Italian is a Romance language rooted in what is known as Vulgar or “Common” Latin. It shares a lot in common with the other main Romance languages of Spanish, French, Portuguese, and less so, Romanian, but more closely resembles Latin than do the others (babbel.com). Owing in part to its structure, Italian is not an overly complicated language. In fact, it made the list at Babbel.com for being one of the easiest languages for English-speakers to learn. Italian ranks as the 7th most useful language to learn worldwide (fluentu.com and gooverseas.com), taking approximately 24 weeks (or roughly 600 hours) to learn. When it comes to sheer numbers of speakers, Italian can’t compare with languages like English and Chinese, and yet it’s one of the most popular and influential languages in the world. It is estimated that almost 85 million people speak Italian worldwide. Nearly 64 million people speak Italian as their first language – which is more than the population of Italy itself, which is about 60 million (protranslate.net). Due to Italy’s important contributions to global culture on a wide array of fronts from music, art, and literature, to architecture and cuisine, Italian is a highly desirable and useful language to learn – not to mention beautiful, with a musical and lyrical quality.
As the epicenter of the Renaissance, Italy is home to important historical and cultural heritages and is the world’s most toured nation attracting millions of visitors each year. Many of these visitors wish to learn the language – at least in part to more fully immerse themselves during their visit. In addition, due to its impact on the business world from automotive to fashion and design, Italian is also a proper language for business and is one of the working languages of the European Union. The Italian language is the third most common native language in the EU (unitedlanguagegroup.com). According to Babbel.com, 3 million people speak Italian fluently as a second language and it is spoken in more than 30 countries worldwide. While Italian is the official language of only a few countries (Italy, San Marino, Switzerland, Vatican City, and some parts of Croatia and Slovenia), there are a sizeable number of Italian speakers in many more countries (and not just in Europe) these include: Albania, Argentina, Australia, Belgium, Bosnia and Herzegovina, Brazil, Canada, Costa Rica, Croatia, Malta, Egypt, Eritrea, France, Germany, Israel, Libya, Liechtenstein, Luxembourg, Paraguay, Philippines, Puerto Rico, Romania, Saudi Arabia, Slovenia, Tunisia, United Arab Emirates, United Kingdom, the United States, and Venezuela.
The Italian language has a long and rich history in the United States. For centuries, especially during the late 19th and early 20th centuries, large numbers of Italians immigrated to the U.S. in search of a better life. They tended to settle in large cities where they established thriving Italian communities. Today, many of their descendants continue to speak Italian and maintain their cultural heritage. Roughly 764,000 people in the U.S. speak Italian at home according to the U.S. Census Bureau. New York and New Jersey have the highest number of native Italian speakers (294,000 and 116,000, respectively), but communities of Italian speakers can also be found across the country, especially in large cities like Chicago, Miami, Philadelphia, Boston, St. Louis, and Buffalo, among others. Italian is still an essential regional language in many American communities. Depending on the source, Italian is listed as high as the 4th (and as low as the 12th) most-studied foreign language in the United States. Since much language learning now occurs online or casually through an app, and not in a formal classroom setting, these numbers are difficult to confirm.
The population in the State of Iowa is overwhelmingly English-speaking (97.0% speak only English), and therefore has relatively low numbers of foreign language speakers, including Italian. In 2010, statewide there were only 1,140 speakers of Italian, and only 151 in Scott County (apps.mla.org). But, please don’t let this deter you! Italian is still a very sought after language with many reasons to desire learning it. And, since it is relatively easy to learn, compared to other languages, why not give it a try? Whether or not you are planning to travel to Italy – a country rich with culture and history – Italian is a beautiful language (and my personal favorite). Check out some of the FREE resources available to you at The Library as you begin (or continue) learning Italian. See our online catalog or ask a Librarian for more resources.
FOR A QUICK INTRODUCTION TO THE LANGUAGE:
15-minute Italian : learn in just 12 weeks
Fast talk Italian : guaranteed to get you talking
Five minute Italian short stories for beginners
FOR A MORE LAID-BACK APPROACH:
50 Italian coffee breaks : short activities to improve your Italian one cup at a time
Short stories in Italian : read for pleasure at your level and learn Italian the fun way!
101 conversations in intermediate Italian
IF YOU ARE A VISUAL LEARNER:
Italian English illustrated dictionary
Speak Italian : the fine art of the gesture
MORE COMPREHENSIVE LANGUAGE COURSES:
Learn Italian – level 1: introduction to Italian
Say it right in Italian : easily pronounced language systems
The next step to Italian fluency
Italian tutor : grammar and vocabulary workbook
And, as a Davenport Public Library cardholder, you have FREE access to the language learning program, Mango Languages.
FOR THOSE WHO PLAN TO TRAVEL:
Rick Steves’ Italian phrase book & dictionary.
Easy Italian phrase book : over 1500 common phrases for everyday use and travel.
NEXT MONTH… LEARN A LANGUAGE — Part 7 — KOREAN.