Allegra Lucarelli
Animal sounds are among the first sounds that children produce when they start talking. Using these sounds is an easy way for them to start communicating with the world around them. Children first imitate the sound of the animal itself and then, at a later stage, are able to say the name of the specific …
We all have a personal set of words and phrases that we tend to use over and over again while talking. These are frequently influenced by local expressions, family habits, friends or even TV shows we enjoy. It is these phrases that characterise our speech and personalities. If you are a learner of Italian, you …
The famous anthropologist Desmond Morris was once quoted as saying that “for human beings the hands are what the baton is for an orchestra director, guiding the rhythm and meaning of the words”. With this metaphor in mind, we can safely say that Italians, with all their non-verbal gestures, body language and signs, are “the …
As in all languages, some words appear more frequently than others in Italian. This happens because in everyday life we tend to repeat the same words over and over again, simplifying our speech and making it more accessible to the listener. This also facilitates the study of a new language, as even a small vocabulary …
In all languages, including Italian, there are countless adjectives whose job is to add an extra layer of meaning to the words they describe. Of course, some adjectives are used more frequently than others because in spoken language, we tend to simplify concepts and repeat the same words over and over again. In this article, …
When learning a language, one of the first aspects that we must analyse is the alphabet, or more specifically, the ordered sequence of letters and sounds that allow us to read and write. Let’s take a look at the aspects that clearly distinguish the Italian alphabet from those of other languages. The Italian alphabet derives …