Becoming Italian Word by Word

Be My Valentine in the Italian Language

 

il tuo Valentino

your Valentine

On every February 15, the ancient Romans would celebrate a fertility festival called the Lupercalia with the sacrifice of a goat in the sacred cave dedicated to Romulus and Remus, the city’s legendary founders. Priests sliced the goat’s hide into strips and dipped them in the sacrificial blood. Boys would run through the streets, gently slapping women with the goatskin strips to enhance their fertility in the coming year. 

Later in the day, all the young unmarried women in the city would place their names in a large urn.  Rome’s bachelors each selected a name and became that woman’s sexual partner for the year in a sort of trial union that often led to marriage.

As it grew in power in the centuries following the birth of Christ, the Catholic Church abolished this pagan practice. In its stead it created the most romantic of saints’ days on February 14 to honor a martyred Roman priest named Valentino.  Although historical accounts differ, Valentino seems to have served in Rome in the third century A.D., when the Emperor Claudius II outlawed marriage for young men because he believed that bachelors made better soldiers. Valentino, sympathetic to young lovers, defied the decree and continued to perform weddings. 

Arrested and tortured, the tender-hearted priest developed a friendship with a young girl—perhaps his jailor’s daughter—who came to visit him. Some say they fell in love; others claim that he cured her blindness. Before being beheaded, the priest sent her a note that he signed, “il tuo Valentino.”  Lovers around the world have been using the same phrase ever since.

On Valentine’s Day, which has not been as commercialized in Italy as in the United States, Italian couples celebrate with dinner out, flowers, or the famous Baci Perugina, small, chocolate-covered hazelnuts wrapped with a poetic quote in four languages.

However you celebrate this happy day, I wish  you and your sweetheart a buona festa degli innamorati!   

Sweet Sayings for Your Valentine  

Mi sto innamorando di te -- I’m falling in love with you 

Sei l'amore della mia vita -- You are the love of my life 

Ti amo da impazzire/morire/alla follia -- I love you to go crazy, to die, to madness 

Sono pazzo di te -- I’m crazy about you 

Ti adoro -– I adore you

Voglio soltanto te –- I want only you

Sei l'amore della mia vita –- You are the love of my life

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language. 

Click below to hear a perfect song for lovers: "Ho voglio di te" (I want you):

The New Words of 2011 in the Italian Language

nuove parole

new words

A single word captured the emotional state of the Italian people in 2011, a year of financial crisis (crisi finanziaria) and protest (protesta). In a poll of more than 10,000 readers of La Repubblica, a third chose indignato (outraged). Coming in second with 28 percent was the English word “spread,” which is exactly what indignazione (indignation) did last year.

Yet as I discovered in my dizionario etimologico (etymology dictionary), indignato is a very old word, dating all the way back to 1292, when it was first defined as ”vivamente sdegnato” (ardently disdainful or indignant). Boccaccio used the noun indignazione, defined as "vivo risentimento e sdegno" (intense resentment and disdain), in 1294.

Italians weren’t the only ones to indignarsi (feel outraged). In 2011 we saw tante proteste di arrabbiati, locali e globali (so many protests of angry ones, local and global). The American protesters, piantati nel cuore della Grande Mela (planted in the heart of the Big Apple), coined a new English expression: the 99 percent. The one percent, an Italian journalist explained to readers, is made up of the “pescicani (or pescecani or squali) di Wall Street” (the sharks of Wall Street).

Another English word, “default,” earned third place in the newspaper poll, with 11 percent of the votes. Thanks largely to the iPad and Kindle, “tablet” got six percent, although Americans are more likely to use “notebook” for an electronic reader. An equal number of votes went to equità; (equity). “Twit” (Italian for tweet) got 5 percent of the votes.

The also-rans among the nuove parole (new words) of 2011 were rigore (austerity) and nazione (a tribute to Italy’s 150th anniversary). A word English speakers might use for “slackers” also made the list: fancazzismo, a mix of apathy, total physical and mental laziness, and parasitism. So did  scialla, slang for “stai tranquillo”  or "stai sereno" (take it easy, keep cool, chill out), a popular expression among young people -- and the title of a 2011 movie by director Francesco Bruni about the relationship between a melancholy professor and a rebellious teenager (click below to hear the theme song).

Looking ahead, Italians worry whether the potential candidates for le parole del 2012 (words of 2012) might include povertà (poverty), fallimento (bankruptcy), disoccupazione (unemployment), and disperazione (desperation). Yet one word deserves a place on every year’s list: speranza (hope).

Words and Expressions

 muovere a sdegno -- rouse to anger

protestatore –- protester

fancazzista –- a lazy bones who doesn’t want to do anything

escort –- a nicer sounding word used to refer to the often underage prostitutes who took part in Berlusconi’s scandalous parties.

feisbuchista –- Facebook user

Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA, My Love Affair with Italian, the World’s Most Enchanting Language.

The Lost Angels of Rome

Gli angeli di Roma

The Angels of Rome

One of the most famous angels in Rome stands atop the Castel Sant’Angelo (Castle of the Holy Angel). The mammoth structure on the banks of the Tiber  was originally built as a mausoleum by the emperor Hadrian in the year 123.  From its ramparts Romans fought back the assaults of the Visigoths in 410 and the Ostrogoths in 537.

In 590 a virulent plague was ravishing Rome, and Pope Gregory the Great entreated God’s mercy. The archangel Michael, fulfilling the original meaning of angelus as a messenger from God, appeared in a vision sheathing his sword over the fortress, a signal of the plague’s end.   The grateful pontiff christened Castel Sant’Angelo in his name and had an imposing statue of Michael mounted on top.

Over the centuries the bridge leading to the Castel Sant’Angelo became the principal crossing point for pilgrims to St. Peter’s basilica.  In 1668 Pope Clement IX commissioned ten stone angels to line its balustrades, thereby transforming the Ponte Sant’Angelo into the most theatrical monument of Baroque design.

The master artist and architect Gian Lorenzo Bernini did the drawings for the angels—all male, with grieving faces and graceful bodies, brilliantly positioned to be observed (and appreciated) from every direction.   Each of the angels carried a symbol of Christ’s passion and death, such as the whip that scourged him and the nails used to crucify him.

The angels on the bridge became icons for millions of pilgrims, but the most exquisite, the only two carved by Bernini himself, never took their designated places.  Copies by lesser artists were installed instead.

Some say that the Pope couldn’t bear the thought of exposing such beautiful statues to the elements.  Others contend he wanted to move the pair of angels—one carrying the crown of thorns (above) and the other the mocking inscription I.N.R.I. (for Jesus, King of the Jews)—to his own palace.

Bernini, perhaps as a way of promoting his not-so-talented offspring, claimed that they were the work of his son Paolo Valentino and kept the  “lost" angels in his studio opposite the church of Sant’Andrea delle Fratte (St. Andrew of the Thickets), so called because it was once literally out in the sticks.  

In 1729 Bernini’s nephew donated the angels to the church, which was partly designed by Bernini’s former student and eventual rival Francesco Borromini. The angelic pair remains there still, their beauty undiminished by fire, earth, water or air, to each side of the front altar.  I think of these heavenly messengers when the bells of Sant’Andrea, right across from the apartment we are renting, ring out the Angelus, and I never fail to pause before them whenever I visit the lovely church.

Words and Expressions

angeli custodi -- guardian angels

il sesso degli angeli-- the sex of angels, a phrase for trivial or inconsequential matters  

angelino, angioletto -- little angel, cherub

angelo caduto -- fallen angel like Lucifer

arcangelo -- archangel

angelico -- angelic, saintly, pure, as in voce angelica (heavenly voice), viso angelico (sweet, angelic face), or carattere angelico (angelic character)

Sei un angelo! –- You are an angel (to thank someone who has done a favor or service)

“Uomo solitario, o bestia o angiolo!” -- A loner is either a beast or an angel.

Cav. Dianne Hales is the author of LA BELLA LINGUA: My Love Affair with Italian, the World's Most Enchanting Language. 

Click below for a modern Italian "Angelo""

 

50 Years of "The Sweet Life" in the Italian Language

La Dolce Vita

Italy is celebrating the 50th anniversary of its most iconic film with the release of a digitally remastered version of La Dolce Vita. The Gucci fashion house paid for the restoration, which premiered last weekend at the Rome International Film Festival, as a tribute to the movie that “paved the way for a new world with an obsession for style, fashion, and celebrity.”

Its director, Federico Fellini, son of a traveling salesman, was born in 1920 in the seaside town of Rimini. At age 10 he ran away to join the circus. (His job was caring for a sick zebra.) During World War II, he traveled throughout Italy writing sketches for a touring theatre troupe.

After the war Fellini set up a store called the Funny Face Shop, where he sketched caricatures for American G.I.s. He also penned gags for comedians, illustrated comic books, and drafted radio plays. Fellini described himself as “un bugiardo,” a liar—but an honest one. He won eight Oscar nominations for screenwriting in addition to a raft of awards for directing.   

For his breakthrough movie of Rome during the 1950s, Fellini searched for the face of an everyman to play Marcello Rubini, a jaded, perpetually horny (arrapato, in Roman dialect) gossip reporter chasing scoops—and skirts--on the sultry Via Veneto. The producer, eager for a sure-fire success, wanted Paul Newman, but Fellini chose a rising but not well-known star named Marcello Mastroianni.

“The first thing Fellini said to me was, ‘I need a face with no personality—like yours,’” Mastroianni later recalled. The name Fellini coined for his character, Paparazzo (derived from a dialect word for a large pesky mosquito), morphed into paparazzi, the universal word for celebrity-chasing news hounds.

The movie—with a working title of "Although Life Is Brutal and Terrible, You Can Always Find a Few Wonderful Moments of Sensuality and Sweetness"—captured a vivid panorama of the not-always-sweet life of post-war Rome.  

Released in 1960, La Dolce Vita was condemned by the Vatican but won international critical acclaim. Its unforgettable scenes, such as Anita Ekberg’s nocturnal dip in the Trevi Fountain, signature music, and luscious leading man created an image of Italian life that enchanted the world.

Some critics compared this 165-minute movie, with 104 separate scenes, to Dante’s Divine Comedy. Like the 14th-century pilgrim, the errant journalist wanders through a corrupt world teeming with memorable characters—120 named in the script—to emerge into the light of day. Although Fellini’s voyager found neither radiant stars nor any hope of salvation, his film has joined the ranks of immortal screen classics.

Words and Expressions

Amarcord -- the title of Fellini’s semi-autobiographical movie, from a local Rimini dialect word for “I remember” that conveys a touch of poignancy

Vitelloni -- literally “big, overgrown calves,” the title of a Fellini film about aimless young men

Ciak! -- a director’s onomatopoeic cry for “Action!"

sceneggiatore -- scriptwriter

Grazie a tutti!  Thanks to all of you (tanti--so many!) who entered our "Viva l'italiano! Book Bonanza Contest."  I will announce the winners in my November newsletter.

Click below to see the movie's most famous scene:

Marriage, Italian Style

 

Matrimonio all’italiana  

Contributing bloggista Silvia Bascelli, whose daughter recently married, volunteered to take us inside the planning for an Italian matrimonio (which translates as both marriage or wedding). Her original, more expansive Italian version will appear on my LA BELLA LINGUA website. Here is my English adaptation: 

Italians use the expression “fare le nozze con i fichi secchi" (make a wedding with dry figs) for an attempt to accomplish something without spending what is necessary. It certainly takes a lot more than dry figs to organize un matrimonio italiano, including a great deal of time and quasi sempre moltissimo denaro (almost always lots and lots of money). Since most Italians are Catholic,weddings in Italy typically take place in church. 

Even those who are religious only in a superficial way often choose a matrimonio cattolico (Catholic wedding) for the sake of the atmosphere created by a church setting. Couples may search for months for una chiesetta di particolare bellezza (a little church of special beauty). Fortunately, Italy is full of these. 

I matrimoni civili (civil marriages), which take place in town halls and are celebrated by a mayor or one of his deputies, are becoming more frequent. Recently quasi tutti i comuni (almost all the communes or local governments), in order to make a civil ceremony as beautiful as one in a church, have started to provide a setting di particolare bellezza (of special beauty), such as a villa or a palazzo that is the property of the commune. 

Couples also must choose a restaurant for il pranzo o la cena di nozze (the wedding lunch or dinner) or il ricevimento (the reception). But before doing so, they must deal with an argomento spinoso e fondamentale (a thorny but essential issue): la lista degli invitati (the invitation list). 

Since most of the expenses in a traditional wedding depend on the number of guests, there may be a struggle between the desire not to squander a fortune simply for a party and the desire to share the joyous event with tutti i parenti e gli amici (all the relatives and friends). In most of Italy gli invitati (the invitees) number at least cento (one hundred); this may rise to duecento e piu' (two hundred or more). Some consider a big, lavish party a sign of social prestige and status. 

Often couples try to set off with a simple plan and then, as always happens, end up spending a great deal of money. “Non si bada a spese!” (Don’t worry about expenses!”) they may hear—or tell each other. To make matters worse, various merchants, at the sound of the word "matrimonio," feel authorized to jack up the prices of everything they supply. A dress that could cost, for example, 500 euro, ends up costing 2000 euro just because it’s white and worn as an abito da sposa (wedding dress).

 E cosi' tutto il resto.(And so it goes with all the rest.)

Words and Expressions 

anello di fidanzamento – engagement ring 

“Mi vuoi sposare?” – Will you marry me? 

matrimonio d’amore -- love match  

matrimonio d’interesse -- marriage of convenience 

matrimonio combinato – arranged marriage 

chiedere in matrimonio – ask in marriage 

letto matrimoniale – double bed 

Tra moglie e marito non mettere il dito -- Don't put a finger (meddle) between a husband and his wife. 

Here are some scenes of Sophia Loren and Marcello Mastroianni in the glorious Matrimonio all'Italiana.

"Making It" in the Italian Language

fare
to make or do 

    English speakers are always “getting.” We get up, get going, get angry, get tired, get fat, get hired, get fired, get groceries, get dinner, get dumped, get lost, and get over it.  Italians are always "making" (the verb fare, pronounced fah-reh).  They make questions (fare domande), make a job (fare un lavoro), make a shower (fare la doccia), make a party (fare una festa), or make a walk (fare una passeggiata). Because Italians strive always to fare bella figura (make the best possible impression), they like to farsi bello (make themselves look good or spruce up). Women “make their hair” (farsi i capelli)  while men “make their beards” (farsi la barba) or shave.

    “Chi fa da se fa per tre,”  a busy woman once told me. This phrase--literally “who does for himself does for three”--translates figuratively as “If you want something done, do it yourself.” And so in Italy I like to spend an entire day “making.”

    Faccio (first person singular of fare) colazione (I eat breakfast), faccio un salto (make a quick jump) to the mercato (market), faccio la coda (wait in line), faccio footing (go for a jog), mi faccio un panino (eat a sandwich), faccio il bagno (swim), faccio attenzione (pay attention) to the time, faccio presto (hurry up), pay a visit (faccio una visita) to some friends, and dance with my husband (faccio quattro salti—literally to make four jumps) under the summer stars.    

    Italians also “make” their careers.  A physician fa il medico (works as a doctor); a lawyer fa l’avvocato; a teacher fa l’insegnante; an actor fa l’attore.  But anyone can farla da gran signore (act like a nobleman), fare l’eroe  (be the hero), darsi da fare in cucina (make a meal), or fare finta (make false or pretend). 

    After World War II many Italians, smitten by American pop culture and fashion, wanted nothing more than “fare l’americano"  (dance to rock and roll, play baseball, drink whiskey and soda)--the subject of a famous Neapolitan song  “Tu vuo’ fa’ Americano” from the 1950s.  This scene from It Happened in Naples offers the extra treat of la splendida Sophia Loren dancing and singing (in English) while Clark Gable speaks fluent Italian. No wonder the movie became all the rage (far furore). 

Words and Expressions:

falla finita! -- cut it out!
farsi animo, farsi coraggio --(make spirit or courage) be strong,  stay strong
Non fa nulla! -- Never mind!
Tra il dire e il fare c’è di mezzo il mare -- (Between saying and doing there is the middle of the sea) "Easier said than done."
Chi la fa, l’aspetti -- (He who makes it, or wrongs someone, has to expect the same in return.)  "What goes around, comes around."

 

Italian film / cinema italiano

Italian film

cinema italiano

“I Mille Occhi” (the thousand eyes), Italy’s eighth annual international festival of cinema, begins this weekend. It’s a good time to recall that Italian film-makers, although long eclipsed by Hollywood directors, pioneered the new art form of movie-making a century ago.

The golden age of Italian cinema came early: 1909 to 1916, a period when Italian movies, mainly produced in Turin and Rome, captured and dominated the world market. Audiences flocked to see sprawling spectacles, colossal battle scenes, and astonishing special effects.

Early Italian movies both preceded and inspired Hollywood extravaganzas. Cabiria, a “sword and sandal” epic released in 1914 that greatly influenced American movie pioneer D.W. Griffith, created the model for spectacular scenes and larger-than-life movie heroes. Shot on location in the Alps, Sicily, and Tunisia, the multi-million-lira film amazed audiences with hand-tinted footage of Mount Etna erupting, the burning of the Roman fleet, and the march of Hannibal and his elephants.

In the labyrinthine plot pirates kidnap Cabiria, a beautiful Roman maiden, and sell her as a slave to Carthage. Just as the pagan high priest is about to burn her alive in an evil sacrifice, a Roman nobleman and his muscular slave Maciste, played by Bartolomeo Pagano (above), a stevedore who became a major star, arrive to save the beauty and the day.

With the birth of the talkie -- cinema sonoro -- in 1930 diction schools, originally set up to train radio announcers, began training professional doppiatori (dubbers) in perfectly enunciated italiano standard for both foreign and homegrown films, a practice that continued through most of the twentieth century.

In Italian theatres international film stars like Greta Garbo, Laurel and Hardy, Gary Cooper, and Mickey Mouse talked with “a Tuscan tongue in a Roman mouth”—classic Florentine pronounced with Rome’s more melodious accent. Even Pellerossa (American Indians—literally red skins) spoke refined Italian in deep, low voices.

Italian cinema reached its artistic zenith with the stark black-and-white “neorealistic” films produced between 1945 and 1952. With no money to hire professional actors, directors plucked men, women, and children from the thousands of destitute refugees camped in makeshift shacks after the war.

Revolutionary movies such as Roma, città aperta and Ladri di biciclette had no heroes, no happy endings, no Hollywood stardust, and often no professional actors. With unflinching, often-excruciating honesty, they recounted the stories Italians were telling each other about their bitter struggles for survival through dictatorship, occupation, war, and devastation.

“If you have any doubt about the power of movies to interact with life and restore the soul, study neorealistic films,” director Martin Scorsese says in his cinematic tribute to Italian cinema, My Trip to Italy. “They forced the rest of the world to look at Italians and see their humanity. To me, this was the most precious moment in movie history."

To see the wordless but powerful trailer for Ladri di biciclette. click below:

Words and Expressions (from American movies)

Mezzogiorno di fuoco (Midday of fire) -- High Noon

Via col vento -- Gone with the Wind

“Domani è un altro giorno” -- Rosella’s (Scarlett’s) famous line, “Tomorrow is another day.”

“Francamente me ne infischio” -- Rhett’s response. “Frankly, I could care less” (Censors wouldn’t allow the phrase “I don’t give a damn.”)

Viale del Tramonto -- Sunset Boulevard

Suonala ancora, Sam -- “Play it again, Sam,” from Casablanca

“Ma, dici a me?” -- “Are you talking to me?” from Taxi Driver