way New Yorkers draw their vowels is another important characteristic. New Yorkers are also guilty of the intrusive “r”. When the “r”s are omitted, New Yorkers often put them back where they don’t belong. For example, “Linda” can become “Linder” and there are phrases like “Come on heah and bring me a soder”. Another distinct and possibly the most well-known sound of the New York accent is the “aw” sound, as in “cawfee,” “tawk,” or “sawce” (coffee, talk, sauce). New Yorkers tend to extend the vowel “a,” saying “awe-ful” instead of “awful,” for example. One may also hear (or not hear) a dropped “H” in the New York slang, for example “uge” instead of “huge” and “uman” instead of “human”. The New York accent sometimes features “TH” pronounced as if it were a “T” or a singular “D”, where a word like “pathmark” becomes “pat-mark” or “dese” and ” dose” for “these” and “those”. The only immigrant language to contain the “th” sound was Greek, meaning that all other travelers to the New World had difficulty pronouncing the sound. Another interesting aspect of accent is the fact that New York vowels can switch from one tone to another during pronunciation. These alternating vowels are called diphthongs. This is believed to be part of the Irish influence on accent, as Irish people often interchange the diphthong ‘OI’ with ‘ER’ or ‘IR’. Two of the most popular and well-known examples are when the word ‘oil’ sounds like ‘earl’ and ‘toilette’ like ‘terlet’, although this practice has shown a sharp decline over the generations. Another feature of the European influence on the New York accent is the word “youse”. It is very rare to hear this outside of New York and is believed to be Italian influenced because the Italian language has a plural “du” but not English. The New York accent is also influenced by the Yiddish (Jewish) language, introducing the intrusive “G”. In Yiddish there is no soft “G” like in English, so the “ing” sound becomes “tinte” (Tannen, 1981). For example, “seeing” is pronounced “seeink” and “doing” is pronounced “doink.” Yiddish syntax is also different than English, so it’s possible to hear phrases (in New York accent) like “a genius, he’s not.”

New York City is a melting pot of different cultures that have immigrated from all over the world over the years. The origins of the New York accent are varied, and the source of many traits is likely unrecoverable. William Labov has pointed out that many of the features mentioned above were originally found in southern England. He also claims that the vocalization and subsequent loss of the “r” was copied from the prestigious London pronunciation, and so it began in upper class New York and later spread to other socioeconomic classes. So it was reasonably concluded that the New York Accent originated in London and was ‘brought’ here for simple explanation. By the 1800s all major East Coast towns began copying British pronunciation; instead of saying “car” “caah” and not pronouncing the final “r” as a consonant. New York did not directly imitate London. There were some changes in the vowels, so the New York accent and dialect began to branch out in its own direction, while still having major influence on the London pattern of “r-less” speech. The East Coast is referred to by linguists as a “corridor without an R,” and other coastal cities have accents with commonalities with New York, such as Boston and Charleston, S.C. These towns were settled at about the same time, and the speakers came from one particular place, south London, with a distinctive-sounding British English. It cannot be determined exactly when the other distinctive features merged into the accent we know today. After the British, the next generation of European immigrants to New York City (Irish, German, Jewish, Eastern European, Russian, and Italian) brought their own distinct characteristics. The New York accent depends less on what city or county the speaker is from than what country the ancestors are from. It was a common misconception (even among New Yorkers) that the accent is related to the borough; that there was a Queen accent or a Brooklyn accent or a Manhattan accent. This is not really the case as it would be independent of the speaker’s ancestry or ethnicity, like an Italian New York accent or a Hispanic New York accent. The variations in the New York accent are the result of the overlaying of ethnic language with the influence of immigration waves. Over time, the collective influences combined to give New York City (and the surrounding areas) a distinct and recognizable accent. Sociolinguistic research, which is still ongoing, suggests that there may be some differentiation between the accents of these groups. Differences in the rate and degree of language of Italian-origin New Yorkers versus Jewish New Yorkers have been noted (Mammen, 1936). The characteristics of the New York accent of Irish origin are the most stigmatized, suggesting that these characteristics have diminished over the years. William Labov has argued that these differences are relatively small. All European American groups share relevant and similar accent characteristics. Lots of people posing as Italian-American speak “New Yorkese,” Labov says, no matter where they live. Labov gave this example: “In Philadelphia, a city where the R is pronounced, there is a degree of R deficiency among Italian-Americans.” (Virginia, 2010) There are neighborhoods throughout the city that are predominantly one belong to a specific ethnic group, but they are not restricted to a district, so the accent cannot be so classified. As seen earlier in this essay, some of the other variations of the New York accent are Irish, Yiddish, even Russian, and Arabic. So the New York accent is essentially a product of evolution, ethnic roots, and immigration.

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Over the years, there have been myriad different reactions to the New York accent. These reactions were present to New Yorkers personally or even in society through the accent’s portrayal in the media (movies, television, etc.). In a study of language and social class, Labov wrote, “The term ‘linguistic self-loathing’ is not too extreme to use.” People from New York and New Jersey described their own language as “distorted,” “sloppy,” and “awful “. (Virginia, 2010) Some New Yorkers even go so far as to take classes to lose or “unlearn” their accents. Labov also found (in separate interviews) that only a third of New Yorkers liked their accent and most felt that other Americans generally disliked the accent (Tierney, 1995). Many professional-class New Yorkers from high socioeconomic backgrounds make an effort, often with concentration, to speak with less conspicuous accents for this reason and in order to be taken seriously; In particular, many use rhotic pronunciations in place of New York’s distinctive non-rhotic pronunciations while retaining some of the less stigmatized features of the accent. However, the shared association of the New York accent with the working and middle classes has also led many upper class New Yorkers not to speak with a New York accent since the second half of the 20th century. Because of the accent’s more humble origins, generations of parents hoping their children would grow up to be doctors or lawyers and get out of the “neighborhood” encouraged their children to leave it behind, believing it to be lower class, ethnic, or coarse. The New York accent has also often been associated with negative stereotypes such as gangsters, mobsters, criminals, and thugs. The portrayal of the accent in some kind of negative light (e.g. in TV shows and films) has made New Yorkers aware of their accent, and not in a good way. The accent was even somewhat unpopular in colonial times. People didn’t want to sound like New Yorkers, so the accent didn’t spread like others, remaining almost exclusively in New York City and parts of New Jersey and Long Island. But there are two sides to this coin, as some New Yorkers wear and project their accents with pride, pride that comes with being from New York City. And there is hope for the media, perhaps television will help erase old regional and social differences rather than erase them (Virginia, 2010). Outside of New York City, the accent used to be stigmatized, but inside New York City it’s a positive thing. Being from New York is important and people need to get that message across, and one way to get that across is through language (Bortolot, 2011). Until 1945 it was considered noble to omit the “r”. President Franklin Delano Roosevelt said in his radio addresses, “We have nothing to fe-ah, but fe-ah itself.” After World War II, however, Americans stopped considering British English as so prestigious. But the classic New York City accent is fading. It has been derided and stereotyped to the point that it has fallen out of favor with the majority. Contrary to the popular impression that accents are disappearing, sociolinguists say that even when they change, regional accents are still distinct. Renée Blake (professor of sociocultural linguistics at NYU specializing in English in New York City) says that “while the New York accent will never die out, the importance of the accent continues to evolve with the city.” Accent is one aspect of the Evolution (Quinlan, 2013).

Finally, where did the famous and recognizable New York accent come from? Well, essentially it came from the people. From the native New Yorkers who chose to sound different. But it’s not hard to figure out that the accent is from London. Since the British colonized America, it could safely be argued that all native accents in America were originally derived from British. But many of the distinctive sounds of the New York accent can easily be traced back to their British counterparts. As it turns out, however, there’s more than one aspect to what defines the New York accent. The other main piece of the puzzle is ethnic roots or ancestry. Due to the city’s longstanding reputation as the gateway to America, a veritable melting pot of people and cultures, there are different variants of the New York accent based on ethnicity. There are Italian New Yorkers, Spanish New Yorkers, and Yiddish New Yorkers, each with a unique sound. Those were just a few, but the list of different types of accents in New York City could go on for a long time. Or maybe not, as there’s a growing number of New Yorkers who have developed a distaste for the way they sound and want to change their accents. While some New Yorkers don’t have a problem with their accents or sport them proudly, most of them look down on them and gradually fade them. But the accent will never die, and no matter how many habits New Yorkers consciously unlearn, they will still unconsciously say some things differently from the rest of the country (Tierney, 1995). Many New Yorkers pride themselves on their unique sound; it is still widely spoken in the city today, even without strong class distinctions. The accent has many strange phonological features that stand out compared to other accents. These characteristics show how the accent has evolved into a unique style of speech that reflects New York speakers and their city’s history. New Yorkers from all backgrounds have and will continually shape their accents to suit their needs; this process of change will never stop as long as the accent is used. Conversely, it remains to be seen whether the negative attitudes towards the New York language held by people from other parts of the United States will change in the future and whether New Yorkers will continue to appreciate the traditional, unique characteristics of their accent. It’s a powerful symbol for and of New York City. And while some look down on accent, there are just as many who see their language and accent as an integral part of the city’s identity. Although the New York City speech has a pretty bad reputation in America, it is still loved and appreciated by its speakers. Perhaps it’s that shame that’s partly responsible for the accent’s prevalence and persistence among New Yorkers. It’s also a New York state of mind; they rebel, consciously or unconsciously, against the beliefs of the majority. Regardless, the accent is permanently rooted in and connected to the thriving metropolis and will continue to grow and change as does New York City itself.

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