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'{{redirect|Italiano}} {{Use dmy dates|date=July 2013}} {{refimprove|date=June 2013}} {{Infobox language | name = Italian | nativename = ''Italiano, lingua italiana'' | pronunciation = {{IPA-it|itaˈljaːno|}} | states = [[Italy]], [[Switzerland]], [[San Marino]] and [[Vatican City]] | region = [[Slovene Istria]] ([[Slovenia]]) and [[Istria County]] ([[Croatia]]) |speakers ={{sigfig|65|2}} million native speakers in the EU.<ref name="europa2006">{{PDFlink|[http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_sum_en.pdf Eurobarometer – Europeans and their languages]|485&nbsp;KB}}, February 2006</ref> |speakers2 ={{sigfig|85|2}} million, total number of speakers.<ref name="Italian language">{{cite web|url=http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/modern-languages/lal/languages%20at%20lal/italian |title=Italian — University of Leicester |publisher=.le.ac.uk |date= |accessdate=2015-10-22}}</ref> |dateprefix=c.&nbsp; |date = 2012 |ref = e18 | familycolor = Indo-European | fam2 = [[Italic languages|Italic]] | fam3 = [[Latino-Faliscan]] | fam4 = [[Romance languages|Romance]] | fam5 = [[Italo-Dalmatian languages|Italo-Dalmatian]] | fam6 = [[Tuscan dialect|Tuscan]] | script = [[Latin script|Latin]] ([[Italian alphabet]])<br>[[Italian Braille]] | sign = ''[[Italiano segnato]]'' "Signed Italian"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cdila.it/cds/Index?q=object/detail&p=_system_cms_node/_a_ID/_v_33 |title=Centro documentazione per l'integrazione |publisher=Cdila.it |date= |accessdate=2015-10-22}}</ref> <br>''[[italiano segnato esatto]]'' "Signed Exact Italian"<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.cdila.it/cds/Index?q=object/detail&p=_system_cms_node/_a_ID/_v_37 |title=Centro documentazione per l'integrazione |publisher=Cdila.it |date= |accessdate=2015-10-22}}</ref> | nation = {{flag|Italy}}<br>{{flag|San Marino}}<br>{{flag|Switzerland}}<br>{{flag|Vatican City}}<br>{{flag|Sovereign Military Order of Malta}}<br>''{{flag|European Union}}'' | minority = {{Flag|Croatia}}<br>{{flag|Slovenia}} | agency = [[Accademia della Crusca]] (''de facto'') | iso1 = it | iso2 = ita | iso3 = ita | glotto = ital1282 | glottorefname = Italian | lingua = 51-AAA-q | notice = IPA | map = [[File:Map Italophone World.png|310px]] | mapcaption = The geographic distribution of the Italian language in the world: large Italian-speaking communities are shown in green; light blue indicates areas where the Italian language was used officially during the Italian colonial period. }} {{Italian language|state=expanded}} '''Italian''' ({{Audio|It-italiano.ogg|''italiano''}} {{IPA-it|itaˈljaːno|}} or ''lingua italiana'' {{IPA-it|ˈliŋɡwa itaˈljaːna|}}) is a [[Romance languages|Romance language]]. It is the second-closest to Latin in terms of vocabulary after [[Sardinian language|Sardinian]].<ref>See [[Classification of Romance languages|''Italica'' 1950: 46]] (cf. [http://books.google.com/books?id=M0sbAAAAIAAJ&q=%22Demonstrates+a+comparative+statistical+method%22 <nowiki>[1]</nowiki>] and [http://books.google.com/books?id=M0sbAAAAIAAJ&q=%22there+is+a+maximum+of+77+change+points%22 <nowiki>[2]</nowiki>]): “Pei, Mario A. "A New Methodology for Romance Classification." Word, v, 2 (Aug. 1949), 135–146. Demonstrates a comparative statistical method for determining the extent of change from the Latin for the free and checked accented vowels of French, Spanish, Italian, Portuguese, Rumanian, Old Provençal, and Logudorese Sardinian. By assigning 3½ change points per vowel (with 2 points for diphthongization, 1 point for modification in vowel quantity, ½ point for changes due to nasalization, palatalization or umlaut, and −½ point for failure to effect a normal change), there is a maximum of 77 change points for free and checked stressed vowel sounds (11×2×3½=77). According to this system (illustrated by seven charts at the end of the article), the percentage of change is greatest in French (44%) and least in Italian (12%) and Sardinian (8%). Prof. Pei suggests that this statistical method be extended not only to all other phonological, but also to all morphological and syntactical, phenomena.”.</ref><ref>See [[Classification of Romance languages|Koutna ''et al.'' (1990: 294)]]: “In the late forties and in the fifties some new proposals for classification of the Romance languages appeared. A statistical method attempting to evaluate the evidence quantitatively was developed in order to provide not only a classification but at the same time a measure of the divergence among the languages. The earliest attempt was made in 1949 by Mario Pei (1901–1978), who measured the divergence of seven modern Romance languages from Classical Latin, taking as his criterion the evolution of stressed vowels. Pei's results do not show the degree of contemporary divergence among the languages from each other but only the divergence of each one from Classical Latin. The closest language turned out to be Sardinian with 8% of change. Then followed Italian — 12%; Spanish — 20%; Romanian — 23,5%; Provençal — 25%; Portuguese — 31%; French — 44%.”</ref> Italian is an official language in [[Italy]], [[Switzerland]], [[San Marino]], [[Vatican City]], and [[Istria]] (in [[Slovene Istria|Slovenia]] and [[Istria County|Croatia]]). It used to have official status in [[Albania]], [[Malta]] and [[Monaco]], where it is still widely spoken, as well as in former [[Italian East Africa]] and [[Italian North Africa]] regions where it plays a significant role in various sectors. Italian is spoken by large [[Italian diaspora|expatriate communities]] in [[the Americas]] and by small minorities in places such as [[Italians of Crimea|Crimea]], [[France]] (especially in [[Corsica]]), [[Montenegro]] and [[Tunisia]].<ref name="ethnologue.com">[http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ita Ethnologue report for language code:ita (Italy)] – Gordon, Raymond G., Jr. (ed.), 2005. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Fifteenth edition. Dallas, Tex.: SIL International. Online version</ref> Many speakers are native bilinguals of both standardized Italian and [[Languages of Italy|other regional languages]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=IT |title=Italy |publisher=Ethnologue |date=1999-02-19 |accessdate=2015-10-22}}</ref> Italian is a major European language, being one of the official languages of the [[Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe]] and one of the working languages of the [[Council of Europe]]. It is the [[Languages of the EU|third most widely spoken first language in the European Union]] with 65 million native speakers (13% of the EU population) and it is spoken as a second language by 14 million EU citizens (3%).<ref name="europa2006">{{PDFlink|[http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_sum_en.pdf Eurobarometer – Europeans and their languages]|485&nbsp;KB}}, February 2006</ref> Including Italian speakers in non-EU European countries (such as Switzerland and Albania) and on other continents, the total number of speakers is around 85 million.<ref name="Italian language">{{cite web|url=http://www2.le.ac.uk/departments/modern-languages/lal/languages%20at%20lal/italian |title=Italian — University of Leicester |publisher=.le.ac.uk |date= |accessdate=2015-10-22}}</ref> Italian is the main working language of the [[Holy See]], serving as the [[lingua franca]] in the Roman Catholic hierarchy as well as the official language of the [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta]]. Italian is known as the ''language of music'' because of its use in [[musical terminology]] and [[opera]]. Its influence is also widespread in the [[arts]] and in the [[luxury goods]] market. Italian has been reported as the fourth or fifth most frequently taught foreign language in the world.<ref name="becomingitalianwordbyword.typepad.com">{{cite web|url=http://becomingitalianwordbyword.typepad.com/becomingitalian/2014/06/italian-is-the-fourth-most-studied-language-in-the-world.html |title=Becoming Italian Word by Word: Italian Becomes the Fourth Most Studied Language in the World |publisher=Becomingitalianwordbyword.typepad.com |date=2014-06-25 |accessdate=2015-10-22}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.thelocal.de/20150415/german-is-fourth-most-learnt-language-globally |title=German is world's fourth most popular language – The Local |publisher=Thelocal.de |date= |accessdate=2015-10-22}}</ref> Italian was adopted by the state after the [[Unification of Italy]] and is based on [[Tuscan language|Tuscan]], which beforehand was a language spoken mostly by the [[upper class]] of Florentine society.<ref>[http://www.italian-language-study.com/italian-language/modern-italian.htm ] {{wayback|url=http://www.italian-language-study.com/italian-language/modern-italian.htm |date=20091003014156 |df=y }}</ref> Its development was also influenced by other [[Italian languages]] and to some minor extent, by the [[Germanic languages]] of the [[Migration period|post-Roman invaders]]. Unlike most other Romance languages, Italian retains Latin's contrast between short and [[consonant length|long consonants]]. As in most [[Romance languages]], [[stress (linguistics)|stress]] is distinctive. {{anchor|Middle Ages}} ==History== {{Refimprove section|date=October 2013}} ===Origins=== The standard Italian language has a poetic and literary origin in the writings of [[Tuscany|Tuscan]] writers of the twelfth century, and, even though the grammar and core lexicon are basically unchanged from those used in Florence in the 13th century,<ref>{{cite book|url=http://www.treccani.it/enciclopedia/storia-della-lingua_(Enciclopedia_dell'Italiano)/|title=Storia della lingua|author=Vittorio Coletti|publisher=Istituto della Enciclopedia italiana|isbn=9788812000487|access-date=October 2015|quote=L’italiano di oggi ha ancora in gran parte la stessa grammatica e usa ancora lo stesso lessico del fiorentino letterario del Trecento.}}</ref> the modern standard of the language was largely shaped by relatively recent events. However, Italian as a language used in [[Italy]] and some surrounding regions has a longer history. In fact the earliest surviving texts that can definitely be called Italian (or more accurately, vernacular, as distinct from its predecessor [[Vulgar Latin]]) are legal formulae known as the [[Placiti Cassinesi]] from the [[Duchy of Benevento|Province of Benevento]] that date from 960–963, although the [[Veronese Riddle]] contains a late form of Vulgar Latin that can be seen as a very early Italian dialect.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.italian-language.biz/italian/history.asp|title=History of the Italian language|publisher=Italian-language.biz|accessdate=2006-09-24}}</ref> What would come to be thought of as Italian was first formalized in the early fourteenth century through the works of Tuscan writer [[Dante Alighieri]], written in his native [[Florentine dialect|Florentine]]. Dante's epic poems, known collectively as the ''[[Divine Comedy|Commedia]],'' to which another Tuscan poet [[Giovanni Boccaccio]] later affixed the title ''Divina'', were read throughout Italy and his written dialect became the "canonical standard" that all educated [[Italians]] could understand. Dante is still credited with standardizing the Italian language, and thus the dialect of [[Florence]] became the basis for what would become the official language of Italy. Italian often was an official language of the various Italian states predating unification, slowly replacing Latin, even when ruled by foreign powers (such as the Spanish in the [[Kingdom of Naples]], or the Austrians in the [[Kingdom of Lombardy-Venetia]]), even though the masses spoke primarily vernacular languages and dialects. Italian was also one of the many recognized languages in the [[Austro-Hungarian Empire]]. Italy has always had a distinctive dialect for each city, because the cities, until recently, were thought of as [[city-state]]s. Those dialects now have considerable [[variety (linguistics)|variety]]. As Tuscan-derived Italian came to be used throughout Italy, features of local speech were naturally adopted, producing various versions of Regional Italian. The most characteristic differences, for instance, between [[Rome|Roman]] Italian and [[Milan]]ese Italian are the [[consonant length|gemination]] of initial consonants and the pronunciation of stressed "e", and of "s" in some cases: e.g. ''va bene'' "all right": is pronounced {{IPA|[va ˈbːɛne]}} by a Roman (and by any standard-speaker), {{IPA|[va ˈbene]}} by a Milanese (and by any speaker whose native dialect lies to the north of [[La Spezia–Rimini Line]]); ''a casa'' "at home" is {{IPA|[a ˈkːasa]}} for Roman and standard, {{IPA|[a ˈkaza]}} for Milanese and generally northern. In contrast to the [[Gallo-Italic languages]] of [[northern Italy]], the [[Italo-Dalmatian languages|Italo-Dalmatian]] [[Neapolitan language]] and its dialects were largely unaffected by the Franco-[[Occitan language|Occitan]] influences introduced to Italy, mainly by [[bard]]s from France, during the [[Middle Ages]] but, after the [[Norman conquest of southern Italy]], Sicily became the first Italian land to adopt Occitan lyric moods (and words) in poetry. Even in the case of Northern Italian languages, however, scholars are careful not to overstate the effects of outsiders on the natural indigenous developments of the languages. The economic might and relatively advanced development of [[Tuscany]] at the time ([[Late Middle Ages]]) gave its language weight, though the [[Venetian language]] remained widespread in medieval Italian commercial life, and [[Ligurian language (Romance)|Ligurian (or Genoese)]] remained in use in maritime trade alongside the Mediterranean. The increasing political and cultural relevance of [[Florence]] during the periods of the rise of the ''[[Medici bank|Banco Medici]]'', [[Humanism]], and the [[Renaissance]] made its dialect, or rather a refined version of it, a standard in the arts. ===Renaissance=== {{Main article|Italian Renaissance}} {{multiple image | direction = vertical | width = 185 | footer = | image1 = Dante Luca.jpg | alt1 = | caption1 = [[Dante Alighieri]] (''above'') and [[Petrarch]] (''below'') were influential in establishing their [[Tuscan dialect]] as the most prominent literary language in all of [[Italian peninsula|Italy]] in the [[Late Middle Ages]] | image2 = Altichiero, ritratto di Francesco Petrarca.jpg | image3 = Pietro Bembo2.jpg | alt3 = | caption3 = [[Pietro Bembo]] was an influential figure in the development of the Italian language from the Tuscan dialect, as a literary medium, codifying the language for standard modern usage }} Starting with the Renaissance, Italian became the language used in the courts of every state in the [[Italian peninsula|peninsula]]. The rediscovery of Dante's ''[[De vulgari eloquentia]]'' and a renewed interest in linguistics in the sixteenth century, sparked a debate that raged throughout Italy concerning the criteria that should govern the establishment of a modern Italian literary and spoken language. Scholars divided into three factions: * The [[purism (language)|purists]], headed by Venetian [[Pietro Bembo]] (who, in his ''[[Gli Asolani]]'', claimed the language might be based only on the great literary classics, such as [[Petrarch]] and some part of Boccaccio). The purists thought the Divine Comedy not dignified enough, because it used elements from non-lyric registers of the language. * [[Niccolò Machiavelli]] and other [[Florence|Florentines]] preferred the version spoken by ordinary people in their own times. * The [[courtier]]s, like [[Baldassare Castiglione]] and [[Gian Giorgio Trissino]], insisted that each local vernacular contribute to the new standard. A fourth faction claimed the best Italian was the one that the papal court adopted, which was a mix of Florentine and the dialect of Rome. Eventually, Bembo's ideas prevailed, and the foundation of the [[Accademia della Crusca]] in Florence (1582–1583), the official legislative body of the Italian language led to publication of [[Agnolo Monosini]]'s Latin tome ''[[Floris Italicae lingue libri novem|Floris italicae linguae libri novem]]'' in 1604 followed by the first Italian dictionary in 1612. ===Modern era=== An important event that helped the diffusion of Italian was the conquest and occupation of Italy by [[Napoleon]] in the early nineteenth century (who was himself of Italian-Corsican descent). This conquest propelled the unification of Italy some decades after, and pushed the Italian language into a [[lingua franca]] used not only among clerks, nobility and functionaries in the Italian courts but also in the [[bourgeoisie]]. ===Contemporary times=== Italian literature's first modern novel, [[The Betrothed (Manzoni novel)|''I Promessi Sposi'']] (''The Betrothed''), by [[Alessandro Manzoni]], further defined the standard by "rinsing" his Milanese "in the waters of the [[Arno River|Arno]]" ([[Florence]]'s river), as he states in the Preface to his 1840 edition. After unification a huge number of civil servants and soldiers recruited from all over the country introduced many more words and idioms from their home languages ("[[ciao]]" is derived from [[Venetian language|Venetian]] word "s-cia[v]o" (''slave''), "[[panettone]]" comes from [[Lombard language|Lombard]] word "panetton" etc.). Only 2.5% of Italy's population could speak the Italian standardized language properly when the nation unified in 1861, centered mainly in northwestern Italy.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ita |title=Lewis, M. Paul (ed.), 2009. Ethnologue: Languages of the World, Sixteenth edition |publisher=Ethnologue.com |date= |accessdate=2010-04-21}}</ref> ==Classification== Italian is a [[Romance language]], and is therefore a descendant of [[Vulgar Latin]]. Standard Italian is based on [[Tuscan language|Tuscan]], especially its [[Florentine dialect]], and is therefore an [[Italo-Dalmatian languages|Italo-Dalmatian language]], to which [[Sicilian language|Sicilian]] and the extinct [[Dalmatian language|Dalmatian]] also belong, among a few others. Unlike most other Romance languages, Italian retains Latin's contrast between short and [[consonant length|long consonants]]. As in most [[Romance languages]], [[stress (linguistics)|stress]] is distinctive. In particular, among the Romance languages, Italian is the closest to Latin in terms of [[vocabulary]].<ref name="Grimes 1996">{{cite book |last= Grimes |first= Barbara F. |editor= Barbara F. Grimes |others= Consulting Editors: Richard S. Pittman & Joseph E. Grimes |title= Ethnologue: Languages of the World |edition= thirteenth |date=October 1996 |publisher= [[Ethnologue|Summer Institute of Linguistics, Academic Pub]] |location= Dallas, Texas |isbn= 1-55671-026-7}}</ref> [[Lexical similarity]] is 89% with [[French language|French]], 88% with [[Catalan language|Catalan]], 85% with [[Sardinian language|Sardinian]], 82% with [[Spanish language|Spanish]] and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], 78% with [[Rhaeto-Romance languages|Rhaeto-Romance]], and 77% with [[Romanian language|Romanian]].<ref name="ethnologue.com" /><ref name=MED>{{Harvcoltxt|Brincat|2005}}</ref> One study analyzing the degree of differentiation of Romance languages in comparison to Latin (comparing [[phonology]], [[inflection]], [[discourse]], [[syntax]], [[vocabulary]], and [[intonation (linguistics)|intonation]]) estimated that among the languages analyzed the distance between Italian and Latin is only higher than that between Sardinian and Latin.<ref>{{cite book |title=Story of Language |last=Pei |first=Mario |authorlink=Mario Pei |year=1949 |isbn=03-9700-400-1 }}</ref> ==Geographic distribution== [[File:Idioma italiano.png|thumb|right|200px|Use of the Italian language in Europe]] [[File:Lengua italiana.png|thumb|right|200px|Use of the Italian language in Europe and former use in Africa]] ===Europe=== Italian is an official language of [[Italy]] and [[San Marino]] and is spoken fluently by the majority of the countries' populations. Italian is official, together with French, German and [[Romansch language|Romansch]] in [[Switzerland]], with most of the 0.5 million speakers concentrated in the south of the country, in the cantons of [[Ticino]] and southern [[Graubünden]] (predominately in [[Italian Graubünden|Italian Grigioni]]). Italian is the third most spoken language in Switzerland (after German and French), and its use has modestly declined since the 1970s.<ref name="offstat">{{cite web|url=http://www.bfs.admin.ch/bfs/portal/fr/index/infothek/lexikon/bienvenue___login/blank/zugang_lexikon.Document.52217.pdf |title=Recensement Fédéral de la Population 2000 — Le Paysage Linguistique en Suisse |accessdate=5 January 2006 |author1=Lüdi, Georges |author2=Werlen, Iwar |date=April 2005 |format=PDF |publisher= Office fédéral de la statistique |location=[[Neuchâtel]] |language= French, German, Italian}}</ref> Italian is also used in administration and official documents in [[Vatican City]].<ref>The Vatican City State appendix to the [[Acta Apostolicae Sedis]] is entirely in Italian.</ref> Italian is widely spoken in [[Malta]], where nearly two-thirds of the population can speak it fluently.<ref name=Europoll>{{cite web|title=Europeans and their Languages|url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_en.pdf|work=Europeans and their Languages|publisher=European Commission: Directorate General for Education and Culture and Directorate General Press and Communication|accessdate=28 June 2013|format=PDF|date=February 2006}}</ref> Italian served as Malta's official language until 1934, while it is also recognized as an official language in [[Istria County]], [[Croatia]] and [[Slovenian Istria]], where there are significant and historic Italian populations.{{Citation needed|date=June 2013}} It is used as the official language of the [[Sovereign Military Order of Malta]], a Roman Catholic chivalric order which, while not a nation per se, is still recognized as a sovereign subject of international law. Italian is also spoken by a minority in [[Monaco]] and France (especially in the southeast region of the country).<ref name=2008census>{{cite web|title=Society|url=http://www.monaco-iq.com/society|work=Monaco-IQ Business Intelligence|publisher=Lydia Porter|accessdate=28 June 2013|date=2007–2013}}</ref><ref>{{cite web|title=France|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_country.asp?name=FR|work=Ethnologue|publisher=SIL International|accessdate=28 June 2013|year=2013}}</ref> ===Africa=== Due to heavy Italian influence during the [[Italian Empire|Italian colonial period]], Italian is still understood by some in former colonies.<ref name="ethnologue.com"/> Although it was the primary language since [[Italian Libya|colonial rule]], Italian greatly declined under the [[History of Libya under Muammar Gaddafi|rule of Muammar Gaddafi]], who expelled the [[Italian settlers in Libya|Italian Libyan]] population and made [[Literary Arabic|Arabic]] the sole official language of the country.<ref>[http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/10/21/news/italy.php ] {{wayback|url=http://www.iht.com/articles/2004/10/21/news/italy.php |date=20081217024247 |df=y }}</ref> Nevertheless, Italian is sometimes used in economic sectors in Libya. In Eritrea, Italian is at times used in commerce and the capital city [[Asmara]] still has one Italian-language school.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.scuoleasmara.it |title=Scuola Italiana di Asmara (in Italian) |publisher=Scuoleasmara.it |date= |accessdate=2010-04-21}}</ref> Italian was also introduced to [[Somalia]] through colonialism and was the sole official language of administration and education during the [[Italian Somaliland|colonial period]] but fell out of use after government, educational and economic infrastructure were destroyed in the [[Somali Civil War]]. Italian is still understood by some elderly and other people. The official languages of the Somali Republic are [[Somali language|Somali]] (Maay and Maxaatiri) and Arabic. The second languages of the Transitional Federal Government are English.''<ref>Diana Briton Putman, Mohamood Cabdi Noor, ''The Somalis: their history and culture'', (Center for Applied Linguistics: 1993), p. 15.: "Somalis speak Somali. Many people also speak Arabic, and educated Somalis usually speak English. [[Swahili language|Swahili]] may also be spoken in coastal areas near Kenya."</ref> ===Immigrant communities=== Although over 17 million [[Italian American|Americans are of Italian descent]], only a little over one million people in the United States speak Italian at home.<ref>{{cite web | url = http://factfinder2.census.gov/faces/tableservices/jsf/pages/productview.xhtml?pid=DEC_00_SF3_QTP16&prodType=table | title = Language Spoken at Home: 2000 | publisher = [[United States Bureau of the Census]] | accessdate = 8 August 2012}}</ref> Nevertheless, an Italian language media market does exist in the country.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://netcapricorn.com/newsletter/italian_ethnic_market.html |title=Newsletter |publisher=Netcapricorn.com |date= |accessdate=2015-10-22}}</ref> In [[Canada]], Italian is the second most spoken non-official language when [[varieties of Chinese]] are not grouped together, with over 660,000 speakers (or about 2.1% of the population) according to the 2006 Census.<ref name="Statistics Canada 2006">{{cite web|url=http://www12.statcan.ca/english/census06/data/topics/RetrieveProductTable.cfm?ALEVEL=3&APATH=3&CATNO=&DETAIL=0&DIM=&DS=99&FL=0&FREE=0&GAL=0&GC=99&GK=NA&GRP=1&IPS=&METH=0&ORDER=1&PID=89189&PTYPE=88971&RL=0&S=1&ShowAll=No&StartRow=1&SUB=705&Temporal=2006&Theme=70&VID=0&VNAMEE=&VNAMEF=&GID=837928 |title=Statistics Canada 2006 |publisher=2.statcan.ca |date=8 April 2010 |accessdate=2010-04-21}}</ref> In Australia, Italian is the second most spoken foreign language after Chinese, with 1.4% of the population speaking it as their home language.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.censusdata.abs.gov.au/census_services/getproduct/census/2011/quickstat/0 |title=2011 Census QuickStats: Australia |publisher=Censusdata.abs.gov.au |date= |accessdate=2015-10-22}}</ref> Italian immigrants to [[South America]] have also brought a presence of the language to that continent. Italian is the second most spoken language in [[Argentina]]<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.americaeconomia.com/politica-sociedad/sociedad/los-segundos-idiomas-mas-hablados-de-sudamerica |title=Los segundos idiomas más hablados de Sudamérica &#124; AméricaEconomía – El sitio de los negocios globales de América Latina |publisher=Americaeconomia.com |date=2015-07-16 |accessdate=2015-10-22}}</ref> after the official language of Spanish, with over 1 million (mainly of the older generation) speaking it at home, and Italian has also influenced the dialect of Spanish spoken in Argentina and [[Uruguay]], mostly in phonology, as well as the Portuguese prosody of the Brazilian state of [[São Paulo (state)|São Paulo]] which itself has 15 million Italian descendants. This form of Spanish is known as [[Rioplatense Spanish]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=cym |title=Welsh |publisher=Ethnologue |date=1999-02-19 |accessdate=2015-10-22}}</ref> Italian bilingual speakers can be found in the Southeast of [[Brazil]] as well as in the South. The [[Venetian language]], specifically the Vèneto or [[Talian dialect]], is spoken by over 700,000 people in the southern states. In 2009, the Brazilian city of [[Serafina Corrêa]], in the State of Rio Grande do Sul, gave [[Talian dialect|Talian]] joint official status, alongside [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]]. Smaller Italian-speaking minorities on the continent are also found in [[Venezuela]], [[Paraguay]] and [[Ecuador]]. ===Education=== [[File:" 13 - ITALY - books.jpg|thumb|left|Italian language textbooks used for education.]] [[File:Knowledge of Italian EU map.svg|thumb|350px|Knowledge of Italian according to EU statistics]] Italian is widely taught in many schools around the world, but rarely as the first foreign language; in fact, Italian is the fourth<ref name="becomingitalianwordbyword.typepad.com"/><ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.lastampa.it/2014/07/02/italia/cronache/lingua-italiana-la-quarta-pi-studiata-nel-mondo-NdOvjvS27hybRegFLXyl3H/pagina.html |title=Lingua italiana, la quarta più studiata nel mondo – La Stampa |publisher=Lastampa.it |date= |accessdate=2015-10-22}}</ref> most frequently taught foreign language in the world.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iic-colonia.de/italiano-2000/09.12%20Analisi%20generale%20dei%20dati.htm |title=9 |publisher=Iic-colonia.de |date= |accessdate=2015-10-22}}</ref> According to the [[Italian Ministry of Foreign Affairs]], every year there are more than 200,000 foreign students who study the Italian language; they are distributed among the 90 [[Italian Cultural Institute|Institutes of Italian Culture]] that are located around the world, or in the 179 Italian schools located abroad, or in the 111 Italian lecturer sections belonging to foreign schools where Italian is taught as a language of culture.<ref name="esteri.it">{{cite web|url=http://www.esteri.it/MAE/IT/Politica_Estera/Cultura/PromozioneLinguaItaliana/DatiStatisticheInsegnamentoLingua.htm |title=Dati e statistiche |publisher=Esteri.it |date=2007-09-28 |accessdate=2015-10-22}}</ref> In the United States, Italian is the fourth most taught foreign language after Spanish, French, and German, in that order (or the fifth if [[American Sign Language]] is considered).<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.vistawide.com/languages/us_languages.htm |title=Languages Spoken and Learned in the United States |publisher=Vistawide.com |date= |accessdate=2015-10-22}}</ref> In central-east Europe Italian is first in Montenegro, second in Austria, Croatia, Slovenia, and Ukraine after English, and third in Hungary, Romania and Russia after English and German.<ref name="esteri.it"/> But throughout the world, Italian is the fifth most taught foreign language, after English, French, German, and Spanish.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.iic-colonia.de/italiano-2000/Indice.htm |title=Parte prima – Quadro generale |publisher=www.iic-colonia.de |date= |accessdate=2010-04-21}}</ref> In the [[European Union]] statistics, Italian is spoken as a native language by 13% of the EU population, or 65 million people,<ref name="europa2006"/> mainly in Italy. In the EU, it is spoken as a second language by 3% of the EU population, or 14 million people. Among EU states, the percentage of people able to speak Italian well enough to have a conversation is 66% in [[Malta]], 15% in [[Slovenia]], 14% in [[Croatia]], 8% in [[Austria]], 5% in [[France]] and [[Luxembourg]], and 4% in the former [[West Germany]], [[Greece]], [[Cyprus]], and [[Romania]].<ref>{{cite web|url=http://ec.europa.eu/public_opinion/archives/ebs/ebs_243_en.pdf |title=Eurobarometer pool (2006), page 152 |format=PDF |accessdate=2 June 2012}}</ref> Italian is also one of the national languages of Switzerland, which is not a part of the European Union.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.ethnologue.com/show_language.asp?code=ita |title=Italian |publisher=Ethnologue |date=1999-02-19 |accessdate=2015-10-22}}</ref> The Italian language is well-known and studied in [[Albania]],<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Longo|first1=Maurizio|title=La lingua italiana in Albania|journal=Education et Sociétés Plurilingues|date=2007|issue=22|pages=51–56|url=http://www.cebip.com/download.asp?file=/elementi/www/esp022_07_longo.pdf|accessdate=28 July 2014|language=Italian|format=PDF|quote="Today, even though for political reasons English is the most widely taught foreign language in Albanian schools, Italian is anyway the most widespread foreign language."}}</ref> another non-EU member, due to its historical ties and geographical proximity to Italy and to the diffusion of Italian television in the country.<ref>{{cite journal|last1=Longo|first1=Maurizio|last2=Ademi|first2=Esmeralda|last3=Bulija|first3=Mirjana|title=Una quantificazione della penetrazione della lingua italiana in Albania tramite la televisione (III)|journal=Education et Sociétés Plurilingues|date=June 2010|issue=28|pages=53–63|url=http://www.cebip.com/datapage.asp?l=1&id=40|accessdate=28 July 2014|trans_title=A quantification of the diffusion of the Italian language in Albania via television|language=Italian|format=PDF}}</ref> ===Influence and derived languages=== {{see also|Italian diaspora}} From the late nineteenth to the mid-twentieth century, thousands of Italians settled in Argentina, Uruguay, southern Brazil, and Venezuela, where they formed a physical and cultural presence. In some cases, colonies were established where variants of regional [[languages of Italy]] were used, and some continue to use this regional language. Examples are [[Rio Grande do Sul]], [[Brazil]], where [[Talian dialect|Talian]] is used, and the town of [[Chipilo]] near Puebla, [[Mexico]]; each continues to use a derived form of [[Venetian language|Venetian]] dating back to the nineteenth century. Another example is [[Cocoliche]], an Italian–Spanish [[pidgin]] once spoken in [[Argentina]] and especially in [[Buenos Aires]], and [[Lunfardo]]. [[Rioplatense Spanish]], and particularly the speech of the city of Buenos Aires, has intonation patterns that resemble those of [[Languages of Italy|Italian languages]], because Argentina has had a continuous large influx of Italian settlers since the second half of the nineteenth century: initially primarily from northern Italy; then, since the beginning of the twentieth century, mostly from southern Italy. ===Lingua franca=== {{See also|Mediterranean Lingua Franca}} Starting in late [[medieval]] times in much of Europe and the Mediterranean, Latin was replaced as the primary commercial language by Italian language variants (especially Tuscan and Venetian). These variants were consolidated during the [[Renaissance]] with the strength of Italy and the rise of [[Renaissance humanism|humanism]] and [[the arts]]. During that period, Italy held artistic sway over the rest of Europe. It was the norm for all educated gentlemen to make the [[Grand Tour]], visiting Italy to see its great historical monuments and works of art. It thus became expected to learn at least some Italian. In England, while the classical languages [[Latin]] and [[Greek language|Greek]] were the first to be learned, Italian became the second most common modern language after French, a position it held until the late eighteenth century, when it tended to be replaced by German. [[John Milton]], for instance, wrote some of his early poetry in Italian. Within the [[Catholic church]], Italian is known by a large part of the ecclesiastical hierarchy, and is used in substitution for Latin in some official documents. The primacy of Italian as a language in the [[Vatican City]] indicates use, not only within the [[Holy See]], but throughout the world wherever an episcopal seat is present.{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}} Italian [[loanword]]s continue to be used in most languages in matters of art and [[music]] (especially [[opera]]), in the [[design]] and [[fashion]] industries, in some sports ([[football (association)|football]]{{Citation needed|date=July 2008}} and [[motorsports]]) and especially, in culinary terms. ==Dialects== {{Main article|Regional Italian}} {{See also|Languages of Italy}} Throughout Italy, regional variations of Standard Italian, called [[Regional Italian]], are spoken. In Italy, almost all [[Languages of Italy|Romance languages spoken as the vernacular]]—other than standard Italian and distantly-related, non-Romance languages spoken in border regions or among immigrant communities—are often imprecisely called "[[Languages of Italy|Italian dialects]]",<ref>{{cite web| url=http://www.ccjk.com/facts-figures-italian-language/ | title=Major Dialects of Italian|publisher=Ccjk.com|accessdate=2015-10-22 }}</ref> even though they are quite different, with some belonging to different branches of the [[Romance languages|Romance language family]]. The only exceptions to this are [[Sardinian language|Sardinian]], [[Ladin language|Ladin]], and [[Friulian language|Friulian]], which the law recognizes as official regional languages. On the other hand, the [[Corsican language]] is closely related to Italian. Regional differences can be recognized by various factors: the openness of vowels, the length of the consonants, and influence of the local language (for example, in informal situations the contraction ''{{wiktit|annà}}'' replaces ''{{wiktit|andare}}'' in the area of Rome for the infinitive "to go"; and ''{{wiktit|nare}}'' is what [[Venice|Venetians]] say for the infinitive "to go"). ==Phonology== {{Main article|Italian phonology}} {{IPA notice}} {| class="wikitable" style="text-align: center;" |+Consonant phonemes |- ! style="width:22%;"| ! colspan="2" style="width:13%;"| [[bilabial consonant|Bilabial]] ! colspan="2" style="width:13%;"| [[Labiodental consonant|Labio-<br>dental]] ! colspan="2" style="width:13%;"| [[Dental consonant|Dental]]/<br>[[Alveolar consonant|Alveolar]] ! colspan="2" style="width:13%;"| [[Postalveolar consonant|Post-<br>alveolar]] ! colspan="2" style="width:13%;"| [[Palatal consonant|Palatal]] ! colspan="2" style="width:13%;"| [[Velar consonant|Velar]] |- ! [[Nasal consonant|Nasal]] |style="border-right: 0;"| ||style="border-left: 0;"|{{IPA link|m}} | colspan=2 | |style="border-right: 0;"| ||style="border-left: 0;"|{{IPA link|n}} | colspan=2 | |style="border-right: 0;"|&nbsp;||style="border-left: 0;"|{{IPA link|ɲ|ɲː}} | colspan=2 | |- ! [[stop consonant|Stop]] |style="border-right: 0;"|{{IPA link|p}}||style="border-left: 0;"|{{IPA link|b}} | colspan=2 | |style="border-right: 0;"|{{IPA link|t̪|t}}||style="border-left: 0;"|{{IPA link|d̪|d}} | colspan=2 | | colspan=2 | |style="border-right: 0;"|{{IPA link|k}}||style="border-left: 0;"|{{IPA link|ɡ}} |- ! [[affricate consonant|Affricate]] | colspan=2 | | colspan=2 | |style="border-right: 0;"|{{IPA link|t̪͡s̪|t͡s}}||style="border-left: 0;"|{{IPA link|d̪͡z̪|d͡z}} |style="border-right: 0;"|{{IPA link|t͡ʃ}}||style="border-left: 0;"|{{IPA link|d͡ʒ}} | colspan=2 | | colspan=2 | |- ! [[fricative consonant|Fricative]] | colspan=2 | |style="border-right: 0;"|{{IPA link|f}}||style="border-left: 0;"|{{IPA link|v}} |style="border-right: 0;"|{{IPA link|s̪|s}}||style="border-left: 0;"|{{IPA link|z̪|z}} |style="border-right: 0;"|{{IPA link|ʃ|ʃː}}||style="border-left: 0;"| | colspan=2 | | colspan=2 | |- ! [[Approximant consonant|Approximant]] | colspan=2 | | colspan=2 | | colspan=2 | | colspan=2 | |style="border-right: 0;"|&nbsp;||style="border-left: 0;"|{{IPA link|j}} |style="border-right: 0;"| ||style="border-left: 0;"|{{IPA link|w}} |- ! [[Lateral consonant#Approximants|Lateral]] | colspan=2 | | colspan=2 | |style="border-right: 0;"| ||style="border-left: 0;"|{{IPA link|l}} | colspan=2 | |style="border-right: 0;"|&nbsp;||style="border-left: 0;"|{{IPA link|ʎ|ʎː}} | colspan=2 | |- ! [[trill consonant|Trill]] | colspan=2 | | colspan=2 | |style="border-right: 0;"| ||style="border-left: 0;"|{{IPA link|r}} | colspan=2 | | colspan=2 | | colspan=2 | |} Notes: * Between two vowels, or between a vowel and an approximant or liquid ({{IPA|/l r/}} or {{IPA|/w j/}}), consonants can be either single or [[gemination|geminated]]. Geminated consonants shorten the preceding vowel (or block phonetic lengthening) and the first geminated element is [[Release (phonetics)|unreleased]]. For example, {{IPA|/fato/ [ˈfaː.to] ~ /fatto/ [ˈfat.to]}} (first one means "fate, destiny" and the second means "fact", see "{{wiktita|fato}}" and "{{wiktita|fatto}}"). However, {{IPA|/ɲ/, /ʃ/, /ʎ/,}} are always geminated word-internally.<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Hall|1944|pp=77–78}}</ref> Similarly, nasals, liquids, and sibilants are pronounced slightly longer before medial consonant clusters.<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Hall|1944|p=78}}</ref> * {{IPA|/z/}} is the only consonant that cannot be geminated. * {{IPA|/t d t͡s d͡z s z/}} are denti-alveolar, while {{IPA|/l n/}} are alveolar.<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Rogers|d'Arcangeli|2004|p=117}}</ref><ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Bertinetto|Loporcaro|2005|p=132}}</ref> * The trill {{IPA|/r/}} is sometimes reduced to a single vibration when not geminated, but it is not a [[flap consonant|flap]] *{{IPA|[ɾ]}}{{clarify|date=October 2014}}. * Nasals [[Assimilation (linguistics)|assimilate]] to the [[point of articulation]] of whatever consonant they precede. For example, {{IPA|/nɡ/}} is realized as {{IPA|[ŋɡ]}}. * The distinction between {{IPA|/s/}} and {{IPA|/z/}} is neutralized before consonants and at the beginning of words: the former is used before voiceless consonants and before vowels at the beginning of words; the latter is used before voiced consonants (meaning {{IPA|[z]}} is an allophone of {{IPA|/s/}} before voiced consonants). The two are only contrasted between two vowels within a word. According to Canepari,<ref name="A Handbook of Pronunciation">Luciano Canepari, [http://venus.unive.it/canipa/pdf/HPr_03_Italian.pdf ''A Handbook of Pronunciation''], chapter 3: «Italian».</ref> though, the ''traditional'' standard has been replaced by a modern ''neutral pronunciation'' which always prefers {{IPA|/z/}} when intervocalic, except when the intervocalic ''s'' is the initial sound of a word or a morpheme, if the compound is still felt as such: for example, ''{{wiktita|presento}}'' {{IPA|/preˈsɛnto/}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dizionario.rai.it/poplemma.aspx?lid=30356&r=69940 |title=Dizionario d'ortografia e di pronunzia |publisher=Dizionario.rai.it |date= |accessdate=2015-10-22}}</ref> ('I foresee', with ''pre'' meaning 'before' and ''sento'' meaning 'I see') vs. ''presento'' {{IPA|/preˈzɛnto/}}<ref>{{cite web|url=http://www.dizionario.rai.it/poplemma.aspx?lid=30351&r=13567 |title=Dizionario d'ortografia e di pronunzia |publisher=Dizionario.rai.it |date= |accessdate=2015-10-22}}</ref> ('I present'). There are many words in which dictionaries now indicate that both pronunciations with {{IPA|/z/}} and with {{IPA|/s/}} are acceptable. The two phonemes have merged in many regional varieties of Italian, either into {{IPA|/z/}} (Northern-Central) or {{IPA|/s/}} (Southern-Central). Geminate {{IPA|/ss/}} can be pronounced as single {{IPA|[s]}}. Italian has a seven-vowel system, consisting of {{IPA|/a, ɛ, e, i, ɔ, o, u/}}, as well as 23 consonants. Compared with most other Romance languages, Italian phonology is conservative, preserving many words nearly unchanged from [[Vulgar Latin]]. Some examples: * Italian ''{{wiktita|quattordici}}'' "fourteen" < Latin {{smallcaps|{{wiktlat|quattuordecim}}}} (cf. Romanian ''{{wiktron|paisprezece}}/{{wiktron|paișpe}}'', Spanish ''{{wiktspa|catorce}}'', French ''{{wiktfra|quatorze}}'' {{IPA|/kaˈtɔʁz/}}, [[Catalan language|Catalan]] and [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] ''{{lang|cat|{{lang|pt|[[wikt:catorze|catorze]]}}}}'') * Italian ''settimana'' "week" < Latin {{smallcaps|septimāna}} (cf. Romanian ''săptămână'', Spanish and Portuguese ''semana'', French ''semaine'' {{IPA|/s(ǝ)ˈmɛn/}}, [[Catalan language|Catalan]] ''setmana'') * Italian ''medesimo'' "same" < Vulgar Latin *{{smallcaps|medi(p)simum}} (cf. Spanish ''mismo'', [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] ''mesmo'', French ''même'' {{IPA|/mɛm/}}, [[Catalan language|Catalan]] ''mateix''; note that Italian usually uses the shorter ''stesso'') * Italian ''guadagnare'' "to win, earn, gain" < Vulgar Latin *{{smallcaps|guadanyāre}} < [[Germanic languages|Germanic]] {{IPA|/waidanjan/}} (cf. Spanish ''ganar'', Portuguese ''ganhar'', French ''gagner'' {{IPA|/ɡaˈɲe/}}, [[Catalan language|Catalan]] ''guanyar'') The conservativeness of Italian phonology is partly explained by its origin. Italian stems from a literary language that is derived from the 13th-century speech of the city of [[Florence]] in the region of [[Tuscany]], and has changed little in the last 700 years or so. Furthermore, the Tuscan dialect is the most conservative of all [[Regional Italian|Italian dialects]], radically different from the [[Gallo-Italian languages]] less than 100 miles to the north (across the [[La Spezia–Rimini Line]]). The following are some of the conservative phonological features of Italian, as compared with the common [[Western Romance]] languages (French, Spanish, [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]], [[Galician language|Galician]], [[Catalan language|Catalan]]). Some of these features are also present in [[Romanian language|Romanian]]. * Little or no [[lenition]] of consonants between vowels, e.g. {{smallcaps|vīta}} > ''vita'' "life" (cf. Romanian ''viață'', Spanish ''vida'' {{IPA|[βiða]}}, French ''vie''), {{smallcaps|pedem}} > ''piede'' "foot" (cf. Spanish ''pie'', French ''pied'' {{IPA|/pje/}}). * Preservation of doubled consonants, e.g. {{smallcaps|annum}} > ''anno'' "year" (cf. Spanish ''año'' {{IPA|/aɲo/}}, French ''an'' {{IPA|/ɑ̃/}}). * Preservation of all [[Proto-Romance]] final vowels, e.g. {{smallcaps|pacem}} > ''pace'' "peace" (cf. Romania ''pace'', Spanish ''paz'', French ''paix'' {{IPA|/pɛ/}}), {{smallcaps|octō}} > ''otto'' "eight" (cf. Romanian ''opt'' Spanish ''ocho'', French ''huit'' {{IPA|/ɥi(t)/}}), {{smallcaps|fēcī}} > ''feci'' "I did" (cf. Spanish ''hice'', French ''fis'' {{IPA|/fi/}}). * Preservation of most intertonic vowels (those between the stressed syllable and either the beginning or ending syllable). This accounts for some of the most noticeable differences, as in the forms ''quattordici'' and ''settimana'' given above. * Slower consonant development, e.g. {{smallcaps|folia}} > Italo-Western {{IPA|/fɔʎʎa/}} > ''foglia'' {{IPA|/ˈfɔʎʎa/}} "leaf" (cf. Romanian ''foaie'' {{IPA|/ˈfo̯aje/}}, Spanish ''hoja'' {{IPA|/ˈoxa/}}, French ''feuille'' {{IPA|/ˈfœj/}}; but note Portuguese ''folha'' {{IPA|/ˈfoʎɐ/}}). Compared with most other Romance languages, Italian has a large number of inconsistent outcomes, where the same underlying sound produces different results in different words, e.g. {{smallcaps|laxāre}} > ''lasciare'' and ''lassare'', {{smallcaps|captiāre}} > ''cacciare'' and ''cazzare'', {{smallcaps|(ex)dēroteolāre}} > ''sdrucciolare'', ''druzzolare'' and ''ruzzolare'', {{smallcaps|rēgīna}} > ''regina'' and ''reina'', {{smallcaps|-c-}} > {{IPA|/k/}} and {{IPA|/ɡ/}}, {{smallcaps|-t-}} > {{IPA|/t/}} and {{IPA|/d/}}. Although in all these examples the second form has fallen out of usage, the dimorphism is thought to reflect the several-hundred-year period during which Italian developed as a literary language divorced from any native-speaking population, with an origin in 12th/13th-century Tuscan but with many words borrowed from [[Languages of Italy|languages]] farther to the north, with different sound outcomes. (The [[La Spezia–Rimini Line]], the most important [[isogloss]] in the entire Romance-language area, passes only about 20 miles to the north of Florence.) Some other features that distinguish Italian from the Western Romance languages: * Latin {{smallcaps|ce-,ci-}} becomes {{IPA|/tʃe, tʃi/}} rather than {{IPA|/(t)se, (t)si/}}. * Latin {{smallcaps|-ct-}} becomes {{IPA|/tt/}} rather than {{IPA|/jt/}} or {{IPA|/tʃ/}}: {{smallcaps|octō}} > ''otto'' "eight" (cf. Spanish ''ocho'', French ''huit''). * Vulgar Latin {{smallcaps|-cl-}} becomes ''cchi'' {{IPA|/kkj/}} rather than {{IPA|/ʎ/}}: {{smallcaps|oclum}} > ''occhio'' "eye" (cf. Portuguese ''olho'' {{IPA|/oʎu/}}, French ''oeil'' {{IPA|/œj/}} < {{IPA|/œʎ/}}); but Romanian ''ochi'' {{IPA|/okʲ/}}. * Final {{IPA|/s/}} is not preserved, and vowel changes rather than {{IPA|/s/}} are used to mark the plural: ''amico, amici'' "male friend(s)", ''amica, amiche'' "female friend(s)" (cf. Romanian ''amic, amici'',''amică, amice'', Spanish ''amigo(s)'' "male friend(s)", ''amiga(s)'' "female friends"); {{smallcaps|trēs, sex}} → ''tre, sei'' "three, six" (cf. Romanian ''trei, șase'', Spanish ''tres, seis''). Standard Italian also differs in some respects from most nearby Italian languages: * Perhaps most noticeable is the total lack of [[metaphony (Romance languages)|metaphony]], though metaphony is a feature characterizing nearly every other [[Languages of Italy|Italian language]]. * No simplification of original {{IPA|/nd/}}, {{IPA|/mb/}} (which often became {{IPA|/nn/, /mm/}} elsewhere). ==Writing system== {{Main article|Italian alphabet}} The Italian alphabet is typically considered to consist of 21 letters. The letters j, k, w, x, y are traditionally excluded, though they appear in loanwords such as ''jeans'', ''whisky'', ''taxi'', ''xenofobo'', ''xilofono''. The letter {{angle bracket|x}} has become common in standard Italian with the prefix ''extra-'', although ''(e)stra-'' is traditionally used; it is also common to use of the Latin particle ''ex(-)'' to mean "former(ly)" as in: ''la mia ex'' ("my ex-girlfriend"), "Ex-Jugoslavia" ("Former Yugoslavia"). The letter {{angle bracket|j}} appears in the first name ''Jacopo'' and in some Italian place-names, such as [[Bajardo]], [[Bojano]], [[Joppolo]], [[Jerzu]], [[Jesolo]], [[Jesi]], [[Ajaccio]], among others, and in ''Mar Jonio'', an alternative spelling of ''Mar Ionio'' (the [[Ionian Sea]]). The letter {{angle bracket|j}} may appear in dialectal words, but its use is discouraged in contemporary standard Italian.{{citation needed|date=May 2016}} Letters used in Foreign words can be replaced with [[phonetics|phonetically]] equivalent native Italian letters and [[digraph (orthography)|digraphs]]: {{angle bracket|gi}}, {{angle bracket|ge}}, or {{angle bracket|i}} for {{angle bracket|j}}; {{angle bracket|c}} or {{angle bracket|ch}} for {{angle bracket|k}} (including in the standard prefix ''kilo-''); {{angle bracket|o}}, {{angle bracket|u}} or {{angle bracket|v}} for {{angle bracket|w}}; {{angle bracket|s}}, {{angle bracket|ss}}, {{angle bracket|z}}, {{angle bracket|zz}} or {{angle bracket|cs}} for {{angle bracket|x}}; and {{angle bracket|e}} or {{angle bracket|i}} for {{angle bracket|y}}. * The [[acute accent]] is used over word-final {{angle bracket|e}} to indicate a stressed [[Close-mid front unrounded vowel|front close-mid vowel]], as in ''perché'' "why, because". In dictionaries, it is also used over {{angle bracket|o}} to indicate a stressed [[Close-mid back rounded vowel|back close-mid vowel]] (''azióne''). The [[grave accent]] is used over word-final {{angle bracket|e}} to indicate a [[Open-mid front unrounded vowel|front open-mid vowel]], as in ''tè'' "tea". The grave accent is used over any vowel to indicate word-final stress, as in ''gioventù'' "youth". Unlike {{angle bracket|é}}, a stressed final {{angle bracket|o}} is always a [[Open-mid back rounded vowel|back open-mid vowel]] (''andrò''), making {{angle bracket|ó}} unnecessary outside of dictionaries. Most of the time, the penultimate syllable is stressed. But if the stressed vowel is the final letter of the word, the accent is mandatory, otherwise it is virtually always omitted. Exceptions are typically either in dictionaries, where all or most stressed vowels are commonly marked. Accents can optionally be used disambiguate words that differ only by stress, as for ''prìncipi'' "princes" and ''princìpi'' "principles", or ''àncora'' "anchor" and ''ancóra'' "still''/''yet". For monosyllabic words, the rule is different: when two identical monosyllabic words with different meanings exist, one is accented and the other is not (example: ''è'' "is", ''e'' "and"). * The letter {{angle bracket|h}} distinguishes ''ho'', ''hai'', ''ha'', ''hanno'' (present indicative of ''avere'' "to have") from ''o'' ("or"), ''ai'' ("to the"), ''a'' ("to"), ''anno'' ("year"). In the spoken language, the letter is always silent. The {{angle bracket|h}} in ''ho'' additionally marks the contrasting open pronunciation of the {{angle bracket|o}}. The letter {{angle bracket|h}} is also used in combinations with other letters. No [[phoneme]] {{IPA|[h]}} exists in Italian. In nativized foreign words, the {{angle bracket|h}} is silent. For example, ''hotel'' and ''hovercraft'' are pronounced {{IPA|/oˈtɛl/}} and {{IPA|/ˈɔverkraft/}} respectively. (Where {{angle bracket|h}} existed in Latin, it either disappeared or, in a few cases before a back vowel, changed to {{IPA|[ɡ]}}: ''traggo'' "I pull" ← Lat. {{smallcaps|trahō}}.) * The letters {{angle bracket|s}} and {{angle bracket|z}} can symbolize [[voice (phonetics)|voiced]] or [[voicelessness|voiceless]] consonants. {{angle bracket|z}} symbolizes {{IPA|/dz/}} or {{IPA|/ts/}} depending on context, with few minimal pairs. For example: ''zanzara'' {{IPA|/dzanˈdzaːra/}} "mosquito" and ''nazione'' {{IPA|/natˈtsjoːne/}} "nation". {{angle bracket|s}} symbolizes {{IPA|/s/}} word-initially before a vowel, when clustered with a voiceless consonant ({{angle bracket|p, f, c, ch}}), and when doubled; it symbolizes {{IPA|/z/}} when between vowels and when clustered with voiced consonants. Intervocalic {{angle bracket|s}} varies regionally between {{IPA|/s/}} and {{IPA|/z/}}, with {{IPA|/z/}} being more dominant in northern Italy and {{IPA|/s/}} in the south. * The letters {{angle bracket|c}} and {{angle bracket|g}} vary in pronunciation between [[plosives]] and [[affricates]] depending on following vowels. The letter {{angle bracket|c}} symbolizes {{IPA|/k/}} when word-final and before the back vowels {{angle bracket|a, o, u}}. It symbolizes {{IPAslink|tʃ}} as in ''chair'' before the front vowels {{angle bracket|e, i}}. The letter {{angle bracket|g}} symbolizes {{IPA|/ɡ/}} when word-final and before the back vowels {{angle bracket|a, o, u}}. It symbolizes {{IPAslink|dʒ}} as in ''gem'' before the front vowels {{angle bracket|e, i}}. Other Romance languages and, to an extent, English have similar variations for {{angle bracket|c, g}}. Compare [[hard and soft C]], [[hard and soft G]]. (See also [[Palatalization (sound change)|palatalization]].) * The [[digraph (orthography)|digraphs]] {{angle bracket|ch}} and {{angle bracket|gh}} indicate or preserve hardness ({{IPA|/k/}} and {{IPA|/ɡ/}}) before {{angle bracket|i, e}}. The digraphs {{angle bracket|ci}} and {{angle bracket|gi}} indicate or preserve softness ({{IPA|/tʃ/}} and {{IPA|/dʒ/}}) before {{angle bracket|a, o, u}}. For example: :{| class="wikitable" ! !colspan=2|Before back vowel (A, O, U) !colspan=2|Before front vowel (I, E) |- !rowspan=2| Plosive !C |caramella {{IPA|/karaˈmɛlla/}} ''[[candy]]'' !CH |china {{IPA|/ˈkiːna/}} ''[[India ink]]'' |- !G |gallo {{IPA|/ˈɡallo/}} ''[[rooster]]'' !GH |ghiro {{IPA|/ˈɡiːro/}} ''[[edible dormouse]]'' |- !rowspan=2| Affricate !CI |ciambella {{IPA|/tʃambɛlla/}} ''[[donut]]'' !C |Cina {{IPA|/ˈtʃiːna/}} ''China'' |- !GI |giallo {{IPA|/ˈdʒallo/}} ''[[yellow]]'' !G |giro {{IPA|/ˈdʒiːro/}} ''[[wikt:round|round]], [[wikt:tour|tour]]'' |} :Note: {{angle bracket|h}} is [[silent letter|silent]] in the digraphs ''[[ch (digraph)|{{angle bracket|ch}}]]'', ''[[gh (digraph)|{{angle bracket|gh}}]]''; and {{angle bracket|i}} is silent in the digraphs {{angle bracket|ci}} and {{angle bracket|gi}} before {{angle bracket|a, o, u}} unless the {{angle bracket|i}} is stressed. For example, it is silent in ''[[ciao]]'' {{IPA|/ˈtʃaː.o/}} and cielo {{IPA|/ˈtʃɛː.lo/}}, but it is pronounced in ''farmacia'' {{IPA|/ˌfar.maˈtʃiː.a/}} and ''farmacie'' {{IPA|/ˌfar.maˈtʃiː.e/}}. <!-- * There are three other special [[digraph (orthography)|digraphs]] in Italian: [[gn (digraph)|{{angle bracket|gn}}]], {{angle bracket|gl}} and {{angle bracket|sc}}. The digraph {{angle bracket|gn}} represents {{IPAslink|ɲ}}. {{angle bracket|gl}} represents {{IPAslink|ʎ}} before {{angle bracket|i}}, and never at the beginning of a word, except in the [[personal pronoun]] and [[definite article]] ''gli''. An exception is the word ''glicerina'' ("glycerin"), which is pronounced with a hard {{angle bracket|g}}. (Compare with [[Spanish language|Spanish]] {{angle bracket|ñ}} and {{angle bracket|ll}}, [[Portuguese language|Portuguese]] {{angle bracket|nh}} and {{angle bracket|lh}}.) {{angle bracket|sc}} represents a fricative {{IPAslink|ʃ}} before {{angle bracket|e, i}}. Except in the speech of some Northern Italians, all of these are normally [[geminate]] between vowels. * In general, there is a clear one-to-one correspondence between letters or digraphs and phonemes, as in [[Spanish language|Spanish]]; in standard varieties of Italian, there is little allophonic variation. The most notable exceptions are assimilation of /n/ in point of articulation before consonants, assimilatory voicing of /s/ to following voiced consonants, and vowel length (vowels are long in stressed open syllables, except at the end of words, and short elsewhere) — compare with the substantial number of [[allophone]]s of the English phoneme /t/. Spelling is mostly phonemic and usually difficult to mistake, given a clear pronunciation. Exceptions exist, especially in foreign borrowings. There are fewer cases of [[dyslexia]] than among speakers of languages such as English,<ref>E. Paulescu et al., Dyslexia – cultural diversity and biological unity, "Science", vol. 291, pp. 2165–2167.</ref> and the concept of a [[spelling bee]] is strange to Italians. ===Common variations=== Some variations in the usage of the writing system may be present in practical use. These are scorned by educated people and normal written language, but they are so common in certain limited contexts that knowledge of them may be useful. * Usage of ''x'' instead of ''per'' "for". This is common among teenagers and in [[Text messaging|SMS]] abbreviations. The multiplication operator is read "per" in Italian. For example, ''per te'' ("for you") is shortened to ''x te'' (compare with English ''4 u''). The ''per'' within words can also be replaced with ''x''. For example: ''perché'' ("why, because") to ''xché'' or ''xké''; ''sapere'' ("to know") to ''saxe''). This usage is useful shorthand in quick notes or in SMS, but it is unacceptable in formal writing. * Usage of foreign letters such as {{angle bracket|k}}, {{angle bracket|j}} and {{angle bracket|y}}, especially in nicknames and SMS language: ''ke'' instead of ''che'', ''Giusy'' instead of ''Giuseppina''. This is mirrored in the usage of ''i'' in English names such as ''Staci'' instead of ''Stacey'' or in the usage of ''c'' in [[Northern Europe]] (''Jacob'' instead of ''Jakob''). The use of {{angle bracket|k}} instead of {{angle bracket|ch}} or {{angle bracket|c}} to represent a plosive sound is documented in some historical texts from before the standardization of the Italian language. The usage is no longer standard in Italian. The letter {{angle bracket|k}} has sometimes been used in satire to suggest a political figure is an authoritarian or even a "pseudo-nazi". For example, [[Francesco Cossiga]] was famously nicknamed ''Kossiga'' by rioting students during his tenure as minister of internal affairs. Compare the [[satiric misspelling#“K” replacing “C”|politicized spelling ''Amerika'']] in the USA. Altohugh not a letter in the standard Italian alphabet, the letter {{angle bracket|j}} is found in many of the languages of southern Italy, including [[Neapolitan language|Neapolitan]] and [[Sicilian language|Sicilian]]. In modern texts written in any such language, the {{angle bracket|j}} is often replaced with {{angle bracket|i}}. * The following abbreviations are limited to electronic-communications media: ''nn'' for ''non'' "not"; ''cmq'' for ''comunque'' "anyway, however"; ''cm'' for ''come'' "how, like, as"; ''d'' for ''di'' "of"; ''(io/loro) sn'' for ''(io/loro) sono'' "I am, they are"; ''(io) dv'' for ''(io) devo'' "I must, I have to" or for ''dove'' "where"; ''(tu) 6'' for ''(tu) sei'' "you are"; ''dmn'' for ''domani'' "tomorrow". * Whenever non-[[ASCII]] characters are unavailable or unreliable (as in e-mail), accents may be replaced with adjacent apostrophes. For example: in ''perche<nowiki>'</nowiki>'' instead of ''perché''. The practice was standard on manual typewriters that had no accents and is still common for uppercase accented letters. Uppercase {{angle bracket|[[È]]}} is rare and is absent from the [[Keyboard layout#Italian|Italian keyboard layout]]. It is often substituted with {{angle bracket|E<nowiki>'</nowiki>}}, even though there are [[:it:Aiuto:Manuale di stile#Scrivere È|several ways]] of producing the uppercase È on a computer. ==Sounds== {{Main|Italian phonology}} {{IPA notice|lang=it}} ===Vowels=== Italian has seven [[vowel]] phonemes: {{IPA|/a/}}, {{IPA|/e/}}, {{IPA|/ɛ/}}, {{IPA|/i/}}, {{IPA|/o/}}, {{IPA|/ɔ/}}, {{IPA|/u/}}, represented by five letters: "a, e, i, o, u". The pairs {{IPA|/e/}}-{{IPA|/ɛ/}}, and {{IPA|/o/}}-{{IPA|/ɔ/}} are seldom distinguished in writing and often confused, even though most varieties of Italian employ both phonemes consistently. Compare, for example standard "perché" {{IPA|[perˈke]}} (why, because) and "senti" {{IPA|[ˈsɛnti]}} (you hear), as pronounced by most central and southern speakers, with {{IPA|[perˈkɛ]}} and {{IPA|[ˈsenti]}}, employed by most northern speakers. As a result, the usage is strongly indicative of a person's origin. The standard (Tuscan) usage of these vowels is listed in vocabularies, and employed outside Tuscany mainly by specialists, especially actors and a few (television) journalists. These are truly different [[phonemes]], however: compare {{IPA|/ˈpeska/}} (fishing) and {{IPA|/ˈpɛska/}} (peach), both spelled ''pesca'' ({{Audio|It-pesca.ogg|listen}}). Similarly {{IPA|/ˈbotte/}} ('barrel') and {{IPA|/ˈbɔtte/}} ('beatings'), both spelled ''botte'', discriminate {{IPA|/o/}} and {{IPA|/ɔ/}} ({{Audio|It-botte-mp.ogg|listen}}). In general, vowel combinations usually pronounce each vowel separately. [[Diphthong]]s exist (e.g. ''uo'', ''iu'', ''ie'', ''ai''), but are limited to an unstressed ''u'' or ''i'' before or after a stressed vowel. The unstressed ''u'' in a diphthong approximates the English semivowel ''w'', and the unstressed ''i'' approximates the semivowel ''y''. E.g.: ''buono'' {{IPA|[ˈbwɔːno]}}, ''ieri'' {{IPA|[ˈjɛːri]}}. [[Triphthong]]s exist in Italian as well, like "contin''uia''mo" ("we continue"). Three vowel combinations exist only in the form semiconsonant ({{IPA|/j/}} or {{IPA|/w/}}), followed by a vowel, followed by a [[:wikt:desinence|desinence]] vowel (usually {{IPA|/i/}}), as in ''miei'', ''suoi'', or two semiconsonants followed by a vowel, as the group ''-uia-'' exemplified above, or ''-iuo-'' in the word ''aiuola''.<ref>{{cite book | last=Serianni | first=Luca | coauthors=Castelvecchi, Alberto |title=Italiano | publisher=Garzanti | year=1997 | page=15}}</ref> ===Mobile diphthongs=== Many Latin words with a short ''e'' or ''o'' have Italian counterparts with a mobile diphthong (''ie'' and ''uo'' respectively). When the vowel sound is stressed, it is pronounced and written as a diphthong; when not stressed, it is pronounced and written as a single vowel. So Latin ''focus'' gave rise to Italian ''fuoco'' (meaning both "fire" and "optical focus"): when unstressed, as in ''focale'' ("focal") the "o" remains alone. Latin ''pes'' (more precisely its accusative form ''pedem'') is the source of Italian ''piede'' (foot): but unstressed "e" was left unchanged in ''pedone'' (pedestrian) and ''pedale'' (pedal). From Latin ''jocus'' comes Italian ''giuoco'' ("play", "game"), though in this case ''gioco'' is more common: ''giocare'' means "to play (a game)". From Latin ''homo'' comes Italian ''uomo'' (man), but also ''umano'' (human) and ''ominide'' (hominid). From Latin ''ovum'' comes Italian ''uovo'' (egg) and ''ovaie'' (ovaries). (The same phenomenon occurs in [[Spanish language|Spanish]]: ''juego'' (play, game) and ''jugar'' (to play), ''nieve'' (snow) and ''nevar'' (to snow)). ===Consonants=== {{see also|Syntactic doubling}} Two symbols in a table cell denote the voiceless and voiced consonant, respectively. {| class="wikitable" |+'''Consonants of Italian'''<ref>{{Harvcoltxt|Rogers & d'Arcangeli|2004|p=117}}</ref> ! ![[bilabial consonant|Bilabial]] ![[labiodental consonant|Labio-<br>dental]] ![[dental consonant|Dental]]/<br>[[alveolar consonant|Alveolar]] ![[postalveolar consonant|Post-<br>alveolar]] ![[palatal consonant|Palatal]] ![[velar consonant|Velar]] |- ![[Nasal stop|Nasal]] | style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|m}} | style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|ɱ}} | style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|n}} | | style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|ɲ}} | style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|ŋ}}* |- ![[plosive consonant|Plosive]] | style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|p}}, {{IPA|b}} | | style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|t̪}}, {{IPA|d̪}} | | | style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|k}}, {{IPA|ɡ}} |- ![[affricate consonant|Affricate]] | | | style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|ʦ}}, {{IPA|ʣ}} | style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|ʧ}}, {{IPA|ʤ}} | | |- ![[fricative consonant|Fricative]] | | style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|f}}, {{IPA|v}} | style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|s}}, {{IPA|z}} | style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|ʃ}} | | |- ![[trill consonant|Trill]] | | | style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|r}} | | | |- ![[lateral consonant|Lateral]] | | | style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|l}} | | style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|ʎ}} | |- ![[approximant consonant|Approximant]] | | | | | style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|j}} | style="text-align:center;"|{{IPA|w}} |} Note: Unlike in standard English, {{IPA|ŋ}} is ''not'' a phoneme in standard Italian; instead, when preceding a velar ({{IPA|/k/}} or {{IPA|/ɡ/}}) {{IPA|[ŋ]}} appears as an [[allophone]] of {{IPA|/n/}}. More generally, nasals assimilate to the point of articulation of whatever consonant they precede. --> Italian has geminate, or double, consonants, which are distinguished by [[Consonant length|length]] and intensity. Length is distinctive for all consonants except for {{IPA|/ʃ/}}, {{IPA|/dz/}}, {{IPA|/ʎ/}}, {{IPA|/ɲ/}}, which are always geminate, and {{IPA|/z/}}, which is always single. Geminate plosives and affricates are realized as lengthened closures. Geminate fricatives, nasals, and {{IPA|/l/}} are realized as lengthened [[continuant]]s. There is only one vibrant phoneme {{IPA|/r/}} but the actual pronunciation depends on context and regional accent. Generally one can find a flap consonant {{IPA|[ɾ]}} in unstressed position whereas {{IPA|[r]}} is more common in stressed syllables, but there may be exceptions. Especially people from the Northern part of Italy ([[Parma]], [[Aosta Valley]], [[South Tyrol]]) may pronounce {{IPA|/r/}} as {{IPA|[ʀ]}}, {{IPA|[ʁ]}}, or {{IPA|[ʋ]}}.<ref>{{cite book |last= Canepari |first= Luciano |title= Il MªPI – Manuale di pronuncia italiana |edition= second |date=January 1999 |publisher= Zanichelli |location= Bologna |isbn= 88-08-24624-8}}</ref> Of special interest to the linguistic study of Italian is the ''[[Tuscan gorgia|gorgia toscana]]'', or "Tuscan Throat", the weakening or [[lenition]] of certain [[:wiktionary:intervocalic|intervocalic]] consonants in the [[Tuscan language]]. The [[voiced postalveolar fricative]] {{IPA|/ʒ/}} is only present in loanwords: for example, ''garage'' {{IPA|[ɡaˈraːʒ]}}. ===Assimilation=== Italian [[phonotactics]] do not usually permit verbs and polysyllabic nouns to end with consonants, excepting poetry and song, so foreign words may receive [[Epenthetic vowel#Epenthesis of a vowel, or anaptyxis|extra terminal vowel sounds]]. <!-- ===Historical sound changes=== Description of important sound changes in the history of the language. (Maybe this should go under history?) ==Vocabulary== This section should contain a discussion of any special features of the vocabulary (or lexicon) of the language, like if it contains a large number of borrowed words or a different sets of words for different politeness levels, taboo groups, etc. --> ==Grammar== {{Main article|Italian grammar}} {{See also|Italian verbs}} Italian grammar is typical of the grammar of [[Romance languages]] in general. [[Grammatical case|Cases]] exist for pronouns ([[Nominative case|nominative]], [[Oblique case|oblique]], [[Accusative case|accusative]], [[Dative case|dative]]), but not for nouns. There are two [[Grammatical gender|genders]] (masculine and feminine), however there is a number of nouns that change their gender from the singular to plural, having a masculine singular and a feminine plural, and thus are sometimes considered neuter (those are derived from [[Grammatical gender|neuter]] Latin nouns). An instance of neuter gender also exists in pronouns of the third person singular. Nouns, adjectives, and articles [[Inflection|inflect]] for gender and number (singular and plural). The order of words in the phrase is relatively free compared to most European languages.{{citation needed|date=November 2015}} The position of the verb in the phrase is highly mobile. Word order has a lesser grammatical function in Italian than in [[English language|English]]. Adjectives are sometimes placed before their noun and sometimes after. Subject nouns generally come before the verb. Italian is a [[null-subject language]], subjective pronouns are usually dropped, their presence implied by verbal inflections. Noun objects come after the verb, as do pronoun objects after imperative verbs and infinitives, but otherwise pronoun objects come before the verb. There are numerous [[Contraction (grammar)|contractions]] of [[preposition]]s with subsequent [[Article (grammar)|articles]]. There are numerous productive [[suffix]]es for [[Italian diminutive|diminutive]], [[Augmentative#Italian|augmentative]], pejorative, attenuating etc., which are also used to create [[neologism]]s. There are 27 pronouns, grouped in [[clitic]] and tonic pronouns. There are three regular sets of verbal [[Grammatical conjugation|conjugations]], and various verbs are irregularly conjugated. Within each of these sets of conjugations, there are four simple (one-word) verbal conjugations by person/number in the [[indicative mood]] ([[present tense]]; [[past tense]] with [[imperfective aspect]], past tense with [[perfective aspect]], and [[future tense]]), two simple conjugations in the [[subjunctive mood]] (present tense and past tense), one simple conjugation in the [[conditional mood]], and one simple conjugation in the [[imperative mood]]. Corresponding to each of the simple conjugations, there is a compound conjugation involving a simple conjugation of "to be" or "to have" followed by a [[past participle]]. "To have" is used to form compound conjugation when the verb is transitive ("Hai detto", "hai fatto": you have said, you have made), while "to be" is used when the verb is intransitive ("Sei andato", "sei stato": you have gone, you have been). "To be" may be used with transitive verbs, but in such a case it makes the verb passive ("Sei detto", "Sei fatto": you are said, you are made). This rule is not absolute, and some exceptions do exist. ==Examples== ===Conversation=== {| class="wikitable" |- ! English (''inglese'') || Italian (''italiano'') || Pronunciation |- ||Yes || ''Sì''|| ([[Media:It-sì.ogg|listen]]) {{IPA|/ˈsi/}} |- ||No || ''No''|| ([[Media:It-no.ogg|listen]]) {{IPA|/ˈnɔ/}} |- ||Of course! || ''Certo! / Certamente! / Naturalmente!''|| {{IPA|/ˈtʃɛrto/}} {{IPA|/ˌtʃɛrtaˈmente/}} {{IPA|/naturalˈmente/}} |- ||Hello! || ''[[Ciao]]!'' || {{IPA|/ˈtʃaːo/}} |- ||Cheers! || ''Salute!'' || {{IPA|/saˈluːte/}} |- ||How are you? || ''Come stai?'' (informal) ''/ Come sta?'' (formal) ''/ (Loro) Come stanno?'' (formal plural) ''/ Come state?'' (plural) ''/ Come va?'' (general) || {{IPA|/ˌkomeˈstai/}}; {{IPA|/ˌkomeˈsta/}} {{IPA|/ˌkome ˈstaːte/}} {{IPA|/ˌkome vˈva/}} |- ||Good morning! || ''Buongiorno!'' (= Good day!)|| {{IPA|/ˌbwɔnˈdʒorno/}} |- ||Good evening! || ''Buonasera!''|| {{IPA|/ˌbwɔnaˈseːra/}} |- ||Good night! || ''Buonanotte!'' (for a good night sleeping) / ''Buona serata!'' (for a good night awake)|| {{IPA|/ˌbwɔnaˈnɔtte/}} {{IPA|/ˌbwɔna seˈraːta/}} |- ||Have a nice day! || ''Buona giornata!'' (formal)|| {{IPA|/ˌbwɔna dʒorˈnaːta/}} |- ||Enjoy the meal! || ''Buon appetito!''|| {{IPA|/ˌbwɔn‿appeˈtiːto/}} |- ||Goodbye! || ''Arrivederci'' (general) / ''ArrivederLa'' (formal) / ''Ciao!'' (informal)|| ([[Media:It-arrivederci.ogg|listen]]) {{IPA|/arriveˈdertʃi/}} |- ||Good luck! || ''Buona fortuna!'' (general) ''|| {{IPA|/ˌbwɔna forˈtuːna/}} |- ||I love you || ''Ti amo'' (between lovers only) / ''Ti voglio bene'' (in the sense of "I am fond of you"'', between lovers, friends, relatives etc.)|| {{IPA|/ti ˌvɔʎʎo ˈbɛːne/}}; {{IPA|/ti ˈaːmo/}} |- ||Welcome [to...] || ''Benvenuto/-i'' (for male/males or mixed) ''/ Benvenuta/-e'' (for female/females) [''a / in...'']|| {{IPA|/beɱveˈnuːto/}} |- ||Please || ''Per favore / Per piacere / Per cortesia''|| ([[Media:It-per favore.ogg|listen]]) {{IPA|/per faˈvoːre/}} {{IPA|/per pjaˈtʃeːre/}} {{IPA|/per korteˈziːa/}} |- ||Thank you! || ''Grazie!'' (general) ''/ Ti ringrazio!'' (informal) / ''La ringrazio!'' (formal) / ''Vi ringrazio!'' (plural) || ([[Media:It-grazie.ogg|listen]]) {{IPA|/ˈɡrattsje/}} {{IPA|/ti riŋˈɡrattsjo/}} |- ||You are welcome! || ''Prego!'' || {{IPA|/ˈprɛːɡo/}} |- ||Excuse me / I am sorry || ''Mi dispiace'' (only "I am sorry") ''/ Scusa(mi)'' (informal) ''/ Mi scusi'' (formal) ''/ Scusatemi'' (plural) ''/ Sono desolato'' ("I am sorry", if male) ''/ Sono desolata'' ("I am sorry", if female)|| ([[Media:It-scusi.ogg|listen]]) {{IPA|/ˈskuːzi/}}; {{IPA|/ˈskuːza/}}; {{IPA|/mi disˈpjaːtʃe/}} |- ||Who? || ''Chi?''|| {{IPA|/ki/}} |- ||What? || ''Che cosa? / Cosa? / Che?''|| {{IPA|/kekˈkɔːsa/}} {{IPA|/ˈkɔːsa/}} {{IPA|/ˈke/}} |- ||When? || ''Quando?''|| {{IPA|/ˈkwando/}} |- ||Where? || ''Dove?''|| {{IPA|/ˈdoːve/}} |- ||How? || ''Come?''|| {{IPA|/ˈkoːme/}} |- ||Why / Because || ''perché''|| {{IPA|/perˈke/}} |- ||Again || ''di nuovo'' / ''ancora'' || {{IPA|/di ˈnwɔːvo/}}; {{IPA|/aŋˈkoːra/}} |- ||How much? / How many? || ''Quanto? / Quanta? / Quanti? / Quante?''|| {{IPA|/ˈkwanto/}} |- ||What is your name? || ''Come ti chiami?'' (informal) / ''Qual è il suo nome?'' (formal) / ''Come si chiama?'' (formal) || {{IPA|/ˌkomettiˈkjaːmi/}} {{IPA|/kwal ˈɛ il ˌsu.o ˈnoːme/}} |- ||My name is ... || ''Mi chiamo ...''|| {{IPA|/mi ˈkjaːmo/}} |- ||This is ... || ''Questo è ...'' (masculine) / ''Questa è ...'' (feminine)|| {{IPA|/ˌkwesto ˈɛ/}} {{IPA|/ˌkwesta ˈɛ/}} |- ||Yes, I understand. || ''Sì, capisco. / Ho capito.'' || {{IPA|/si kaˈpisko/}} {{IPA|/ɔkkaˈpiːto/}} |- ||I do not understand. || ''Non capisco. / Non ho capito.''|| ([[Media:It-non capisco.ogg|listen]]) {{IPA|/noŋ kaˈpisko/}} {{IPA|/nonˌɔkkaˈpiːto/}} |- ||Do you speak English? || ''Parli inglese?'' (informal) ''/ Parla inglese?'' (formal) ''/ Parlate inglese?'' (plural)|| ([[Media:It-parlate inglese.ogg|listen]]) {{IPA|/parˌlate iŋˈɡleːse/}} ([[Media:parla inglese.ogg|listen]]) {{IPA|/ˌparla iŋˈɡleːse/}} |- ||I do not understand Italian.|| ''Non capisco l'italiano.''|| {{IPA|/noŋ kaˌpisko litaˈljaːno/}} |- ||Help me!|| ''Aiutami!'' (informal) ''/ Mi aiuti!'' (formal) ''/ Aiutatemi!'' (plural) ''/ Aiuto!'' (general)|| {{IPA|/aˈjuːtami/}} {{IPA|/ajuˈtaːtemi/}} {{IPA|/aˈjuːto/}} |- ||You are right/wrong! || ''(Tu) hai ragione/torto!'' (informal) ''/ (Lei) ha ragione/torto!'' (formal) ''/ (Voi) avete ragione/torto!'' (plural)|| |- ||What time is it? || ''Che ora è? / Che ore sono?''|| {{IPA|/ke ˌora ˈɛ/}} {{IPA|/ke ˌore ˈsono/}} |- ||Where is the bathroom?|| ''Dov'è il bagno?''|| ([[Media:It-dov'è il bagno.ogg|listen]]) {{IPA|/doˌvɛ il ˈbaɲɲo/}} |- ||How much is it? || ''Quanto costa?'' || {{IPA|/ˌkwanto ˈkɔsta/}} |- ||The bill, please. || ''Il conto, per favore.''|| {{IPA|/il ˌkonto per faˈvoːre/}} |- ||The study of Italian sharpens the mind.|| ''Lo studio dell'italiano aguzza l'ingegno.''|| {{IPA|/loˈstuːdjo dellitaˈljaːno aˈɡuttsa linˈdʒeɲɲo/}} |} ===Numbers=== <!-- I don't know how else to format it so that the tables can be side-by-side but I think this layout is less bad than before --> {{col-begin}} {{col-break}} {| class="wikitable" |- ! English || Italian || [[International Phonetic Alphabet|IPA]] |- ||one||''uno''||{{IPA|/ˈuːno/}} |- ||two||''due''||{{IPA|/ˈduːe/}} |- ||three||''tre''||{{IPA|/ˈtre/}} |- ||four||''quattro''||{{IPA|/ˈkwattro/}} |- ||five||''cinque''||{{IPA|/ˈtʃiŋkwe/}} |- ||six||''sei''||{{IPA|/ˈsɛi/}} |- ||seven||''sette''||{{IPA|/ˈsɛtte/}} |- ||eight||''otto''||{{IPA|/ˈɔtto/}} |- ||nine||''nove''||{{IPA|/ˈnɔve/}} |- ||ten||''dieci''||{{IPA|/ˈdjɛːtʃi/}} |} {{col-break}} {| class="wikitable" |- ! English || Italian || IPA |- ||eleven||''undici''||{{IPA|/ˈunditʃi/}} |- ||twelve||''dodici''||{{IPA|/ˈdoːditʃi/}} |- ||thirteen||''tredici''||{{IPA|/ˈtreːditʃi/}} |- ||fourteen||''quattordici''||{{IPA|/kwatˈtorditʃi/}} |- ||fifteen||''quindici''||{{IPA|/ˈkwinditʃi/}} |- ||sixteen||''sedici''||{{IPA|/ˈseːditʃi/}} |- ||seventeen||''diciassette''||{{IPA|/ditʃasˈsɛtte/}} |- ||eighteen||''diciotto''||{{IPA|/diˈtʃɔtto/}} |- ||nineteen||''diciannove''||{{IPA|/ditʃanˈnɔːve/}} |- ||twenty||''venti''||{{IPA|/ˈventi/}} |} {{col-break}} {| class="wikitable" |- ! English || Italian || IPA |- ||twenty-one||''ventuno''||{{IPA|/venˈtuːno/}} |- ||twenty-two||''ventidue''||{{IPA|/ˌventiˈduːe/}} |- ||twenty-three||''ventitré''||{{IPA|/ˌventiˈtre/}} |- ||twenty-four||''ventiquattro''||{{IPA|/ˌventiˈkwattro/}} |- ||twenty-five||''venticinque''||{{IPA|/ˌventiˈtʃiŋkwe/}} |- ||twenty-six||''ventisei''||{{IPA|/ˌventiˈsɛi/}} |- ||twenty-seven||''ventisette''||{{IPA|/ˌventiˈsɛtte/}} |- ||twenty-eight||''ventotto''||{{IPA|/venˈtɔtto/}} |- ||twenty-nine||''ventinove''||{{IPA|/ˌventiˈnɔːve/}} |- ||thirty||''trenta''||{{IPA|/ˈtrenta/}} |} {{col-end}} {| class="wikitable" |- ! English !! Italian !! IPA |- | one hundred || cento || {{IPA|/ˈtʃɛnto/}} |- | one thousand || mille || {{IPA|/ˈmille/}} |- | two thousand || duemila || {{IPA|/ˌdueˈmiːla/}} |- | two thousand and sixteen (2016) || duemilasedici || {{IPA|/dueˌmilaˈseːditʃi/}} |- |one million |milione |/miˈljone/ |- |one billion |miliardo |/miˈljardo/ |} ===Days of the week=== {| |- ! English || Italian || IPA |- ||Monday||''lunedì''||{{IPA|/luneˈdi/}} |- ||Tuesday||''martedì''||{{IPA|/marteˈdi/}} |- ||Wednesday||''mercoledì''||{{IPA|/ˌmɛrkoleˈdi/}} |- ||Thursday||''giovedì''||{{IPA|/dʒoveˈdi/}} |- ||Friday||''venerdì''||{{IPA|/venerˈdi/}} |- ||Saturday||''sabato''||{{IPA|/ˈsaːbato/}} |- ||Sunday||''domenica''||{{IPA|/doˈmeːnika/}} |} ===Months of the year=== {| |- ! English || Italian || IPA |- ||January||''gennaio''||{{IPA|/dʒenˈnaːjo/}} |- ||February||''febbraio''||{{IPA|/febˈbraːjo/}} |- ||March||''marzo''||{{IPA|/ˈmartso/}} |- ||April||''aprile''||{{IPA|/aˈpriːle/}} |- ||May||''maggio''||{{IPA|/ˈmaddʒo/}} |- ||June||''giugno''||{{IPA|/ˈdʒuɲɲo/}} |- ||July||''luglio''||{{IPA|/ˈluʎʎo/}} |- ||August||''agosto''||{{IPA|/aˈɡosto/}} |- ||September||''settembre''||{{IPA|/setˈtɛmbre/}} |- ||October||''ottobre''||{{IPA|/otˈtoːbre/}} |- ||November||''novembre''||{{IPA|/noˈvɛmbre/}} |- ||December||''dicembre''||{{IPA|/diˈtʃɛmbre/}}<ref>{{cite web|author1=Kellogg, Michael|title=Dizionario italiano-inglese WordReference|url=http://www.wordreference.com/iten|website=WordReference.com|publisher=WordReference.com|accessdate=7 August 2015|language=Italian, English}}</ref> |} ===Sample texts=== There is a recording of [[Dante]]'s [[Divine Comedy]] read by [[Lino Pertile]] available online.<ref>{{cite web|url=http://etcweb.princeton.edu/dante/pdp/ |title=Princeton Dante Project (2.0) |publisher=Etcweb.princeton.edu |date= |accessdate=2015-10-22}}</ref> ==See also== {{Portal|Italy|Switzerland|Language}} {{InterWiki|code=it}} {{colbegin||22em}} * [[Languages of Italy]] * [[Accademia della Crusca]] * [[CELI]] * [[CILS (Qualification)]] * ''[[Enciclopedia Italiana]]'' * [[Wikipedia:IPA for Italian|Guide to phonetic transliteration of Italian]] * [[Italian alphabet]] * [[Italian dialects (disambiguation)|Italian dialects]] * [[Italian exonyms]] * [[Italian grammar]] * [[Italian honorifics]] * [[The Italian Language Foundation]] (in the United States) * [[Italian language in Croatia]] * [[Italian language in Slovenia]] * [[Italian language in the United States]] * [[Italian language in Venezuela]] * [[Italian literature]] * [[Italian music terminology|Italian musical terms]] * [[Italian phonology]] * [[Italian profanity]] * [[Italian Sign Language]] * [[Italian Studies]] * [[Italian Wikipedia]] * [[Italian-language international radio stations]] * [[Lessico etimologico italiano]] * [[Sicilian School]] * [[Veronese Riddle]] * [[Languages of the Vatican City]] * [[Talian dialect|Talian]] {{colend}} ==Notes== {{reflist|group=note|30em}} ==References== {{Reflist|30em}} ==Bibliography== {{refbegin}} * {{Cite journal | doi = 10.1017/S0025100304001628 | last = Rogers | first = Derek | last2 = d'Arcangeli | first2 = Luciana | year = 2004 | title = Italian | journal = Journal of the International Phonetic Association | volume = 34 | issue = 1 | pages = 117–121 | ref = harv | postscript = <!--None--> }} * M. Vitale, ''Studi di Storia della Lingua Italiana'', LED Edizioni Universitarie, Milano, 1992, ISBN 88-7916-015-X * S. Morgana, ''Capitoli di Storia Linguistica Italiana'', LED Edizioni Universitarie, Milano, 2003, ISBN 88-7916-211-X * J. Kinder, ''CLIC: Cultura e Lingua d'Italia in CD-ROM / Culture and Language of Italy on CD-ROM'', Interlinea, Novara, 2008, ISBN 978-88-8212-637-7 {{refend}} ==External links== {{InterWiki|code=it}} {{sisterlinks|d=Q652|n=no|voy=Italian phrasebook|v=Introduction to Italian|b=Italian|s=no|q=no|m=no|mw=no|species=no|c=Category:Italian language|wikt=Italian}} * {{DMOZ|Science/Social_Sciences/Linguistics/Languages/Natural/Indo-European/Italic/Romance/Italian/}} * [[:wikt:Appendix:Italian Swadesh list|Swadesh list in English and Italian]] * [[:wikiquote:Italian proverbs|Italian proverbs]] * "[http://www.bbc.co.uk/languages/italian/ Learn Italian]," ''[[BBC]]'' * [http://spanishenglish.com/translate_to_italian.html Online English-Italian Translation] * [http://www.italofonia.org Map of speaking Italian communities in the world, ''italofonia.org''] {{it icon}} {{Navboxes |title = Articles related to the Italian language |state =autocollapse |list = {{ItalianLanguage}} {{Languages of Italy}} {{Languages of Slovenia}} {{Languages of Switzerland}} {{Romance languages}} }} {{Authority control}} {{DEFAULTSORT:Italian Language}} [[Category:Italian language| ]] [[Category:Languages of Italy]] [[Category:Languages of Switzerland]] [[Category:Languages of San Marino]] [[Category:Languages of Vatican City]] [[Category:Languages of Slovenia]] [[Category:Languages of Croatia]] [[Category:Fusional languages]] [[Category:Subject–verb–object languages]]'