‘When in Rome’ - language classes and cultural awareness
Tuesday, 28th April 2009
On a chilly Thursday evening in January, a small group of adult Italian learners in a Cactus classroom in New York conjured up images of warm, sun-drenched vineyards in Tuscany as they practiced greetings and phrases with one another in Italian.
“Buona serra,” they say to each other, laughing and groaning as they stumble through the pronunciations of “Mi chiamo” – “my name is” and honorifics such as “Signor,” for a man, “Signora” for a woman, or “Dottore” and “Dottoressa”, to be more formal.
But it’s not only a class for learning greetings and pleasantries. Our teacher Cristina let us know about the subtle cultural differences which are also so important to learn and understand.
When in Rome, doing what the Romans do means eating dinner and perhaps going out a bit later than you would in the United States. It means knowing the proper way to offer salutations, and how the Italian lifestyle is different in the north and south, among many other things. There are customs that have evolved over centuries, in a culture with a long history deep in the ancient civilization of the mighty Roman Empire.
It’s important to know something about the social norms of the country you are visiting, as the best way to get the most out of a visit is to immerse yourself fully in how the locals live. Many of our students take lessons because they plan to travel to Italy. The world is becoming a smaller place, and when people travel, their cultures and habits are very different. How do you order food? How and when do you tip? Should you bargain in the shops?
Jen and Peggy are students in the class, taking Italian as they plan a trip to Italy this spring. Learning the basics of the language means they will be able to chat to the locals in the bars, and to make a good first impression it’s nice to be able to utter a few words in their language. The course has been useful for them as classes have focused on conversation skills and useful situations, and having a native teacher has helped them develop an ear for the accent.
Michelle works with Italian, running an ice cream store in Provincetown, which is open every summer for hordes of tourists. During the colder months she heads to Italy for conventions and tastings, and now that she has mastered the basics of the languages she’ll dig deeper into her business relations there, forging friendships as well as acquaintances.
We all agreed by the end of the course, when in Rome/Florence/Naples it’s not just about doing as the locals do, but speaking their lingo.
More about Italian evening classes
Tags: italian, culture, learning, evening class, languages, cactus, course, italy
Posted by Laura Harrison under Attitudes to Language Learning, Experience Cultures,
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