Friday, October 26, 2007

Things that Mystify Me and Make Me Merry in Mitalian, Part I

These are things I think are true. Given my beginner level, I may actually be wrong, but as far as I can tell, here are some strange and interesting* facts about the Italian language:

1. The words for "why" and "because" are the same: perchè. They are close in Spanish (por qué and porque), but not identical.
*UPDATE* This just got extra fascinating, because Rosetta Stone tells me that both "why" and "because" are perch
é, with what Frenchies call an accent aigu. But BabelFish, my translator of choice, tells me that "because" is perché, but "why" is perchè (accent grave). This is going to require further research.

2. There is only one word for "they": loro. Whether you're talking about men, women, or both, it's loro. Nice.

3. The formal, singular form of "you" is the same as the word for "she": lei. I am accustomed to these words' taking the same form of a verb, as Usted,
él, and ella do in Spanish. I think what is most surprising to me is that it isn't the word for "he" that doubles with another meaning. In French and Spanish, when you are referring to a group of men and women--even one man and 100 women--you use the same word for "they" that you use for a group of men only (ils and ellos, respectively). I have had to explain to my French and Spanish classes that sometimes language is sexist and unfair. True, that coed room full of kids would still be bambini in Italian, just as if they were all boys, but I am nonetheless impressed and a little confused at a language that appears less male-words-dominated than some of its Romance brethren (and sistren).


*by which I mean interesting to me, the dorky linguaphile who's learning it

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