Why study Italian

Italian is a beautiful melodious language, with a rich history. Considered a single language with numerous dialects, Italian, like the other Romance languages, is a direct offspring of the Latin spoken by the ancient Romans.

Learn to speak Italian with confidence and flair – for business, travel or social occasions – in a supportive environment at the UNSW Institute of Languages.

Italian is the first language of approximately 63 million people, primarily native Italians. The official language of San Marino, Italian is also spoken in Sicily, Corsica and northern Sardinia and on the north-eastern shore of the Adriatic Sea, as well as in other countries such as Australia and the United States of America. Italian is one of four official languages in Switzerland, and is also the primary language of the Vatican City.

Standard Italian was adopted after the unification of Italy in 1861 and is based on a Tuscan dialect common to the cities of Florence, Pisa and Siena. After unification, there was significant social, economical, and cultural transformation. With mandatory schooling in Italy, the literacy rate increased, and many speakers abandoned their native dialects in favour of the national language.

Italian is written using the Latin alphabet. What would later be regarded as Italian originated through the fourteenth century works of Dante Alighieri, who blended southern Italian languages with his native Tuscan. Dante’s epic poems were read throughout Italy and his written dialect evolved to become the “canonical standard” that all educated Italians could understand.

Although dialects are still spoken in Italy today, standard Italian is widely used. It is taught in schools and universities and is used throughout Italian industry and in the media.

We integrate active communication skills with the grammatical structure of the language. Students develop proficiency in the language by using it in realistic situations and enjoyable activities. Awareness of cross-cultural communication is also addressed as this is an important factor in language learning.

Areas of study:

• Introductions, greetings, leave-taking etc
• Giving personal details such as address, phone/fax number, occupation
• Small talk, weather, health etc
• Basic telephone skills, ordering food and drinks
• Catching a taxi and using public transport
• Asking for and understanding directions
• Prices, quantification, booking a hotel
• Inviting guests home, dates, months etc
• General knowledge of common practices and customs
• The etiquette of social and formal functions
• Cross-cultural awareness skills