Learning the Italian Alphabet

If you choose to learn the Italian language, youll need to start by learning its alphabet. When you have an innumerable amount of other â€Å"useful† languages to choose from, why would you choose Italian -- a language spoken by about 59 million people, compared to, let’s say Mandarin’s 935 million Despite the fact that every day more and more Italians are learning English, there is still a huge appeal to learn la bella lingua. Many people feel drawn to Italian because it’s a part of their ancestry, and learning Italian can be a great tool to utilize as you dig deeper into your family history. While you can do a lot of research in English, actually visiting your great grandfather’s birth town in Naples will require more than just a list of survival phrases to truly get a feel for the locals and hear stories about what the town was like while he was alive. What’s more, being able to understand and tell stories to your living family members will will add a depth and a richness to your relationships. Learning the Alphabet The Italian alphabet (lalfabeto) contains 21 letters: Letters / Names of the lettersa  Ã‚  ab  Ã‚  bic  Ã‚  cid  Ã‚  die  Ã‚  ef  Ã‚  effeg  Ã‚  gih  Ã‚  accai  Ã‚  il  Ã‚  ellem  Ã‚  emmen  Ã‚  enneo  Ã‚  op  Ã‚  piq  Ã‚  cur  Ã‚  erres  Ã‚  esset  Ã‚  tiu  Ã‚  uv  Ã‚  vuz  Ã‚  zeta The following five letters are found in foreign words: Letters / Names of the lettersj  Ã‚  i lungok  Ã‚  kappaw  Ã‚  doppia vux  Ã‚  icsy  Ã‚  ipsilon Learning the Basics If youre pressed for time, focus on the fundamentals. Study the Italian ABCs and Italian numbers, learn how to pronounce Italian words and ask questions in Italian, and brush up on the euro (after all, youll have to reach into your portafoglio—wallet—eventually). However, the quickest and most effective way to learn Italian is the total-immersion method. This means traveling to Italy for an extended period, studying at any of the thousands of language schools throughout the country, and speaking only Italian. Many programs include a home-stay component that enhances the cultural exchange. You literally eat, breathe, and dream in Italian. Whether its reading an Italian textbook, taking a language course at a university or local language school, completing workbook exercises, listening to a tape or CD, or conversing with a native Italian speaker. Spend some time every day reading, writing, speaking, and listening to Italian to become accustomed to the target language. Slowly but surely, your confidence will build, your accent will become less pronounced, your vocabulary will expand, and youll be communicating in Italian. Maybe youll even start speaking Italian with your hands!