Italian (italiano or lingua italiana) is a Romance language of the Indo-European language family that evolved from the Vulgar Latin of the Roman Empire. Together with Sardinian, Italian is the least divergent language from Latin. Spoken by about 85 million people (2022), Italian is an official language in Italy, San Marino, Switzerland (Ticino and the Grisons), and is the primary language of Vatican City. It has official minority status in Croatia and in some areas of Slovenian Istria.
Italian is a major language in Europe, being one of the official languages of the Organization for Security and Co-operation in Europe and one of the working languages of the Council of Europe. It is the second-most-widely spoken native language in the European Union with 67 million speakers (15% of the EU population) and it is spoken as a second language by 13.4 million EU citizens (3%). Including Italian speakers in non-EU European countries (such as Switzerland, Albania and the United Kingdom) and on other continents, the total number of speakers is approximately 85 million.
Italian is the main working language of the Holy See, serving as the lingua franca (common language) in the Roman Catholic hierarchy as well as the official language of the Sovereign Military Order of Malta.
Italian tends to be seen as a language of the arts and gastronomy. In the US, UK and Japan, Italian has the aroma of upper class, where people could afford to spend time learning a beautiful and culturally attractive language with no direct economic utility.
Italian gastronomy can be enjoyed at a much higher level if you speak Italian. When visiting Italy, there are numerous markets you can visit, such as the one of Piazza Campo dei Fiori in Rome. On these open air, weekly markets, small merchants would come from the country to pitch their local cheeses, prosciutto (hams), zucchini flowers and other vegetables, homemade pastries, olive oils and other delicacies. Most of these come from small producers and if you speak Italian, you can spend hours tasting and discussing the relative merits of each prosciutto or asking exactly where the tartufi bianchi (white truffles) came from and how good they are this year.
The Catholic Church, although universal in its vocation, is more present in Italy than anywhere else. You see priests and nuns all over the place, and bishops and cardinals in Rome. If you stay long enough you can probably catch the pope at a religious function if you feel like it. No matter your religious belief, this is a fun aspect of Italy and newspapers and TV are filled with reports of the church, interviews of priests, news about the latest canonizations. A street in Rome is entirely dedicated to selling clothes for priests, equipment to say Mass in the field and of course hundreds of crucifixes.
Major Benefits of Learning Italian That Will Motivate You
1. Enjoy pasta like you've never had before. If you've ever visited an authentic Italian restaurant, they take pride in keeping it Italian. From the waiter to the items on the menu, you'll almost feel like you're in Italy. Italian cuisine is spread vastly everywhere you go, and you're going to run into situations that involve it. By learning Italian, you'll not only feel confident while reading the menu, but you'll appreciate the food more. Of course, bonus points if you can also order in Italian!
2. It's an easy language to learn. Italian may sound different when you hear someone talking. The accents are different, the culture is different, and the people are also different. But the language itself is much similar than you may think. If you happen to know Spanish, French, English, or Portuguese, you'll find a ton of similarities to Italian. They share many of the same, if not similar vocabulary, grammar, and sentence structures. That's why Italian is recognized as one of the easiest languages to learn for English speakers.
3. There's a reason why Italy is known as one of the most romantic countries in the world. It shares the same stage as France. Over centuries, Italian has built up a notable reputation as a language of love, art, and even seduction. I mean, there's a reason why Romeo and Juliet is based in Italian!
4. Gain a competitive advantage at work. Given the demand and worldwide popularity of Italian, there are still only 90 million speakers globally. In other words, you can categorize it as a niche language. However, that also means that by learning to speak it, you'll stand out as one of the fewer Italian speakers, thus becoming unique.
5. Build stronger relationships with your Italian friends. Given the melting pot of European nationalities, even if someone doesn't identify as full Italian, they'll likely have some Italian in them.
6. Milan is the fashion capital of the world. Many of the top fashion brands like Versace, Gucci, and Prada are from Italy. If you needed a little inspiration or nudge to improve your fashion knowledge, learning Italian online at Maior Lugha School of International Languages can be the most appropriate thing to do to introduce more fashion to your life.
