Daily Talk Forum
  • Advertise
  • Search
  • Member List
  • Calendar
Hello There, Guest! Login Register
Daily Talk Forum › General Discussions › Current Affairs, News and Politics v
« Previous 1 ... 31 32 33 34 35 ... 172 Next »

Italian call to use less English



Post Reply 
 
Thread Rating:
  • 0 Votes - 0 Average
  • 1
  • 2
  • 3
  • 4
  • 5
Threaded Mode | Linear Mode
Italian call to use less English
cyrano Offline
Diamond Member
*****
Diamond Members

Posts: 3,573
Joined: May 2007
Reputation: 3
Post: #1
Italian call to use less English

Italians are quite used to feeling "lo stress", looking forward to "il weekend" or trying to look "cool".
But now an influential cultural institute has asked Italians to protect the language and reject "Anglitaliano".
The Dante Alighieri Society asked people for examples of over-used foreign words and "il weekend" emerged as the worst offender.
The society said the results showed that Italians want their language to receive more respect.
For four months, the society asked visitors to its website, 70% of whom were Italians, for inappropriate examples of foreign words being used in everyday Italian, either written or spoken.

"Who would have thought it - Italians protesting against 'il weekend'," said the institute, the Italian version of the French language protection body the Academie Francaise
The least popular word was found to be "weekend", receiving 11% of the votes.
"Too short? No, just not Italian enough," the society adds.
They said it was pointless to use an English word, however elegant, when the Italian expression "fine settimana" means exactly the same thing.

'More respect'
The second least popular word was "OK", which respondents to the survey thought was too informal and unprofessional.

Several unpopular terms came from business and politics, with "briefing" gaining 5% of the vote, "mission" 4% and "devolution" 3%.

"It is clear that the Italians are asking for more respect and more protection for their language," says the society.
Italians, however, are divided on whether they want to throw out English terms in favour of flawless Italian.
Alessandra, a secretary at a travel agency in Rome, said she thought the change was a product of globalisation.
"I don't think it matters if we use English words," she told the UK's Telegraph newspaper.
"Often it's faster, like using 'il weekend' instead of 'fine settimana'."
However her boss Maria disagreed, saying she would prefer to speak either Italian or English, not a mixture.
"People think it's chic to use English words, but I don't like it at all. It's important to keep language clean," she said.
The society conducted the survey as part of its campaign to ensure Italian remains a key language in the workings of the EU.
09-11-2008 10:44 AM
Find all posts by this user Quote this message in a reply


« Next Oldest | Next Newest »
Post Reply 


Possibly Related Threads...
Thread: Author Replies: Views: Last Post
  Brown renews call Afghanistan troop withdrawal Int News 0 1,059 06-08-2011 08:36 AM
Last Post: Int News
  Call for Applications - Cultural Diplomacy in Europe: A Forum for Young Leaders CDE 0 995 12-07-2009 11:18 AM
Last Post: CDE
  Retailers call for hijab ban Coffee Break 3 1,893 11-24-2009 09:40 AM
Last Post: keyguard123
  Italian cruise ship fends off pirates with gunfire forwardone 1 1,256 04-27-2009 06:35 AM
Last Post: toopeekaa 1
  Italian woman at the center of right-to-die case is moved to hospital where she can d cyrano 0 975 02-04-2009 10:18 AM
Last Post: cyrano

  • View a Printable Version
  • Send this Thread to a Friend
  • Subscribe to this thread
Forum Jump:


User(s) browsing this thread: 1 Guest(s)

Advertise on Daily Talk Forum
  • Webmaster Forum
  • cPanel Hosting
  • SEO Directory
  • Toronto
    • Contact Us
    • Daily Talk Forum
    • Return to Top
    • Lite (Archive) Mode
    • RSS Syndication
    • Help
    • Portal
    • Membership
    • Advertise
    • Banners
    • Privacy
    • Rules

    • Review DTF at Alexa
    • Review DTF at Nortons
    • Site Map

    • Links
    • Your Link Here
    Current time: 01-20-2021, 01:27 PM Powered By MyBB, © 2002-2021 MyBB Group Theme created by Justin S