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Cos’è lo schwa? Posted by Bridgette on Oct 9, 2020
Ciao di nuovo! Cos’è lo schwa? What is the ‘schwa’? If you’re not a linguist, you probably have never heard or seen it. Merriam-Webster dictionary defines it as follows; an unstressed mid-central vowel (such as the usual sound of the first and last vowels of the English word America). This sound is represented by the symbol…
Italian Superlatives Posted by Bridgette on Oct 3, 2020
Ciao a tutti! Last week we talked comparatives, and this week I want to talk about superlativi, superlatives! There are two types of superlatives: relative and absolute. Relative superlatives are comments about superlative qualities in relation to something else. For example, my sister is the youngest of the family, or Rome is the most beautiful…
Italian Comparatives Posted by Bridgette on Sep 25, 2020
Ciao a tutti! Un po’ di grammatica italiana oggi, i comparativi in italiano! There are two types of comparatives: comparativi di uguaglianza (equality) and comparativi di disuguaglianza (inequality). Let’s take a closer look at both: Comparativi di uguaglianza This type of comparative is used when comparing two things with similar qualities. In English, some examples would be…
Il Siciliano Posted by Bridgette on Sep 19, 2020
Ciao di nuovo! Today, I want to talk about the language of Sicily: u sicilianu. Some people would simply say it is a dialect of Italian, some an accent, but really – it is a language itself that is now actually recognized by UNESCO. Like perhaps some of you, the first time I went to…
Un incubo tutto italiano: la burocrazia Posted by Bridgette on Sep 8, 2020
An Italian nightmare: bureaucracy Se siete stati in Italia, in fila ad un qualche ufficio postale, o comunale (che significa del Comune) vi sarà certamente capitato di avere davanti a voi un qualche cittadino, spesso anziano, lamentarsi della fila, e più in generale della “burocrazia italiana”. If you have ever been to Italy, in line at some…
La Scuola in Italia – pt. 2 Posted by Bridgette on Sep 4, 2020
Ciao, di nuovo! Continuiamo la conversazione della scuola in Italia e alcune differenze tra i due paesi. Let’s continue the conversation about school in Italy and some differences between the two countries. 1. Gli insegnanti si spostano tra le classi Teachers, not students, move between classrooms. Typically there are 20-30 students in one classroom, and they stay…
La Scuola in Italia – School in Italy Posted by Bridgette on Aug 28, 2020
Ciao a tutti! Gli studenti (students), i genitori (parents), and gli insegnanti (teachers) are all preparing for the beginning of the school year. All around the world there is a lot of ansia, anxiety, about this school year given the circumstances with COVID-19. In Italy the Minister of Education Lucia Azzolina has decided to open…