Why must you learn to speak italian?...
Article from Italiansrus.com by Francesca Di
Meglio
Last
April, my cousin Fausto took me to Dionisio,
an American-style pub in Ischia, the island
in the Bay of Napoli from which my family
hails. The moment that Fausto stepped outside
to take a phone call, Michele, a young man
sitting near us, moved next to me and put
his hand on my knee.
Fausto returned and
Michele said, “Che coincidenza! Tu
vieni con due ragazze e io vengo con due
ragazzi.” (“What a coincidence!
You come with two girls and I come with two
boys.”) Michele worked fast but he
was charming, so I talked to him for the
next 20 minutes or so. We bid farewell when
I refused an offer to take a spin around
Ischia Porto on Michele's motorino.
When Michele left, Fausto, like a light bulb
had just switched on in his head, said, “Ahhhh,
I must-a speak-a English per conquistare le donne
Americane.” He noticed that the only reason
Michele even had a chance with me was because
I spoke his language, Italian. And Fausto would
have to speak English to communicate with American
women should he ever visit the United States.
Language can either be the bridge that connects
or the wall that divides us. Thanks to the unified
efforts of the National Italian American Foundation,
the Order Sons of Italy in America and UNICO-National,
the College Board in June unanimously voted to
approve the Advanced Placement test for Italian.
The three groups pledged $200,000 and Italian
officials, Minister Mirko Tremaglia and Prime
Minister Silvio Berlusconi, took care of the
remaining $300,000 that the College Board required,
according to an article in the Italian Tribune
by former First Lady of New York State Matilda
Raffa Cuomo, a promoter of the Italian language.
This victory should mean that more people – and
especially Italian Americans – will learn
our beautiful first tongue.
The AP test allows
high school students who have been studying
a particular subject to take a standardized test
that helps them get college credit without
taking – or
paying for – a college course, depending
on their score.
Unfortunately, I have found that I am the exception
among the Italian Americans in my community.
Many, especially those who are the second or
third generation in this country, never learn
to speak Italian.
Others only know the dialect
of their family's region; when they go to Italy,
they cannot understand why folks in Roma do
not know what they are saying in Calabrese or
Siciliano
or Napoletano. The dialects are important to
know because they represent tradition and make
you an insider in your Italian hometown.
But
to really understand today's Italy and the
young people, many of whom never spoke a dialect,
you
must learn the standard Italian.
A Google search of “Italian genealogy” produces
more than 8,500 results, indicating that many
people are interested in learning about their
past and tracking down relatives still in the
homeland. To really get to know your relatives
in Italy (or to just have an easier time following
the paper trail to your family's history), knowledge
of the Italian language is necessary.
You will even gain insight into the Italian
psyche simply by paying attention to how they
phrase things. Italians, who can take credit
for the Renaissance and the Roman Empire, are
a creative bunch. They are even artistic with
their words.
During a soccer game, when a player
just misses a goal, the commentator will say, “Ha
mangiato il gol,” which means “He
ate the goal.” When was the last time you
heard the regular use of a literary hyperbole
on American ESPN? Another example: To wish someone
luck, you might say, “In bocc' al lupo” or “In
the mouth of the wolf.” Sure beats plain
ol' “good luck,” doesn't it?
In the end, Fausto was right that flirting with
Italian men would have been a lot harder if I
couldn't communicate with them. And falling in
love (as opposed to lust) with someone who speaks
another language would be nearly impossible for
a talker like me.
But the most important reason
to speak the Italian language is not so I can
pick up i ragazzi. Fausto, his sister Angela,
his parents and all my other relatives and
friends in Ischia are the real reasons I should
continuously
study Italian. My courage to speak a foreign
language is an homage to them. (Not to mention
the fact that my papa' always wanted his kids
to speak his first language!)
I know learning a foreign tongue is difficult,
but learning to speak italain can also be enjoyable.
I too get embarrassed, and I inevitably make
mistakes when I speak Italian. But I force myself
to speak the language because I want to know – really
know – my relatives abroad.
And I long
for them to really know me. I want to talk
to them about my work and my dreams. I want to
explain
my American life. More than anything, I want
to know their Italian life, and I need the
Italian language to even begin to understand
them. So,
I roll my “Rs” as best I can and
try to conjugate my verbs. E Io parlo – parlo
con tutta la mia forza, con tutto il mio cuore!
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