Archive by Author
Gli Accenti Italiani Posted by Geoff on Nov 4, 2016
It can be a strange business, this blogging. Unlike teaching in schools, colleges, and universities, where one has regular direct contact with one’s students, blogging can often feel like sending out messages in bottles. Who are our readers, where are they, what do they know about the Italian language and culture? From a didactic point…
A Brief History Of Spoken Italian Posted by Geoff on Oct 31, 2016
Although Italian has existed for centuries as a standard written language, it wasn’t until the advent of television and the spread of mass education in the 1950’s that it became widely spoken. Latino Volgare Spoken Italian is a lingua neolatina (new Latin language) which has evolved from Latino volgare, the everyday spoken Latin of the…
October Italian Grammar Quiz Posted by Geoff on Oct 26, 2016
Time for a quiz, and time for all of you who are normally too shy, or too busy to leave us a comment. That includes you, astronauts up in the space station, and you, submariners under the polar ice cap … we know you’re reading this! Fill in the blanks in the Italian translations below…
Carmela’s Story Posted by Geoff on Oct 18, 2016
A year ago I began writing the story of Carmela and her shoe obsession. Originally intended as a one off article, the story took on a life of its own, becoming five separate chapters. Then our little white kitten Bianca, inspiration for Carmela’s cat, fell ill and died in my arms. Distraught, I avoided writing…
Attrezzi Fai Da Te Posted by Geoff on Oct 12, 2016
How do you remember the Italian names of the various tools that you use for your DIY jobs? Here’s a useful tip. Labels Labels are a very effective way of memorising the names of objects. It’s a little trick that I used to use myself when I was beginning to learn Italian many years ago…
Prima E Dopo Posted by Geoff on Oct 10, 2016
When I published my article Fai Da Te last week, I never imagined that my little patio would be so popular! Well, you know how it is, when you live with something every day you begin to take it for granted. So I decided to delve amongst my old photos and remind myself exactly how…
Fai Da Te Posted by Geoff on Oct 7, 2016
The sweltering heat of summer has finally passed and I now have a window of opportunity to get some of those outdoor jobs done before the rain sets in. Fai Da Te (D.I.Y.) I have a long list of such jobs: carteggiare e verniciare la carpenteria esterna (sand and paint the external woodwork) far portare…