09/17/08 - La D Eufonica
09/03/08 - iPhone Apps for Italian Language Learners
08/20/08 - Standard Italian (Not) Spoken Here
08/06/08 - Linguality Italian Book Club
07/23/08 - Italian Holidays
07/09/08 - Every Tom, Dick, and Sempronio
06/25/08 - Names For Italian Inhabitants
06/11/08 - Italian Modifying Suffixes
05/28/08 - Forgotten Italian Subject Pronouns
05/14/08 - Va' All'Inferno
04/30/08 - Verbi Pronominali
04/16/08 - Arrivederci AP Italian Language and Culture
04/02/08 - Italian Addventures
03/19/08 - The One-Two Punch: Italian Verbs and Prepositions
03/05/08 - Home Is Where the Hearth Is
02/20/08 - Italian For Travelers
02/06/08 - The Italian Phonetic Alphabet
01/23/08 - Think Like An Italian, Speak Like An Italian
01/09/08 - Italian By The Numbers
More Features...
2008 Weekly Feature Articles
In the Italian language la d eufonica is an euphonic phenomenon, in both spoken and written Italian, in which the letter d is appended to the words a (to, at, in), e (and), and o (or) when the following word begins with a vowel.
If you're one of the many iPhone owners who have been part of iPhone mania, there's another reason to fare il tifo (support, cheer on). You can learn Italian with iPhone apps!
Standard Italian. That's what's spoken in Italy, and that's what you study in textbooks. Otherwise, why would you study it? In fact, the reality is a bit more complicated.
Reading Italian literature can be demanding for non-native speakers since frequently referring to a dictionary can become tedious. Fortunately, there's a new way to read recently published Italian fiction and nonfiction almost as effortlessly as reading books in English—the Linguality Italian Book Club.
Italian holidays, festivals, and feast days reflect Italian culture, history, and religious practices. Some Italian holidays are similar to those celebrated throughout many other parts of the world, while others are unique to Italy.
Every Tom, Dick, and Harry. Ever hear someone use that expression to indicate multiple unspecified people? In Italian, the analogous phrase is: ogni Tizio, Caio, e Sempronio.
Romans come from Rome. Sardinians come from Sardinia. And Venetians come from Venice. But how do Italians refer to themselves in their native language?
Sometimes an Italian noun can be modified to express a particular quality without using a qualifying adjective. These nouns are created by taking the root of the noun and adding a suffix. Italian nouns formed this way are called i nomi alterati (altered, or modified, nouns).
Usually one of the first Italian language lessons that beginners study is Italian subject pronouns. Too often, though, there's a whole subset of Italian subject pronouns that's given scant attention.
While the sentiment isn't simpatico, sometimes you're forced to proclaim it: Go to Hell! It could be in response to a perceived insult, a misdeed, or an instance of road rage. Whatever the reason, there are a number of nuanced ways to express your wrath in Italian.
Ever encounter a verb such as curarsene or avercela and wonder about the ending? Italian pronominal verbs (verbi pronominali) are verbs conjugated with two different pronoun particles and are often used idiomatically.
Discontinue AP Italian? After only being offered as an advanced placement course for the past three years, Advanced Placement Italian Language and Culture is slated to be eliminated after the May 2009 test.
Ready for an Italian addventure? That's not a misspelling. An "addventure" is a type of collaborative interactive fiction in which many authors contribute to a story. It's a phenomenon that has grown recently with the introduction of technology such as wikis and other content management systems that make it easier for groups to contribute or modify text.
If you've learned how to conjugate Italian verbs, you'll soon discover that there's another important part of the grammatical puzzle to master: what simple prepositions follow certain Italian verbs and expressions.
Houses in Italy run the gamut from the modest to the extravagant. There are many surviving villas and Renaissance palazzi (palaces) that were originally built by popes, dukes, and wealthy traders.
Taking a trip to Italy and want to learn Italian? Whether you're sight-seeing in such world-famous cities as Florence, Rome, and Venice, on a business trip in Milan, or reuniting with family, there are a multitude of ways to improve your Italian before traveling to Italy.
The Italian phonetic alphabet is used to sound out the spelling of a word in Italian. By convention there are certain cities (or alternate terms) that are most commonly used to refer to each letter of the Italian alphabet.
If you want to learn Italian, forget your native tongue. If you want to achieve competency in Italian, you must think like an Italian—and that means getting rid of the helpers that are really hindrances and standing on your own two (linguistic) feet.
If you travel to Italy and don't speak Italian, it seems as if everyone is speaking...Italian! But in fact, there are several different languages spoken in Italy, as well as a number of dialects.
2007 Weekly Feature Articles
2006 Weekly Feature Articles
2005 Weekly Feature Articles
2004 Weekly Feature Articles
2003 Weekly Feature Articles
2002 Weekly Feature Articles
2001 Weekly Feature Articles
2000 Weekly Feature Articles
1999 Weekly Feature Articles

