Meg (seated in the middle) with other members of 99 ITALIAN MUSICIANS Posse. She speaks good English, as do Saturnino Test d’inglese: (pictured below right, with Jovanotti) and (opposite quanti possono page) Edoardo Bennato. competere con How Elisa nel panorama musicale italiano? Pochissimi, Good e noi li abbiamo Glossary messi alla prova. Is Their by Fergal Kavanagh 1 lyrics - testi. 2 to improve - per migliorare. 3 to find out - scoprire. 4 home-grown Italian stars - star di casa nostra. 5 carefully - attentamente. 6 a slight trace - un English? leggera traccia. LANGUAGE LEVEL 7 we look forward to that INTERMEDIATE Pop music, rock music, it’s everywhere! trace6 of an accent, every word is clear. Saturnino - non vediamo l’ora di sentirlo. But many of our favourite artists sing He does, however, pronounce language (Italian accent): 8 seeing as - poichè. Track 9 former - ex. in English, often creating difficulties for as “linguage,” which is an obvious ref- I was very curious about the... not a 10 this makes sense - 6 non-native English speakers. Some stu- erence to Italian. Bennato is currently lot about the lyrics of the songs, questo è giustificato. dents use this to their advantage, analys- working on an English version of his very but... about the interview... the 11 huge - enormi. 1 2 Speaker: ing the lyrics to improve their language successful musical Peter Pan, so we look musicians’ interview... there was all Chuck Rolando 7 (Standard American level. We at Speak Up decided to find forward to that . magazines about accent) out3 how well home-grown Italian stars4 electric bass, speak and understand the international music, and all Granata language used in music. Meg (that) stuff. And First up, we asked Edoardo Bennato when Another singer who has found that music there was a good he had started listening to international can be a great help in learning English is distribution of the music: Meg, once of 99 Posse, but now record- magazines in Italy, ing her second solo album. She told us: but it was in Edoardo Bennato “I remember I was a little child and my English... and the (Italian accent): parents used to listen to the Beatles only way to know When I was a kid, I used to listen to and I remember myself imitating those is to... to... to start American music: Chuck Berry, Fats sounds. I couldn’t understand a word, to learn English. Domino, the first era of rock’n’roll, obviously!” She understands now and Paul Anka, I remember the first you can hear their influence on Meg, who No huge11 problems, song was “Diana”: “I’m so young speaks very naturally, no doubt helped by apart from a few plu- and you’re so old, the time spent on an exchange program rals, but what a ter- Edoardo Bennato that’s my darling, in San Francisco and her year at Reading rible accent! There FLUENCY: I have been told.” University in England. is, however, some- Very good. It’s... I think that thing very musical ACCENT: Good. this is the best about it. ADVICE: Try and be a way for young Saturnino little less hesitant! people to learn Lyrics are not the only medium Saturnino English because for improving your language skills FLUENCY: the sound of the through music. Reading about mu- Very good. language is very important. sic was what helped Saturnino with ACCENT: Poor. the language. Seeing as8 he is the ADVICE: Listen more Sounds good! Bennato chooses his words former9 bassist for Jovanotti, this carefully5, and although there is a slight makes sense10: closely to lyrics, rather than just read- ing about music! nineteen 19 Marka involved in, you know, in the world. I unlikely to repeat17 this elementary error Masi Glossary Granata like travelling, I like, you know, though, as he recently signed up for an discovering new cultures and English course in one of Milan’s language 12 gift - dono. 13 she has stuck - ha definitely the language is one of the schools. We look forward to hearing the continuato. thing(s) I really... I am really results. 14 collaborator extra- ordinaire - grande attracted from. collaboratore di artisti. 15 aware - consapevole. Emo 16 shaky - incerto. Laura Pausini But is English the best language for 17 he’s unlikely to repeat - No real problems there, although we say music? We asked Emo, singer with Turin- è improbabile che ripeta... attracted by, rather than attracted from. based rock band Linea 77: Ferro co-wrote the English language hit “Universal Prayer” for the Athens Ol- Emo ympics in 2004, but Laura Pausini has (Italian accent): G. Neri gone one better. She recorded her first Yeah, I think that English is a good full-length album in English in 2002. It language for music, surely one of the wasn’t as successful as she had hoped, best, but, personally, I’m also so since then she has stuck13 with Italian interested in listening (to) different and Spanish. She is planning an album in languages and different sounds, for Carmen Consoli (above) is fluent in Carmen Consoli French though, telling America’s Teen FX instance, now I’m listening (to) a lot both English and Like Meg, Saturnino went to England to magazine: “I love linguistics and I hope of African music and French. Tiziano study the language. Another singer who to be able to reach a good pronuncia- Ferro (below right) Arab hip-hop. I speaks good studied abroad is Carmen Consoli, who tion, since it is one of the most interest- don’t English, while that spent time in London. She speaks Eng- ing languages.” understand a of Zucchero (below) is said to be so-so. lish and French fluently, with no accent. This may not be the most natural, or Zucchero word, but I However, while she is having more and even correct, way to express this, but we International collaborator extraordinaire14 like the more international success, she will never know what you mean, Laura. Zucchero is also aware15 of how singing in sound. The abandon her native language, telling the English can help his career. In an inter- good thing The Italians in London magazine that “It Tiziano Ferro net interview he admitted: “I personally for English is is important for me to perform in Italian. FLUENCY: Excellent. prefer to sing in my own language, but that it’s simple Emo (Linea 77) I want to bring my language the radio in England and America to learn and to FLUENCY: and culture as a gift12, hoping ACCENT: Very Good. won’t play the music, if it’s not get, it’s really Excellent. that I am, in return, influenced ADVICE: in English.” It would be safer popular and sounds ACCENT: Very Good. Slow Down Marka by another culture.” for Zucchero to stick to really, really good. ADVICE: Don’t Italian for conversation, forget your Tiziano Ferro however, to avoid repeat- Granata Tiziano Ferro is another fan of ing the embarrassing in- prepositions England’s capital. In 2005 he cident at a BBC concert relocated to London, and so it in Belfast in 2004 – the Above: Linea 77’s Emo is proficient is no surprise that he speaks presenter asked who was in English, as is English almost perfectly. Here “that sexy mama” on Laura Pausini (top he is being interviewed by backing vocals, and was left), while Eros Ramazzotti (left) Finnish television: horrified to hear the re- is still learning the ply: “My wife.” language. Tiziano Ferro (Italian accent): I love languages, I think Eros Ramazzotti that languages can break the Another whose English could be barrier of the described as “shaky16” is Eros Ram- communication, so you can azzotti. Interviewed with Anastacia meet people, you can, you for German television, he referred to know, you can be... can get his co-guest “she’s a women!” He is Corbis 20 twenty twenty-one 21 Jovanotti Excellent English! Although you should Don’t worry Marco, we FLUENCY: Excellent. Granata remember that we listen to music and won’t tell anyone you Granata that we say the good thing about English, don’t like Italian mu- ACCENT: So-so. not the good thing for English. sic! Mazzoli has perfect ADVICE: Work on your accent English, with a strong Paolo Conte American accent, but he Paolo Conte also likes to experiment with lived in Los Angeles until makes you good different languages. In an American radio he was 13. blood.” Or... or we can interview he said: “For a musician, the say also when there is Glossary Italian language can be very uncomfort- Jovanotti good feeling between testatina 18 crossover - miscuglio di able because it’s not rhythmic, so some- While we’re on the sub- two person, we say that generi. times you need to work with a foreign ject of DJs, did you know good blood is flowing. 19 weight problem - problema di peso. language, with English in particular to that MTV’s first ever Now, you can come in 20 don’t bite the hand that give a song a little bit more swing.” He Italian VJ was Lorenzo feeds you - non sputare Toscana, and you can nel piatto in cui mangi. chose to speak through an interpreter, Cherubini, better known try what buon sangue 21 a household name - which implies he is perfectly comfortable as Jovanotti? Here he is means. conosciuta da tutti. with the rhythm of spoken Italian. on German Radio Eins ex- plaining the title of his Very clear, but so ob- Luciano Pavarotti album “Buon Sangue”: viously Italian! Also, I It may be safer this way, and Luciano wonder if he really meant Pavarotti would have been well-advised Jovanotti “your parent” offering you Raiz the to use an interpreter in his 2003 interview (Italian accent): wine, or was it the clas- Rastaman..