Il Bollettino (vol. 3, issue 5: May 2008)

Il Bollettino
Volume 3, Issue #5: May 2008
monthly newsletter / bollettino mensile
produced by EngagedThinking.com
Contact Us

Greetings and Salutations
Welcome to another issue of Il Bollettino!

My Word of The Day site/blog has resumed 5 entries per week again. My new schedule for posting will be as follows:

Mondays: an example from an Italian blog
Tuesdays and Thursdays: an example from an Italian book/work of literature
Wednesdays: an example from an Italians newspaper or magazine
Fridays: Wildcard

Each Word of the Day is then transposed for Twitter so if you don't have time to visit the site, you can receive the word directly through RSS feed on your PC, via instant message or on your phone as an SMS message. Visit Twitter for more details or see the instructions for following my blog below.

As you read below, you might see a theme in this month's Il Bollettino. In case you don't spot it, the theme of this month's issue is the PC and the internet. The vocabulary list contains commonly used computer terms. There are two web sites that I spotlight on technology and using the web. There's an explanation of how I'm using Twitter to promote my site, and I also talk about a digital archive at the University of Chicago that houses images of prints/engravings of Rome and other cities in Italy. I hope that you enjoy the issue! Feedback is always welcome!

Also take note my book giveaway. Simon and Schuster gave me a copy of Philip Freeman's new biography of Julius Caesar. It's an awesome book, so I entreat you to enter the giveaway and try to win a copy for yourself or purchase your own copy. I can truly say that it is one of the best books that I've ever read -- it's down-to-earth, approachable, and, while it is written by an academic, the book doesn't read as such.

I have to announce another delay in the monthly drawing. There may be some tax implications that I need to address first. In the meantime, each month I will run a similar giveaway for a book on Italy - a travel guide, biography, language guide, etc. Stay tuned for more information!


LearnItalianPod is the Easy, Fast, and Fun Way to Learn How to Speak Italian!
LearnItalianPod is an Italian language podcast service offering free and subscription-based language learning resources. If you're not one yet, this IS the perfect time to become a LearnItalianPod subscriber!

New to the language? Try their beginner's course - a series of 50 lessons that start from the basics, such as telling time, being on vacation in Italy, the airport, the family -- all the while building your vocabulary and learning the grammar as you go.

Already familiar with Italian and looking to improve? They have 50 lessons for the intermediate learner that are sure to challenge, along with their newest set of podcasts, HTI: How To Italian. HTI is a set of innovative lessons that will help you sound more Italian and less like a foreigner, teaching you expressions used by native Italian speakers.

Check out their recently updated and re-designed web site! All their podcasts are available via RSS feed - you don't even need to be on their site to get their podcasts. With Itunes or any other RSS reader, you can listen to the podcasts in any way that is easy for you. Got an Ipod or other mp3 player? Put their podcasts on your mp3 player and listen when you're on the go: at the gym, on the subway or commuting to work. Sign up as a subscriber to make the most of the podcasts with accompanying exercises and printouts. You won't be disappointed!

You will be amazed at how easy it is to learn Italian with LearnItalianPod.com!


Follow Parola Del Giorno on Twitter
Now you can follow the word of the day (parola del giorno) with Twitter. Receive abbreviated updates to the site by following me on Twitter and configure the updates to receive the word of the day any way you wish! While it's no substitute for the actual site, it's a great way to practice your Italian on the go!

The word of the day will be abbreviated from what is on the site and will be limited to the word, its part of speech, basic meaning and maybe other usage information, space permitting.

How to follow the Word of the Day with Twitter:

1. Sign into Twitter. If you're not a Twitter user, you'll have to sign up to receive updates.


2. At the top of the screen is a search box which looks like this:
   
   
   


3. In the box, that says name or location (circled in red), type in paroladelgiorno (no spaces).


4. Press the search button.


5. A new screen will appear giving you the option of following me. You can then set your Twitter account receive updates via IM, your mobile phone or just follow it via RSS or our web site here.

Listening and Video Learning Resources
In response to an article written on About.com last month, I decided to create a blog/site which will feature reviews and listings for audio/visual resources. My new site is called Italian Language Resources. Make sure that when you practice your Italian that you not only practice conjugating verbs and learning and studying vocabulary, but also make sure that you are giving your ear a good workout. My site contains links for podcasts, streaming media, news broadcasts, and other sites to help you improve your ear as well as your speaking skills.

Each week I'll review a particular site or podcast, helping to set the context as well as showing how I use the site/podcast and how you can apply it to your own learning. Feel free to leave comments on the blog or email me if you have a suggestion for a podcast, streaming site, etc.


PC Più F@cile
Reading about the Internet, computers, and technology in general can be one of the best ways to practice your Italian. While many of the words are the same in English (il computer, il mouse, etc.), there are a lot of terms that don't translate so easily. Check out one of my favorite sites, PC Più
F@cile It contains news, articles and other information about computers and computing -- all in Italian. There are posts and articles on the internet, security, the web, the market, and more. Check out their Glossario, an online glossary of technical terms -- you're bound to learn something new.


Punto Informatico
Punto Informatico bills itself as the first "daily" of the Internet, and it is indeed just that. This is a fun site that publishes a new "home page" each day. Each home page has a set of links, articles and other tidbits of information going on. As their title suggests, most of the stories center around the internet, technology, gadgets and more. You'll often see tech related articles from their site showing up in the Google News aggregator and web site. Comments can be left after each article, and there are sometimes tutorials and other video demonstrations. This site is easy to use and well organized, and like PC Piu Facile, you're bound to learn some new words and expressions surfing this site.


Grammar Lesson: Indefinite Article
The indefinite article in English, "a" or "an," has the following equivalent in Italian:

un, uno = masculine
una, un' = feminine

Here are some rules for using the indefinite article in Italian:

1. Un is used with all masculine nouns that begin with a vowel and start with a consonant


2. Uno is used with all masculine nouns that start with an s + consonant, ps, z, y, and gn.


3. Un' is used with all feminine nouns that start with a vowel. It is a common error (even with native speakers) to use un' for masculine nouns too.
   
   Note the differences: un'artista (f.) | un artista (m.)


4. Una is used before all other feminine nouns not starting with a vowel
   

Note that the article is omitted with exclamations and with the adjective, mezzo (half). With professions and the verb, essere, the definite article is also omitted, unless the profession is modified by an adjective:

Sono medico. | I am a doctor.
Sono un medico gentile. | I am a kind doctor.


NB:The indefinite article has no proper plural, although some consider the partitive construction to be an indefinite plural construction.

It is worth mentioning that the adjective, buono, functions much like the indefinite article when it is modifying a noun. It has four forms: buon, buono, buona, buon'. Make sure that you are using the correct form of buono in your writing. Take note of the following differences:

Il buon liceo si trova vicino a Napoli. | The good high school is near Naples.
Il liceo vicino a Napoli è buono. | The high school near Naples is good.

Buono, when used as a predicate adjective (that is, by itself), it has the four standard adjectival forms: buono, buoni, buona, buone.


Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae
The Speculum Romanae Magnificentiae is a collection of prints, many of Rome and other cities in Italy. The Latin translates as the "Mirror of Roman Magnificence" and came about at the start of the Renaissance, thanks to a Frenchman who moved to Italy in 1540. That Frenchman, Antonio Lafreri, published many of his engravings and prints, and the University of Chicago has the largest collection of them - almost 1000! You can view them online by visiting here:

http://speculum.lib.uchicago.edu.

The images online are quite magnificent, and you can tell that great care and detail have been taken in putting this project together. The prints and engravings are significant because they can tell us much about the geography but also of the art of the Renaissance. Since photograph was not yet invented, these prints and engravings served as "snapshots" so that artists could study great works of art without having to be present. The site contains several "itineraries" that are definitely worth exploring.


Il Vocabolario

This month's Vocabolario deals with computer related terms:

• formattare: to format
  
• riformattare: to reformat
  
• avviare: to start
  
• riavviare: to restart
  
• defragmentare: to defrag
  
• scanizzare: to scan
  
• zippare: to zip
  
• uppare: to upload
  
• scaricare: to download
  
• scorrere: to scroll
  
• minimizzare: to minimize
  
• massimizzare: to maximize
  
• surfare, navigare: to surf (as in: to surf the web: navigare la rete)
  
• visualizzare: to view
  
• segnalare: to mark
  
• inoltrare: to forward
  
• backuppare: to backup
  
• archiviare: to archive
  
• salvare: to save
  
• cancellare: to delete
  
• eliminare: to eliminate; to delete
  
• cercare: to search
  
• mandare: to send
  
• rispondere: to reply
  
• nascondere: to hide
  
• mostrare: to show
  
• scrivere: to compose
  
• selezionare: to select
  
• stampare: to print
  


• il computer: computer
  
• il pc: computer (personal computer)
  
• il portatile: laptop, portable computer
  
• il mouse: mouse
  
• lo schermo: monitor, screen
  
• la tastiera: keyboard
  
• le cuffie: headphones
  
• la data: date
• l'oggetto: subject (of an email, etc)
  
• l'immagine (f.): image
  


• da: from
  
• a: to

Book of the Month
May's Book of the Month is Philip Freeman's biography, Julius Caesar. A wonderful addition to the scholarship on Julius Caesar, Freeman's book is approachable and easy to read. He creates a portrait of Caesar's life that seeks to dispel many of the myths surrounding this powerful player in Ancient Rome. One such myth, that Caesar was born by Caesarian section, is debunked -- Freeman argues that Caesarian births were rare in ancient times because it resulted in the death of the mother. Since Caesar's mother survived childbirth and featured prominently in Caesar's life, Freeman argues that it is unlikely that Caesar's birth was anything "abnormal". It is myths such as these that Freeman tackles in his book as he tries to educate us on who Caesar was and not who Shakespeare thought him to be. In the introduction, Freeman's own experience in teaching ancient history shows just how powerful Shakespeare's represention of Caesar has been over the centuries.

If you are a fan of ancient history and the tumultuous waning years of the Roman Republic, then you won't be disappointed by this book. I highly recommend it! Check out my more detailed review of Freeman's book on my Rome blog and also enter a drawing to win a free copy (with shipping paid by me!) of the book.


Translation Practice
Visit our new blog/web site for the monthly translation practice as well as other translation practice opportunities.


Italian Self Study with Weekly Translation
Looking for some regular and weekly translation practice? Check out this site: http://zotikos.com/italian, an Italian self-study group. Each week there are two short news articles: one in Italian to be translated into English and another in English to be translated into Italian. Users submit their translations and then compare their 'answers' with other participants. There is no right or wrong answer, and it is good way to practice and improve your Italian and work on your translation skills. Instructions for submitting articles are located on their web site. If you have any questions, please contact the owner of the site, Matt Dunford.