3. Il Libro Giallo (112 parole)

Il libro giallo mi ha aiutato a rivedere le cose da semestri primi. Questo libro mi ha dato gli strumenti da utilizzare. Per esempio, questa immagine mostra la mia pratica passato prossimo. Il passato prossimo é necessario che tutte le conversazione Italiani. La abilità ho praticato nel fare questo compito erano coniugare i verbi. Ho imparato che verbi uso essere e avere. Ho anche imparato le definizione per gli altri nuovi verbi.

Il libro giallo aiutato con altri aspetti della mia progresso lingua Italiana. Potrei identificare le cose che dovrei studiare di più. Ho potuto vedere i miei problemi. Questo era parte della mia strategia professore Casa mi ha aiutato a fare.

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6. Social Street (109 parole)

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Il compito di Social Street me ha richiesto di visitare il sito su internet, pensare lo scopo del sito, e confrontare con siti Americani. Ho imparato che social media é di importanza internazionale, particolarmente in Italia. Mi piace questo progetto perché c’é una naturalmente concezione con la vita reale in Italia. Questo mi mostra le differenze tra la cultura Italiana e Americana.

Anche, ho scelto questo lavoro perché credo che dimostra come le persone sono collegata in tutto il mondo in diverse lingue. Questo lavoro ilustra scritture abilità e miglioramento nella scrivere. Il mio compito demostra comprendere la cultura di Italiano perché comparato tra due culture aspetti creare comprendere.

An Introduction

A quick search yields many compelling reasons to study a foreign language. Most popular among lists include “the fostering of positive attitudes toward people who are different”, “improvement of analytical skills”, and “increased creativity”. What thread ties all these together? It shouldn’t be a surprise that Fellini puts it best.

“A different language is a different vision of life.”
-Federico Fellini

I like that. It’s natural that he would be perceptive enough to reach that realization, the idea that not only are there alternate ‘visions of life’ out there, but also that language offers a window to them. Language has a unique role in fostering empathy and all the benefits empathy implies.

I entered Italian 203 with a simple question that demanded a complex answer: What is the Italian vision of life? I didn’t expect to find a complete answer; that’d be unrealistic. Instead, I hoped that through practicing the language in different contexts and engaging with original Italian texts I’d gain a better understanding of what is the Italian viewpoint. To an extent, I did. Along the way, I encountered markers of what it means to be Italian. I studied Italy and its people along many seams, observing its relationships with food, art, spaces, academics, and more.

What I gradually came to understand was that I wanted more than my original question could ask for. While there is a dominant narrative, prevailing archetypes of what it means to Italian, for every point there is a counterpoint. What I grew to appreciate most wasn’t Italy’s harmonious national identity but rather the conversations that happen at the margins. In the face of Italy’s changing diet, how has the role of Slow Food changed and will continue to change? How will globalized labor markets and Italy’s centrality in immigration to Europe shape the country’s roles? In what ways is the Italian government responsive to the needs of its people, and where has it failed?

Change happens at the peripheries, the saying goes. Now that I can better identify what’s central and what’s peripheral in Italian culture, I begin to gain an understanding of Italy in its dynamic fullness. I’m thankful that studying Italian has rewarded me with the ability to empathize with others both within and outside my own culture. Will this mean that I’ll be more positive toward others, analyze better, or prove to be more creative? Hopefully. After all, only time will tell.

9. Tre Esempi Orali (218 parole)

Questi video mostrano i miei progressi orale durante i corsi di Italiano. Vorrei mostrare i miei problemi e aiutare i problemi.

Ho parlato meno vocaboli nel primo corso. Sapevo molto semplici parole Italiane. Per esempio, ricordo il lesione sui numeri primi nel mio primo semestre. Potrei rispondere a domande molte semplici e parlare meno parole.

Il mio pronuncia era meglio nello questo video dal mio secondo corso Italiano, ma ci sono problemi. I errori sono non pronunciare correttamente parole di le montagne, mi piace, lei cuochi buono, e buoni ristoranti. Questo film é più interessante di il primo film perché ci sono più parole, frasi diversi, e frasi complete.

L’ultimo film é da questo semestre, il 203 corso di Italiano. Penso che questo film sia buono. Il film nostra il mio difficoltà con il congiuntivo questo semestre, ma capirlo. Ho avuto più difficoltà a creare frasi e verbi perché é una nuova forma per me. Mi piace come questa sequenza rivela miei progressi durante i corsi Italiani a Duke. Ora posso utilizzare molte diverse forme di frasi e forme verbale per comunicare in Italiano. É necessario che parli la lingua Italiana in futuro cosí non dimenticare prima di andare in Italia. Dovrei trovare amici di lingua Italiana.

 

2. Blog Entry (107 parole)

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Ho scritto il mio blog questo semestre. Ho scritto di avere il Natale con la mia famiglia grande e divertente. Questa esperienza é stata memorabile e Noah commentato. Ha una piccola famiglia e gli piaceva la mia storia della mia famiglia. Pensava che non riuscisse scrivere un paragrafo completo dopo otto mesi non scrivere Italiano. Questo blog entry é stato per la mia famiglia perché ho potuto più ricordare la unita di famiglia. Dopo questo semestre, ora posso scrivere su molti argomenti. Il lavora dimostrato il mio miglioramento in forma scritta dimostrando miei problemi e errori. Credo che il blog non sia buono come posso scrivere oggi.

4. La Progettazione della Città (64 parole)

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Il foto dimostrato come le design della città é importante per la cultura. Diversi tipi di persone vivono in aree diverse perché attrazioni e risorse vicino or non vicino. Ho guardato la mappa per vedere dove piacerebbe vivere in una città. L’architettura e la progettazione di una città impatti la cultura e l’atmosfera. Questo compito rifletto la mia comprensione della cultura italiana della città.

8. Cibo, corpo, e benessere nella pubblicità (141 parole)

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Questi compiti era importante per la mia comprensione di pubblicità per il cibo in Italia. Ogni pubblicità stato confrontato. Questo confronto mi ha aiutato a vedere le differenze tra italiani pubblicità e americani pubblicità. I confronti tra culture Americana e Italiana era importante per imparare la lingua. Anche, ha imparato parole nuove per cucinare e pubblicizzare di ogni tipo. Per esempio, la prima pubblicità utilizzato le cose olio d’oliva, azienda agricola, e una coppia alla cena di mostrare perché i loro pomodori sono i migliore. Il secondo pubblicità utilizzato altre cose per mostrare perché i loro pomodori sono i migliore. Per esempio, il secondo pubblicità era in un fabbrica di pomodoro senza chimici. Infine, questo progetto confronto di pubblicità in Italia e negli Stati Uniti mi ha aiutato a vedere come le culture sono diverse perché i personaggi vuole diversi informazioni.

Introductory Note

There was a moment in the beginning of Italian 203 that I remember distinctly. Professor Casa gave directions, and, while I understood her meaning clearly, shortly after she spoke I could not say with absolute certainty whether she had spoken in Italian or English. Prior to this moment, I had mostly been literally translating from Italian to English, adding exceptions for when Italian form differed greatly from English form.

After this instance I realized that to truly know Italian, I would need to let the base meaning take primacy over the English translation. I set a goal to speak and understand all Italian without consciously thinking of the corresponding English. While this may seem superficial, I feel separating myself from my native language helped me view the world more objectively and truly empathize with others’ viewpoints.

In pursuit of this objective, I first learned how to better understand the ideas and opinions of others while also expressing myself more effectively. I enjoyed a lot of the work in the first half of the semester where we first started seriously discussing our own opinions and how they relate to differing viewpoints. Learning the subjunctive tense near the end of this half was an important feature of this development, but even before being taught subjunctive we were discussing ideas in more sophisticated ways than we had in previous Italian classes.

One of my favorite assignments was actually the reading that discussed differing opinions on the Slow Food movement. Sometimes I felt like the teaching of Italian culture was a little one dimensional, detailing how all Italians tend to think or act. This assignment, though, showcased the collage of thoughts and opinions that encompass the Italian national dialogue. It offered a glimpse at the complexity of Italian culture and showed how much we had still to learn. I would love to read more about the social and economic debates that are happening in Italy.

As the semester progressed I feel that, while I kept developing how to better express my opinion, we began to delve into how Italian culture is primarily a unifying force. Learning about the Italian university system highlighted some of the values that Italians share, such as oral proficiency. I really enjoyed interviewing Kay about her perception of American culture and her favorite aspects of Italian culture. A lot of what she missed about Italy corresponded to what we were learning about Italian values in class. Additionally, in Mezzanotte e la Tribú, the band is brought together when they realize how they share a strong Italian culture.

Before starting Italian, I found it strange that Duke would require all Trinity students to take three semesters of a language. Undoubtedly, though, I am glad that there is a language learning requirement. Separating myself from English and truly beginning to understand Italian has made accessible a host of new and interesting opinions, viewpoints, and ideas that I look forward to exploring. Conversely, examining Italian grammar in more detail this semester has changed the way I think about reading and writing in English. Lastly, learning about Italian culture has showed me which parts of myself are distinctly American and which are influenced by aspects of Italian culture that my mother has carried on from her parents.

1. Nota Introduzione (750 parole)

My progression in the Italian language has taken quite a journey. I began taking my first Italian course in the Fall of 2014 and took my second Italian course directly after in the Spring of 2015. Following my two consecutive Italian language courses, I did research in Boston over the summer where I did not speak, write, or read any Italian. Furthermore, I took on an adventure the following Fall semester as one of the pioneers to join the first group of students to attend Duke’s abroad campus in Kunshan, China before continuing my journey into the Italian language. While in China, I took beginners Chinese and was immersed in a foreign language and culture. Most people could not speak English, with the exception of large international cities such as Beijing and Shanghai. I studied global health and learned about Chinese healthcare systems. This was often difficult when many hospital administrators could only speak broken English and I could only speak short Chinese phrases. This experience was beneficial to my broader cultural knowledge, but hindered my progression of Italian language proficiency.

I chose Italian as my Trinity language requirement after my sister traveled to Italy the previous year and told me how wonderful her experience was. I also talked with my freshman advisor, Dr. George, about his family vacation to Italy before deciding on Italian as my language of choice. The Italian culture was primarily what captivated my attention. I would love to travel to Italy someday to see the marvelous historical relics, art, landscapes, and cities. My sister Kayla and I are in an ironic situation because she studied Chinese before traveling to Italy and I studied Italian before traveling to China. Hopefully someday I will take her to China and she will take me to Italy.

My first Italian course was challenging because I took German in high school and had never been exposed to the Italian language. Mena Marino was my professor for my first two Italian courses. She was very sweet and encouraged the class in our endeavors to grasp the linguistic concepts, grammar rules, and vocabulary memorization. I also enjoyed hearing her stories about life in Italy and comparing it to life in the United States. Mena returned to Italy after teaching my second Italian course and invited her students to reach out to her if we ever take a trip to Italy.

After returning from my semester studying abroad in China, I continued my journey with the Italian language. I was nervous and unsure about taking Italian 203 after practically eight months out of practice. The rules, vocabulary, and patterns I picked up in previous classes were beginning to fade away. After my first few classes, I soon realized that I was in fact behind the other students and needed to put in extra work in order to catch back up. I met with professor Laura Casa to create a study plan when I was confronted with difficulty in the class. She helped me regain confidence and set out an action plan. Her explanation of common problems students have with learning a foreign language and the specific structure of the third Italian course helped me to map out what strategy I needed to become more successful in the course. The yellow grammar book became my personal tutor to refresh my memory. I made many mistakes initially, but saw myself improve over time. I saw my written Italian improving, but my speaking in class was not as easy for me to improve.

Class projects and presentations challenged me to improve my oral Italian skills. I struggled with this throughout the course, but I truly enjoyed the projects and learned many interesting aspects of Italian culture and history. The projects created an exciting and different class format and learning style from my other classes at Duke. I really enjoyed the class and learning about language in a less traditional manner. For example, I enjoyed conducting research on the Slow Food Movement in Italy, taking a tour of the Nasher Museum in Italian, and interviewing a native Italian speaker. These were all great ways to learn Italian in a non-traditional fashion. Indirectly learning the Italian language and culture through researching, listening, and conversing all made it more applicable to real life outside of academia. This also made me realize that I must work to hold onto the Italian proficiency that I have grasped in order to maintain access to another world of information and method of communication outside of English.