About.com Italian Language

Donated Dictionaries Help Italian Program

Tue, 15 Dec 2009 02:07:07 +0000

Here's a terrific example of Italian-Americans helping students learn the Italian language. According to the CapeGazette.com, an online newspaper covering Delaware's Cape region, "...local Italian-Americans donated 30 dictionaries to the school's Italian language program [Cape Henlopen High School], new to the curriculum this year."

The eight donors represented the local chapter of UNICO, a national Italian-American service organization.

Donated Dictionaries Help Italian Program originally appeared on About.com Italian Language on Tuesday, December 15th, 2009 at 02:07:07.

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No Comments from the Peanut Gallery

Sat, 12 Dec 2009 02:37:14 +0000

The peanut gallery is a term that originated in the age of vaudeville as a nickname for the cheapest (and ostensibly rowdiest) seats in the theater; the cheapest snack served at the theater would often be peanuts, which the patrons would sometimes throw at the performers on stage to show their disapproval. Milan's La Scala opera house has its own version of the peanut gallery—the loggionisti. These patrons of La Scala's uppermost balconies are revered and feared for their scathing boos and catcalls at the slightest missed note or theatrical indiscretion.

No Comments from the Peanut Gallery originally appeared on About.com Italian Language on Saturday, December 12th, 2009 at 02:37:14.

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Pallacanestro New York Knicks Style

Wed, 09 Dec 2009 02:05:20 +0000

New York Knicks head coach Mike D'Antoni was the all-time leading scorer for Olimpia Milano in Italy and spent four years coaching there as well. The Knicks also have Italian forward Danilo Gallinari on the roster. So it makes some sense that the NBA, which is always looking to broaden its reach internationally, is apparently planning to send the team to Italy to play some exhibition games before next season gets underway, according to the Associated Press.

Pallacanestro New York Knicks Style originally appeared on About.com Italian Language on Wednesday, December 9th, 2009 at 02:05:20.

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Dual Language Italian-English Stories

Mon, 07 Dec 2009 02:19:47 +0000

For those who prefer dual language Italian-English stories, Italy Magazine has several articles with both languages side-by-side. As a bonus, the Italian version has audio. One recent article, titled: Silken Artworks of Como / Prodotti Artigianali di Seta di Como, explored the silk industry in the town of Como.

Dual Language Italian-English Stories originally appeared on About.com Italian Language on Monday, December 7th, 2009 at 02:19:47.

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Little Sweet One

Sat, 05 Dec 2009 02:41:07 +0000

Dolcetto—"little sweet one"—is a wine grape variety widely grown in the Piedmont region of northwest Italy. According to the Italian Wine Merchants newsletter, though, Dolcetto is not at all sweet, but instead "rather sprightly with distinctive notes of licorice and black cherry."

Little Sweet One originally appeared on About.com Italian Language on Saturday, December 5th, 2009 at 02:41:07.

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iTressette

Wed, 02 Dec 2009 02:05:31 +0000

The classic Italian card game Tressette, a partnership trick-taking card game played with a standard Italian 40-card deck, is now an Italian iPhone app. iTressette, created by developer Luigi Castiglione, can be played against your iPhone or against others via Wi-Fi. There are also 11 different regional card sets (Piacentine, Piemontesi, Bergamasche, Trentine, Trevigiane, Genovesi, Toscane, Romagnole, Sarde, Napoletane, Siciliane). In both Italian and English.

iTressette originally appeared on About.com Italian Language on Wednesday, December 2nd, 2009 at 02:05:31.

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Xenophobia By Any Other Name

Mon, 30 Nov 2009 02:11:11 +0000

According to New America Media, the "Italian word clandestino has become a term of hot debate." Used as a reference to illegal immigrants—specifically, the country's more than one million immigrants without papers—the word has negative connotations, leading "Italian media observers to ask if the word itself is not fanning flames of xenophobia."

Xenophobia By Any Other Name originally appeared on About.com Italian Language on Monday, November 30th, 2009 at 02:11:11.

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Silvio Berlusconi: Rockstar dell'Anno

Sat, 28 Nov 2009 02:02:57 +0000

The Italian edition of Rolling Stone has named Prime Minister Silvio Berlusconi its "rock star of the year," paying tribute to his "lifestyle worthy of the greatest rock star."

An illustration of a smiling Berlusconi, who weathered a summer of scandals over his relations with an 18-year-old underwear model and allegations he slept with a prostitute after a party, emblazons the cover of the Rolling Stone's December issue, against the backdrop of the Italian flag.

Carlo Antonelli, editor of Rolling Stone Italia, said the 73-year-old media mogul had been chosen unanimously by the magazine's editorial staff.

Silvio Berlusconi: Rockstar dell'Anno originally appeared on About.com Italian Language on Saturday, November 28th, 2009 at 02:02:57.

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Omologare

Sat, 21 Nov 2009 02:00:17 +0000

Recently this space explained that the term GTO—as in Pontiac GTO—was an Italian acronym for the phrase "Gran Turismo Omologato." Even more fascinating, Wordsmith points out that omologato comes from the verb homologate. Etymologically, it's from Latin homologare (to agree); from Greek homologein (to agree or allow). The verb—omologare in Italian—means: "to register a specific model of a motor vehicle to make it eligible to take part in a racing competition."

Omologare originally appeared on About.com Italian Language on Saturday, November 21st, 2009 at 02:00:17.

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First 'Official' Copy of Koran in Italian to be Published

Thu, 19 Nov 2009 02:31:40 +0000

According to Adnkronos International, the first 'official' copies in the Italian language of the Islamic holy book, the Koran, will be published in the Saudi Arabian city of Medina next year. "Compared to the previous translation that sold thousands of copies in Italy, the Saudi version will have fewer annotations, and the Italian translation will also contain the original Arabic equivalent," according to Hamza Piccardo, former secretary of one of Italy's largest Muslim groups, UCOII.

First 'Official' Copy of Koran in Italian to be Published originally appeared on About.com Italian Language on Thursday, November 19th, 2009 at 02:31:40.

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