Considered a romance language, just like French, Italian is the fourth most common language taught in US schools.
Italian is the key to exploring the world of rich art, fine wine, and traditional culture.
In addition, it's one of the best languages that can assist you in the research and study in the field of literature, art history, philosophy, and archaeology.
But before we dive into why learning Italian is good, how it is taught in US schools, and how it can benefit you, let's look at why it is vital to study a new foreign language.
Is Learning A Foreign Language Worth The Agony?
The world has become a 'global village,' where connections are all that matter. As globalization increases, knowing how to speak a second language can always give you an edge over others.
It is now more important than ever for people of all ages - especially young people, to step into a worldwide culture of multilingualism.
Learning a new language is now easier than ever. And, there are noticeable advantages of becoming bilingual. For instance, it can drastically improve your career.
As more companies and organizations trade internationally and focus on fostering relationships with other countries, knowing a second language as an employee can help you. Wondering how?
Well, you, as a bilingual, are most likely to be asked to travel for work or be relocated abroad, or even play a significant role in enhancing these international relationships.
Apart from having great chances to advance your career, the ability to speak a second language can provide you an insight into other cultures and traditions.
You will have a broad and different perspective to explore other people's way of living. This is why it's a good idea to learn American Sign Language.
The lack of integration is a common problem for a majority of the countries. It's primarily due to the language barrier.
People outside their native countries end up being confused and isolated. Learning a second language opens up the door to exploring diverse cultures and communities.
Did you know that being bilingual can also help you master other languages? For example, learning Italian can help you learn French and Spanish more easily.
Now that you're well aware of why it is essential to be bilingual in this globalized world, let's walk you through what foreign languages are taught in US schools and what makes Italian a perfect choice.
How Is Italian Taught From Basic To Fluency In US Schools
Thanks to Italian's rhythmic vocabulary, it's no surprise that people are drawn to it.
For instance, let's take these words — Tesoro, Bellissima, or mi amore; even if you don't exactly understand what they mean, they sure sound like music to your ears.
You're probably wondering if learning Italian is like swimming in the water or is a confusing rollercoaster. Italian is neither easy nor difficult.
Or let's say it's like swimming in the water, but you have to dive in the water.
As the enrolment rate for Italian classes has increased to 20% faster than any other language, Italian has been ranked as the 4th most common language taught in US schools.
Every teaching method of the Italian language is designed under the "Concept of Foreign Languages" of the European Council.
Furthermore, it is followed by the strict guidelines of the 'Academia Italiana di Lingua (AIL).'
The Italian language taught in US schools follows a communicative method. From the first day of the lesson, Italian is spoken in class throughout each language level.
The lessons are taught with four base abilities: listening, reading, writing, and speaking.
This section will highlight some methods and tips taught by US schools when learning a new language.
1. Attentive Listening
Active listening is by far the most effective language skill to focus on.
Listening to the Italian tutor or podcast at the beginning of every study session can train your mind to hear the new words and understand speaking methods.
Even if you don't understand what the tutor is saying, paying attention to it will help your subconscious mind recognize Italian words better.
The beginning of every language lesson can leave you feeling stranded – listening actively means you're picking up the tone, emotion, rhythm, and inflections of the ones speaking it.
2. Reading
Another effective method for the foreign languages taught in US schools includes reading. The tutor emphasizes reading as it allows students to learn and understand the vocabulary.
As listening helps learners adapt to the speaking style, accent, cadences, and pronunciation, reading Italian short stories or sentence structures can solidify your knowledge about its vocabulary.
Along with listening, reading some elementary Italian books can help you learn the language at a faster pace.
With each sentence reading, you will find some new vocabulary or an interesting phrase about the language.
3. Focus On Irregular Verbs
As mentioned before, learning a new language can be tricky. But learning a language with irregular verbs can be more demanding!
The standard Italian verbs are all irregular. The auxiliary verbs such as avere (to have) and essere (to be) or the modal verbs volere (want), potere (can), and dovere (must) are all irregular.
The language instructors in US schools often encourage students to learn these conjugations with the same method as vocabulary.
The language lesson involves daily 15 minutes practice of these irregular verbs. One good thing about learning Italian is the absence of subject pronouns (I, you, he, she, and we).
Reasons To Learn Italian
There are a plethora of reasons to learn Italian; some of them are:
1. Easy To Learn
The fluent Italian speaker may sound different when you hear them talking. Sure, the Italian accent, tone, and culture are very foreign and hard to pick.
But the language itself is pretty easy to learn. If you know English or German, then learning Italian won't be a challenging task.
Though, learning Italian might require extra effort and time. But with the proper methods and techniques, it's easy to understand.
English and Italian share tons of similarities, such as sentence structure, making Italian a straightforward language for English speakers.
Another reason that makes the Italian language easy to learn is its pronunciation.
Unlike the complex pronunciation in French that takes certain syllables in various ways, the Italian accent is straightforward and logical.
By keeping the mentioned below rule in mind, you can easily learn Italian in no time!
- Amico (ah-mee-Koh) – friend
- Gusto (goo-stoh) – taste
- Sciarpa (shar-pah) – scarf
- Gelato (jeh-lah-toh) – ice cream
2. Improves Understanding Of Other Languages
As mentioned earlier, learning Italian can also help you learn other European languages such as Portuguese, French, and Spanish.
Wondering how? The vocabulary and grammatical structure of the Italian language share significant similarities with French vocabulary.
With only a 12% difference between Latin and Italian, it is one of the closest languages to Latin out of all the European languages spoken today.
3. Rich Cultural Heritage
When Federico Fellini said, "A different language is a different vision of life." – Well, he wasn't lying.
If you're also fascinated with Italy's historical literature, culture, and archaeology, then learning the Italian language is a perfect choice, to begin with.
Most people choose Italian as a second language for its rich culture, architecture, and pleasure.
Since 60% of the world's art treasures and famous cultural sites belong to Italy, knowing the language gives in-depth insight and a broader understanding of such cultural and historical heritage.
4. Better Career Opportunities
With over 6,500 American firms and companies doing business with Italy, including Citibank and IBM, Italy is one of the top economies in the world.
The ability to speak Italian can enhance academic and professional career acumen.
Moreover, given the relevance of Italy in the global economy, learning Italian can give you a competitive edge over other employees.
Italian can be used as a stepping stone to a global career. And besides, how many nations have Italian as a native language? Twelve.
An individual who speaks Italian has just extended their academic and career opportunities by a factor of twelve.
Learn Italian Where And When You Prefer
Italy has a compelling long history of art, culture, and science.
As the 4th most taught language in US school with closest roots to Latin, learning Italian opens doors to all the rich literature, poetry, history, and cultural heritage Italy has given to the world.
If you want to ignite curiosity by learning a foreign language, choosing Italian is the perfect start. Over the past few centuries, Italian has made its reputation as the language of love, art, and seduction.
If you are fascinated by the seductive hand gestures and facial expressions of the Italians – it's never too late to sign up to master this romance language.
The introductory, comprehensive level course offered by Superprof can help you master the basics of Italian phrases, grammar, pronunciations, and much more.
With over 2000 professional Italian tutors, Superprof will pair you with the best teacher who will create a personalized language lesson for you, seeks out accountability and feedback while assisting you to get fluency faster.
Hopefully, this article has been helpful enough to encourage you to sign up for an Italian language course.
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