Description
L’origine latina di 100 parole italiane
Motivating Italian reading and listening practice, memorable insights into Italian vocabulary, and a rich source of triva with which to quiz family, friends, or colleagues!
Many thousands of Italian words originated in Latin, the language of the Romans. This short but fascinating ebook presents a hundred of them, and explains which Latin words they derive from.
Given that a lot of the terms are the same or similar in English, and other modern languages, this brief introduction will open your eyes to our linguistic inheritance.
The eight chapters are organised alphabetically, so in Chapter 1 you’ll find out about the Latin words baculum, bellum, bonus, and captivus.
Baculum (parola italiana: imbecille)
Il termine baculum significa “bastone” e il prefisso “im” indica l’opposto. Il termine “imbecille”, che noi usiamo come insulto sinonimo di “idiota” o “cretino”, significa letteralmente “una persona senza bastone” e, cioè, senza appoggio. Come a dire che gli manca qualcosa, che la testa non lo supporta o non funziona…
So an ‘imbecille’, originally, would have been a ‘stick/staff-less person’, someone with no useful contacts. As Romans might have put it, two thousand years ago, ‘it’s not what you know, but who you know!’
Which Italian words derive from the bellum, bonus, and captivus? You could probably guess some, we’re sure. But take a look at the Free Sample Chapter to check if you’re correct. While improving your Italian reading and listening skills!
- .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
- .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
- 8 chapters to read and listen to
- 8 exercises to check what you’ve learnt!
- Suitable for students at intermediate level or above
- Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)
How do I access my ebook?
When your order is ‘completed’ (normally immediately after your payment), a download link will be automatically emailed to you. It’s valid for 7 days and 3 download attempts so please save a copy of the .pdf ebook in a safe place. Other versions of the ebook, where available, cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them. There’s a space to do that on the order form – where it says Additional information, Order notes (optional). If you forget, or if you have problems downloading the .pdf, don’t worry! Email us at the address on the website and we’ll help. Also, why not check out our FAQ?
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