The Bilingual brain. Why to learn a second language. A few easy ways to learn Italian.

The Bilingual Brain.

Recent research supports what teachers have always  known: learning a language has a positive impact on brain physiology. The findings show that our primary language forms our minds and our perceptions: it affects the way we think and process information.  Researchers studied Italian and English speakers and found that Italians read and process information faster, even when reading words from other languages (learning a language, playing a musical instrument and solving word puzzles are listed as three important activities that keep the human brain active and healthy. Learning a language is listed first among these activities.)

(from Nature Neuroscience.)

A few easy ways to learn Italian.

There are many reasons to learn Italian:[ family history,  job opportunities, vocabulary enrichment, travel]  but it may help to think about some specific reasons:

  • you can read Dante's La Divina Commedia, indisputably one of the seminal works of world literature
  • you can research your family history without hiring an interpreter
  • you can understand and sing along with the great aria's in Italian opera,
  • you can ignore subtitles in Italian language films, and perhaps best of all,
  • you can speak to your grandparents,
  • you can speak to Italians when you travel overseas
  • you can teach your children and grandchildren the language of their rich and precious heritage

   A few Ways to Speak Italian Quickly.

  • Go to Italian speaking places [local coversation groups, your local university etc.]
  • Go to Italy to Nonna's hometown and listen—and talk to your relatives, then on to other cities and sites.
  • Go to restaurants where the waiters speak Italian.
  • Investigate your neighborhood and find Italian speaking people and practice your Italian. There are still small areas of Italian speakers, sor instance in the Twin Cities—Our Lady of Mount Carmel Parish in Minneapolis, St. Ambrose in Woodbury, the East Side of St. Paul. . .
  • Listen to radio and TV. Check your cable company for news feeds from RAI, Italian state television. Check Italian radio stations on the internet at Radio Marte.
  • Rent an Italian language film. You'll hear Italian language spoken by natives and train your ear. (Avoid the subtitles.)
  • Visit the library. Italian language programs, Italian novels, travel guides and books will enrich your learning experience. Read a parallel-text version (Italian and English side-by-side) of such classics as La Divina Comedia. 
  • Try contemporary Italian literature by Oriana Fallaci, Umberto Eco, Adriana Trigiani and other authors.
  • Read the lirics on Italian CDs and cassette tapes. Sing along to “La Donna e' Mobile “and “Funiculi' funicula'.”
  • Play games. Learn a joke, puzzle or a riddle in Italian.
  • Solve a cruciverba (crosswords). As your skills increase, play Italian scrabble—“Il Motore Anagrammatico.”
  • Use stickers. Use Post-its to label everything in your house—plaster your kitchen, living room, bedroom—even the gatto! Whenever you see the label, say the name aloud until it becomes automatic.
  • Use what you know. If you know only a few words in Italian, use them.  Say: mille grazie, prego, buon giorno, buona sera—use what you already know.  Learn a word a day.
  • Listen to Italian Word of the Day and use it until it becomes part of your vocabulary.
  • TAKE AN  ITALIAN CLASS. Register for a group class or private instruction.The structure and routine will help you develop your language skills.

There are several opportunities for Italian language classes: Casa Italia, is one of the local and remote Italian language instruction providers.


 

REMOTE ITALIAN LANGUAGE LEARNING VIA VIDEOCONFERENCE

The term videoconference and remote learning evokes complex technology and the need for expensive equipment. However do you know that you can learn Italian remotely at no extra cost?

All you need is a computer, an internet connection and Skype, a free software that you can download at no charge and that will allow you to connect with Casa Italia. Add a video camera and you can have a  remote Iteaching video conference. On the other side of the computer you will deal face to face with an Italian instructor who will interact with you as if he/she was sitting just across the table from you.

To download Skype go to: www.skype.com

To know more about distance Italian Learning fill out the request form available in this website.