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Anglicizing Italian

Published online by Cambridge University Press:  12 February 2007

Martin Gani
Martin Gani
Affiliation:
Como branch of Wall Street Institute, a chain of English-language schools
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Abstract

Italians' zeal for lacing their language with English words is well-known and on-going. Both everyday conversation and the mass media make widespread use of English terms and expressions, but their unphonetic spelling and pronunciation – full of insidious traps round every syllable – can create misunderstanding, confusion, and much humour, because Italians often tend to pronounce these international imports as they are written, much as they do in their mother tongue: either that, or they over-generalize the rules they they've learnt. A TV programme may be interrupted to announce a news flash that however comes out meatier, as ‘news flesh’. When giving business news, the phrase fiscal drag (whatever that may mean) becomes a truly obfuscating ‘fiscal drug’. And fashion news informs us of an exclusive ‘pullover’ by Missoni, whose stress shift unfortunately turns it into an order (from policeman to motorist): ‘pull over’.

Type
Original Article
Information
English Today , Volume 23 , Issue 1 , January 2007 , pp. 40 - 41
Copyright
2007 Cambridge University Press

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