Why Study Italian?
Italian is spoken on five continents!
It is the official language of six countries, including Italy, of course, Switzerland, Ethiopia, and Somalia.
There are large Italian communities in the United States, Canada, Germany, Australia, Argentina, Brazil and Venezuela.
The Italian culture and people have had a wide influence on American as well as world cultures:
- Italian Music and Opera, musical terms such as allegro, adagio, fortissimo
- Italian fashion and designers, such as Armani, Gucci, Versace, Ferragamo
- Italian art such as Giotto's frescoes, Michelangelo's 'David' and Sistine Chapel, and works by Leonardo, Raphael, Titian
- Italian automobiles such as Fiat, Alfa Romeo, Lamborghini, Maserati, Ferrari
- Italian literature greats, from Dante and his Divine Comedy, Petrarch and Boccaccio to today's Italo Calvino and Umberto Eco
- Italian film and acting, from Fellini's 'La dolce vita' and films by Bertolucci, de Sica, to 'Life is Beautiful'; from Sophia Loren to Roberto Benigni
- And the Food! Lasagne, fettucine, manicotti, pizza, chicken cacciatore, veal marsala, tiramisu, mozzarella, provolone and cappuccino!
In learning a second language, a student has an advantage in almost any field. Why? That student has a broader view of our world, and has a specific expertise that makes him/her more valuable to employers.
By learning Italian, the student will have in depth exposure to a people and culture who have over the centuries perfected the art of living.
Italians' way of life and their cultural products have been imitated the world over, as you see listed above.
The popularity of study of Italian has increased during the past several years; and students who have taken it here at Belmont have sent back such reports as 'I was in Germany, and Italian was the only language we all knew!'
