The Italian language has a hold over the hearts of the American people (and British, and Australian, and any other English-speaking population). The vast majority of us have a soft spot for an Italian accent. We love the sounds of the Italian language. But why? What is it about the Italian language that we find so immensely beautiful, romantic, and generally aurally pleasing?
Depending on which researchers you ask, you will receive different answers. Linguistics (those who study the science of language) will tell you one cause: that we view the Italian culture, and thus their language, under a romanticised lens. Phoneticians (those who study phonetics and phonology) will cite another reason: that the consonants, vowel sounds, and syllabic stress and pattern have a pleasant ring to our English-speaking ears.
But more than likely, both scientists are correct, along with any other motive any other scientist has ever hypothesised. The reason we love Italian is a combination of innumerable causes.
Ever since the Middle Ages, Italian linguists have striven to develop a beautiful, aurally-pleasing sound. If we take a trip back into history, we will discover that the Italian language as we know it today was (and, truth be told, still is) incredibly diverse region by region, city by city. Italians of the Middle Ages from Veneto spoke a different form of “Italian” than Italians from Calabria.
In the 13th century, the Sicilian School, a group of literary masterminds, wanted to elevate the Italian language. They wished to mould and modify Italian into a language worthy of the finest poems and novels. The School sought to find the greatest literature and use the authors’ templates to define a new level of Italian excellence.
In the following centuries, writers and poets discovered the highest level of artistic perfection in the works of Tuscan artists Dante, Francesco Petrarch, and Giovanni Boccaccio. Dante was a Florentine man, and his works reflected his Florentine dialect. Petrarch and Boccaccio, while not from Florence, followed Dante’s example and also wrote using the Florentine style. These three writers, these men whose works were inspired by ancient Latin, became the scaffold for Italian literary excellence; their shadow became the established pinnacle of Italian beauty.
Fun Fact: When Italy merged from city-states into one unified country, the Italians needed to decide upon one dialect to be the official standard of Italian. Because of Florence’s linguistic and literary history, the Florentine dialect was elected to be the norm that all schools and businessmen across the country should aim to utilise. The concept is very similar to today’s views of English as the official language of business in international commerce.
According to the Phonetician
According to the phonetician, Italian is pleasantly perceived by our ears for a whole host of scientific reasons. First, the purity of vowels. The Italian language has 7 spoken vowel sounds (compared to our 20 in English). The 5 vowel letters can only be pronounced in one, sometimes two, ways. No exceptions. The neutral schwa ⟨ə⟩, a vowel that frequently appears in unstressed English syllables, does not exist in traditional Italian. The clear sound, easy to read and pronounce, gives a satisfying consistency to the Italian language.
Second, the Italian language utilises far fewer glottal stops and attacks than the English language. On a similar note, the Italian language has an even distribution of vowel sounds and consonants. Indeed, it is extremely uncommon to encounter an Italian word with many consonants in a row. If you take, for example, the Italian phrase Andiamo a casa (Let’s go home), you will find that the ratio of pronounced vowel sounds and pronounced consonant sounds is fairly even. This distribution of sounds and the lack of glottal articulations create an overall smoother sound than in English.
Another contributing factor to the sweet smoothness of Italian is the fact that the vast majority of words end in a vowel sound. There is no harsh ending sound, clipping one word to a close and jarringly disconnecting it from the following word in the phrase. This linguistic aspect keeps the smooth, almost melodic, train of sound flowing gracefully into our ears.
The beautiful rhythm naturally occurring in the Italian language, however, comes in the form of consonants. In Italian, consonants have a distinctive phonemic duration, upon which meaning is based. This phenomenon is most obvious in words containing double consonants, such as the words sette (seven), penna (pen) and palla (ball). Were you to pronounce them with single consonants, the meaning would change completely: sete (thirst), pena (penalty) and pala (shovel). It is these double consonants that give a unique rhythm to the Italian language, both when it is sung and when it is spoken. All of these linguistic conceptions add to the music-like qualities of the Italian language that we have come to love.
All of these linguistic conceptions add to the music-like qualities of the Italian language that we have come to love.
According to the Linguist
Why is the Amalfi Coast so popular for a honeymoon destination? Why do all voice teachers insist their students learn Puccini’s arias? Why does ti amo (I love you) make our hearts swoon? The answer: because it’s Italian.
Even after all the science of phonetics and the intricacies of melodic and rhythmic speaking, there is still something to be said about the socio-cultural perspective. According to the linguist, our perception of the Italian language is rooted in our views of the Italian culture as a whole. When you think of Italy, you probably think about delicious cuisine, luxurious fashion, grandiose operas, and romantic gondola rides along grand canals. These mental images come into play, even subconsciously, when you hear the Italian language. We equate it with the Arts. If we equated Italy with power, economic prestige, and military prowess, we might think Italian sounds powerful, and it might even be a far more common second language in the States. Instead, we equate Italy with delicious cuisine, a long and rich history, and luxurious works of art. For that reason, we also equate the language with the concepts of deliciousness, luxuriousness, attractiveness and of course, romance.
From another perspective, linguists also agree that part of our affection for the Italian language also lies in its similarities with English. Italian sounds familiar to us. Many of the individual sounds that make up the Italian language are also present in our English language. Compared to the jarring unfamiliarity of the Mandarin language, Italian sounds familiar, and therefore, pleasant.
Conclusion
So, why does Italian sound so beautiful? Is it the pleasant similarities between our languages? Is it the mental equation with fine arts and beautiful buildings? Or is the smooth connection of phonemes? In truth, no scientist will ever be able to definitively declare one sole reason why we love the sound of the Italian language. Perhaps some things are best left undiscovered!
Written by our American contributor in Florence, Lyssa Yapp.
Heather Broster is a graduate with honours in linguistics from the University of Western Ontario. She is an aspiring polyglot, proficient in English and Italian, as well as Japanese, Welsh, and French to varying degrees of fluency. Originally from Toronto, Heather has resided in various countries, notably Italy for a period of six years. Her primary focus lies in the fields of language acquisition, education, and bilingual instruction.
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