Like other Roman languages, Italian is derived from Latin. Over 85 million people speak Italian. Here are some fun facts about Italian Language!
Italian is the national language of Italy. It is also the official language of San Marino and Switzerland. It is one of the most spoken languages in Argentina and the United States.
It is the fifth most widely studied language in the United States. We bet you didn’t know many other interesting facts. Have a look at these other interesting facts:
Facts about Italian Language
1. 21 letters make up the Alphabet
There are only 21 letters in the Italian Alphabet. It is missing the letters j, K, w, and y. They are not part of Italian. These letters can be found in Italian texts, but they have been borrowed from English or Spanish.
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2. All five vowels in one word!
The squadron is an Italian word that means a mess in English. It’s the only Italian word with a double Q. This word is allowed to use double q. The Aiuole plural of Aiuola is also allowed to use double q. It contains all five vowels.
3. The electricity connection
It is actually from Italy that Volt, the Standard unit for measuring electricity (or Voltage), comes. In honor of Alessandro Volta, who discovered electricity, the SI unit was named Volt.
4. Tongue twisters
According to Italians, the longest Italian word is precipitevolissimevolmente, containing 26 letters and meaning as fast as possible. However, according to research, the longest word is- esofagodermatodigiunoplastica, which refers to surgery following the removal of the stomach and esophagus. “Trentatre trentini enterono a Trento Tutti e trentatre troverellando” is the longest Italian tongue twister. “Thirty-three people from Trento entered this city, all three waddlings.”
5. False friends
False friends are words that sound identical to words in another language but have different meanings. Una camera in Italian, for example, means “room” and not “camera.” Italian for camera is macchina fotografica.
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6. Father of the Italian Language
Even though the Italian language was spoken and used, it was not standardized until Dante Alighieri. Dante Alighieri is frequently referred to by many as the father of Italian languages. He was the most well-known Italian writer of all time. He was at work on The Divine Comedy ( La Divina Commedia), which he finished in 1320, one year before his death. While most writers and poets use Latin in their work, Dante wrote his best work in Italian (also known as the Tuscan dialect at the time). It was this work that established high cultural standards.
7. When Italian became their National Language, only 2.5% of Italians knew it!
Dante and Petrarch, well-known writers and linguists, were key to forming the Tuscan dialect, or Italian, as the country’s national language. Italy adopted Italian as its national language when it became a unified nation in 1861. However, only 2.5% of Italians could converse in their mother language.
8. First Written Italian Text!
It is believed that the Placita Cassini was the first written text in Italian. This document was a legal document relating to a land dispute between Southern Italian Monasteries.
9. A musical language
Music lovers should be familiar with forte, crescendo alto, soprano, and tempo. These words are a common feature of classical music all over the world.
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10. Fourth most widely studied language in the United States
Italian is the fourth most widely spoken foreign language in America, after French, Spanish, and German.
