This page intentionally left blank Using Italian This is a guide to Italian usage for students who have already acquired the basics of the language and wish to extend their knowledge. Unlike conventional grammars, it gives special attention to those areas of vocabulary and grammar which cause most difficulty to English speakers. Careful consideration is given throughout to questions of style, register, and politeness which are essential to achieving an appropriate level of formality or informality in writing and speech. The book surveys the contemporary linguistic scene and gives ample space to the new varieties of Italian that are emerging in modern Italy. The influence of the dialects in shaping the development of Italian is also acknowledged. Clear, readable and easy to consult via its two indexes, this is an essential reference for learners seeking access to the finer nuances of the Italian language. j. j. kinder is Associate Professor of Italian at the Department of European Languages and Studies, University of Western Australia. He has published widely on the Italian language spoken by migrants and their children. v. m. savini is tutor in Italian at the Department of European Languages and Studies, University of Western Australia. He works as both a tutor and a translator. Companion titles to Using Italian Using French (third edition) Using Italian Synonyms A guide to contemporary usage howard moss and vanna motta r. e. batc h e lor and m. h. of f ord (ISBN 0 521 47506 6 hardback) (ISBN 0 521 64177 2 hardback) (ISBN 0 521 47573 2 paperback) (ISBN 0 521 64593 X paperback) Using French Vocabulary Using Spanish jean h. duffy A guide to contemporary usage (ISBN 0 521 57040 9 hardback) r. e. batc h e lor and c. j. p ounta i n (ISBN 0 521 57851 5 paperback) (ISBN 0 521 42123 3 hardback) Using Spanish Vocabulary (ISBN 0 521 26987 3 paperback) r. e. batchelor and miguel a. Using German (Second edition) san josè A guide to contemporary usage (ISBN 0 521 81042 6 hardback) martin durrell (ISBN 0 521 00862 X paperback) (ISBN 0 521 82307 2 hardback) (ISBN 0 521 53000 8 paperback) Using Italian Vocabulary marcel danesi Using Russian (ISBN 0 521 81882 6 hardback) A guide to contemporary usage (ISBN 0 521 52425 3 paperback) derek offord Further titles in preparation (ISBN 0 521 45130 2 hardback) (ISBN 0 521 45760 2 paperback) Using Japanese A guide to contemporary usage william mC clure (ISBN 0 521 64155 1 hardback) (ISBN 0 521 64614 6 paperback) Using French Synonyms r. e. batc h e lor and m. h. of f ord (ISBN 0 521 37277 1 hardback) (ISBN 0 521 37878 8 paperback) Using Russian Synonyms terence wade and nijole white (ISBN 0 521 79084 0 hardback) (ISBN 0 521 79405 6 paperback) Using Spanish Synonyms r. e. batc h e lor (ISBN 0 521 44160 9 hardback) (ISBN 0 521 44694 5 paperback) Using German Synonyms martin durrell (ISBN 0 521 46552 4 hardback) (ISBN 0 521 46954 6 paperback) Using Italian A guide to contemporary usage J. J. KINDER and V. M. SAVINI Cambridge, New York, Melbourne, Madrid, Cape Town, Singapore, São Paulo Cambridge University Press The Edinburgh Building, Cambridge , UK Published in the United States of America by Cambridge University Press, New York www.cambridge.org Information on this title: www.cambridge.org/9780521485562 © J. J. Kinder and V. M. Savini 2004 This publication is in copyright. Subject to statutory exception and to the provision of relevant collective licensing agreements, no reproduction of any part may take place without the written permission of Cambridge University Press. First published in print format 2004 - ---- eBook (EBL) - --- eBook (EBL) - ---- paperback - --- paperback - --- Cambridge University Press has no responsibility for the persistence or accuracy of s for external or third-party internet websites referred to in this publication, and does not guarantee that any content on such websites is, or will remain, accurate or appropriate. Contents Preface and acknowledgments page xvii Abbreviations xviii 1 Varieties of language1 1.1 The Italian language today1 1.2 The dialects2 1.3 Dialect and language in contemporary Italy2 1.4 Dialect and Italian in contact4 1.5 Registers of language5 1.6 Examples of regional variation: pronunciation5 1.7 Examples of regional variation: grammar7 1.8 Examples of register variation: grammar8 1.9 Examples of regional variation: vocabulary 10 1.10 Extracts illustrating registers of Italian 12 Example of R1 (Sicilian and Northern varieties) 12 Example of R1 (Roman variety) 15 Example of R1 (Tuscan variety) 16 Example of written R1–2: SMS messages 17 Example of spoken R2: Un’agenzia di viaggi 19 Example of spoken R2: TV game show 20 Example of R2–3: magazine editorial 22 Example of R3: written communication from bank to its customers 24 Example of R3: police report 25 Example of R3: formal letter 27 WORDS AND THEIR MEANINGS 2 Misleading similarities 30 2.1 Similar form – different meaning: False friends 30 2.1.1 ‘Falsi amici’ i 30 2.1.2 ‘Falsi amici’ ii: English (or English looking) words with different meanings in Italian 39 v Contents 2.2 Similar form – partly similar meaning: Partial deceptive cognates 41 2.3 Paronyms with similar meanings 51 2.3.1 Paronyms with similar meanings: a general list 52 2.3.2 Paronyms with similar meanings: misleading “alterati” 66 2.4 Paronyms with different meanings 67 2.5 Verbs with similar stems 70 2.6 Gender paronyms 75 2.6.1 Gender paronyms with similar meanings 75 2.6.2 Gender paronyms with different meanings 79 2.7 Deceptive minimal pairs 83 2.8 Other types of misleading similarities 87 3 Fields of meaning – “Synonyms” 89 4 Complex verbal expressions 158 4.1 Single English verbs corresponding to complex Italian expressions 158 4.2 Single Italian verbs corresponding to complex English expressions 160 4.3 Complex Italian expressions corresponding to complex English expressions 161 4.4 Italian “impersonal” verbs 162 4.5 Verbal expressions with la, ne, ci 164 4.5.1 Idiomatic verbal expressions with la 164 4.5.2 Idiomatic verbal expressions with ne 166 4.5.3 Idiomatic verbal expressions with ci 166 5 Affective suffixes 168 5.1 Diminutive suffixes 169 5.2 Augmentative suffixes 172 5.3 Suffixes for verbs 173 6 Idioms, similes, and proverbs 174 6.1 Idioms 174 6.2 Similes based on adjectives 184 6.3 Similes based on verbs 185 6.4 Other proverbial comparisons 185 6.5 Proverbs 186 7 Personal names 188 7.1 The ancient world: Greece and Rome 189 7.2 The Bible 189 7.2.1 Old Testament 189 7.2.2 New Testament 190 vi Contents 7.3 The Middle Ages to the twentieth century 190 7.3.1 Non-Italian names 190 7.3.2 Italian names with a Latinized or Anglicized form in English 191 8 Geographical and astronomical names 192 8.1 Italy: administrative regions 193 8.2 Italy: cities 193 8.3 Continents 196 8.4 Europe: countries and regions 196 8.5 The Americas: countries and regions 199 8.6 Asia: countries and regions 199 8.7 Africa: countries and regions 200 8.8 Oceania: countries and regions 201 8.9 Historical or mythical places 202 8.10 Cities of the world 203 8.11 Rivers of the world 205 8.12 Mountains and volcanoes of the world 205 8.13 Planets, stars, and constellations 206 9 Abbreviations and acronyms 207 9.1 Titles and other frequently used abbreviations 208 9.2 International organizations 212 9.3 Italian non-political organizations 213 9.4 Italian official political organizations, unions etc. 214 10 Latin expressions and sayings 217 10.1 Latin expressions 217 10.2 Latin proverbs and mottoes 220 11 Grammatical terms 221 11.1 Grammatical terms 221 11.2 Punctuation marks 224 11.3 Other common terms and expressions 225 12 Numerals and telephone conventions 226 12.1 Numerals and mathematical conventions 226 12.1.1 Decimals 226 12.1.2 Mathematical operations 226 12.1.3 Ordinal numbers 226 12.2 Telephone conventions 227 12.2.1 Telephone numbers 227 12.2.2 Telephone alphabet 227 vii Contents 13 Measurement 229 13.1 Length 230 13.2 Weight 231 13.3 Area 232 13.4 Volume 233 13.5 Capacity (liquid) 233 13.6 Currency 234 13.7 Temperature 234 13.8 Time 235 THE CLAUSE – combining words 14 Gender 239 14.1 Gender and sex 239 14.1.1 Persons 239 14.1.2 Animals 240 14.2 Formation of masculine/feminine pairs 240 14.2.1 Unrelated m-f nouns 241 14.2.2 Related m-f nouns: anomalous m-f correspondence 242 14.2.3 Related nouns: patterns of m-f correspondence 242 14.3 Gender associated with types of noun 243 14.4 Gender associated with noun ending 245 14.5 Gender of compound nouns 248 14.5.1 Verb + noun 248 14.5.2 Noun + noun 249 14.5.3 Noun + adjective/adjective + noun 250 14.5.4 Other compounds 250 14.6 Homonyms distinguished by gender 252 14.7 Nouns with both masculine and feminine plurals 253 15 Number 256 15.1 Formation of plurals 256 15.2 Plural of compound nouns 258 15.3 Italian plurals which correspond to English singulars 259 15.4 Italian singulars which correspond to English plurals 260 15.5 Number concord 261 16 Pronouns 262 16.1 First- and second-person pronouns 262 16.2 Third-person pronouns 263 16.3 Order of object pronouns 265 16.4 Pronouns and verb 266 16.5 Pronouns of address 268 viii Contents 17 Comparison 270 17.1 Comparison of inequality 270 17.1.1 Nouns and pronouns 270 17.1.2 Other parts of speech 271 17.1.3 Alternatives to di/che 272 17.2 Comparison of equality 272 17.3 Comparison involving a clause 273 17.4 Superlatives 273 17.5 Irregular comparatives and superlatives 274 18 Word order 276 18.1 Subject and verb 276 18.2 Subject, verb, and object 277 18.3 Verbs, objects, and adverbs 279 18.4 Noun and adjective 280 18.5 Numerals and altro 283 19 Negation 284