THE ITALIAN LANGUAGE IS NOT CHOPPED LIVERS [The following is my response to the editor of an USA newspaper that indicated the Italian language was left out (what am I, the chopped livers language?) versus other foreign languages (e.g. Spanish, etc.) as a language taught in USA schools. The good news is that the Italian language is now widely spread across the USA (ranked #2 after Spanish) and worldwide enrollment (excluding Italy) exceeds more than 500,000 students!]. Letter To the Editor (by Christina DiNoia DiSanzo): ITALIAN THE ETERNAL LANGUAGE. It appears somewhat paradoxical to arrive hastily and superficially at the conclusion that the Italian language is not being taught in the USA because it is rejected or, better yet, avoided like “chopped liver” (what an ugly metaphor!) as the writer puts it in the article ‘Our View’ of March 15. The reason why the language of the “Eternal Poets” (Dante, Petrarca, Boccaccio) is NOT taught widely in our schools is because we are lacking qualified teachers, teachers not only capable of teaching the fundamentals of the language but also capable of interpreting it. The Italian language can neither be taught nor comprehended in a mechanical form, it needs to be interpreted and analyzed. The Italian language is a dimension of thoughts since it is philosophical; it is a sentiment since it is poetical; it is music to the ear since it is undulating and fluctuating in its expression and pronunciation. Italian is the mingling of Greek and Latin dialectics not in a mechanical sense but in a conceptual dimension. I have been teaching Italian for many years in the USA. My primary goal in the process of teaching is not to prepare the students for how to order a cup of coffee in Italy but to stimulate the mind toward the poetical, erudite, descriptive, and metaphorical style of this beautiful language. My teaching experience supports the above theory that once the students understand this concept they rarely want to give up the language. They become compelled, engaged and involved in it. Furthermore, by simply analyzing the Italian grammar, many American students begin to understand and learn in depth the grammar of their own language, English. The Italian language, if learned and taught well, sophisticates the intellect and the mind of the student. It opens new horizons toward art, poetry, music, literature, and theater. Isn’t it satisfying to be able to understand an opera without having to read the English subtitles or sometimes its misrepresented interpretation? Ironically, if the Italian language is not taught by a humanist it will be turned into “chopped liver” (what an ugly metaphor!). Christina Di Sanzo Di Noia (copyrighted)
Posted on: Sat, 08 Feb 2014 13:58:46 +0000