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The Italian Language

The History of the Language

The Italian language, like many languages, developed as a series of dialects. It originated from the Romance family of languages and belongs to the Italic group of the Indo-European branch. It evolved after the imposition of Latin on the natives of the area and today is the closest living language to Latin. The dialects that developed became particularly distinct in certain areas such as the Islands of Sicily, Sardinia and Corsica, and the Northern part of Italy where Gallo Italian was influenced by the French language. Regional dialects have survived in areas such as Lombardo and Emiliano.

It was the written form of the language that saw the greatest progression of Italian over the years, however. In the tenth century many dialectal documents were produced leading to competing forms of writing. This competition was brought to a head in the fourteenth century when the Tuscan dialect became pre-dominant firstly because of the central location of Tuscany and secondly because Florence established itself as a centre of culture and commerce characterised by its aggressive commerce, famous artists and trading. The first half of the century focused on trade while the second half turned to the interests of Art and self-expression. The Florentine culture produced Petrarca, Dante and Boccaccio, who in turn produced the famous Renaissance literary works of Petrachan love poetry, 'The Divine Comedy' and 'Decameron' which were to have a significant stake in the future of the Italian language.

In the fifteenth and sixteenth centuries the question of language prevailed and the variety of competing literacy began to trouble the Grammarians and writers in terms of its syntax, vocabulary and pronunciation. They tried to give Tuscan central and classical speech status. By 1583 a compromise between Classical purism and the living Tuscan language had been reached and the two forms were merged to produce the dictionary and other writings which were published by the Academia della Crusca. Around this time Bemba proposed the next step which was a standardised language and style. He modelled this on Petrarca and Boccaccio and their legacy remains today as the model for Italian literature is based on their Florentine vernacular.

In the nineteenth century these significant stages of development became formalised by the Unification of Italy in 1861. The language of the educated Tuscans had spread further still by this time and was selected as the official language of the new nation as Italy was now classified as the kingdom of Italy. The reform had an incredible impact on culture, politics, society and language. Schooling became mandatory and Tuscan was taught across Italy in written and spoken form precipitating the erosion of various native dialects as the national language was adopted in place of this. The language continued to become increasingly widespread throughout Italy through the development of railways and schools and the use of the language for administration or commerce. It was known as 'la lingua Toscanain bocca Romana' (the Tuscan language as spoken by native Italians).

However it was not until the twentieth century that the language became increasingly popular outside Italy. While the emigration of Italians and growth in power during the nineteenth century meant that there was ample opportunity to impose the language on other nations the new language had yet to stabilize and those that emigrated found themselves adopting the native tongues of Spanish or English as they had not made the transition from dialect to national language. Today, however Italian is considered a beautiful language, and this combined with its world famous literary history, attracts many keen learners.

Visiting Italy

When visiting Italy there are some key phrases that will be useful even if it is just a short visit. To greet people you could say, 'Ciao!' (Hi!), 'Buorngiorno!' (Good morning!) or 'Buono Sera!' (Good evening!) and ask, 'Come stai/Come state?' (Alright/How are you?) and reply, 'Bene, grazie!' (fine, thanks!).

You might also need to know the Italian for, 'Parli inglese?' or 'Parli italiano?' (Do you speak English? Do you speak Italian?), 'Quale e il suo nome?' (What's your name?), 'Mi Chiamo.' (My name is.) and 'Di dove sei?' (Where are you from?).

You might also need some help when staying in Italy. These phrases could be useful. 'Posso aiutaria? (Can you help me?), 'Mi sono perso/persa' (I'm lost- masculine and feminine versions), 'Dove posso trovare il bagno? (Where is the bathroom?), 'Ho bisogno di un dottore!' (I need a Doctor!), 'Mi scusi' (Excuse me) and the words for 'Si' (yes) and 'No' (no).

Italian Culture

Italy is famous for its architecture, literature, food and fashion. There are many beautiful and exciting places to visit, yet the culture is structured in a similar way to other parts of Europe.

It is a Roman Catholic country and its social make-up is inherent within the family unit. There is a divide between the culture of the North and South of Italy as the North is closer to British culture whereas the South retains more traditional ideas. For example in the South the extended family, live together whereas only the immediate family share homes in the North.

Appearances are important in both the North and South and first impressions are very important. The art of presentation in terms of dress, carrying one-self and social skills is a key aspect of the culture. Dress reflects social status, level of education and background. It is important to dress well for any occasion. You should dress in smart style for dinner, for example. Smart dress and good table manners are more important than arriving punctually. Everything should be well presented; even your social calling cards (like business cards but used for socialising and need to be separate to a business card). If you are staying for a while in Italy it is a good idea to have some made up.
In business it is also important to present yourself well and show respect and confidence when meeting new people. Italians like to do business with people they know and trust so an introduction from a third party can help as a lot of business operates through networking. Appointments can be made two or three weeks in advance in writing and reconfirmed by telephone (however, all communication needs to be in Italian). Business meetings are for airing ideas and people often talk over one another. An important difference to note is that in the North 'time is money' and the approach is often more direct in comparison to the more social, leisurely attitude of the South.

Italian is a popular language to learn today, Italy, itself, is filled with cultural iconography and in business it is polite (and often expected) to communicate in Italian.
Further Italian Language references

Total Language Solutions - Total Language Solutions offer language translation services for businesses in different commercial sectors. Professionally qualified translators are available to deliver language translation requirements in a number of languages including Italian....  
qwertyword.com

Job Search with Jobrapido - Jobrapido enables jobseekers to search through all vacancies posted on job boards, recruitment agencies and company websites. Find jobs in Italy in a range of sectors including Marketing, Sales, Education, Admin and much more. Search for opportunities in Abruzzo, Campania, Marche, Toscana ....   
jobrapido.co.uk

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