Lockdown Observations

 

I have lived in Italy for 20 years. I am conversant but not fluent. To be fluent one must be able to pick up on the subtleties, the contextual complexities of a language, the deep linguistic associations which have much more to do with cultural assimilation than just grammatical correctness. 

I teach English to Italian corporate professionals. It has been one of the most delightful experiences of my life. When I arrived in Europe 27 years ago, though it was an option, I did not want to teach English, since English meant British English, and that was not an option for me, an American. As the years progressed there has developed more need for American english, as we all communicate cyber-globally. And, as I sometimes tease my British friends, there is more diversity in the English language amongst those in the British Isles, than there is between an American and a Brit. The current pandemic reality has rapidly changed the way we work and communicate on a daily basis and normalized online opportunities heretofore unnecessary.  

My Italian english students, as the general populace here, are astute listeners, and very articulate, which may be the result of their educational system which requires oral exams in every subject up to and including advanced mathematics. Imagine having to explain your trigonometric process in front of a panel of exigent professors, and you’ll know how they have had to develop communications skills. Articulate, astute listeners with compassionate sensibilities. In any conversation they respond with appropriate observations, sympathetic and compassionate pleasantries. 

Despite having studied French and German, I still have problems recognizing certain syntactical elements on the spot. My students often clarify grammatical issues with their knowledge of Latin. Oh, it’s totally clear now! One must be an astute listener, and observer, to pick up on the subtleties. 

It’s all in the syntax. There is a certain syntax, it all comes down to that. It is complex. In italian the pronoun is inherent in the verb. You don’t need the I, you, he/she/it, we, etc.,  it is included, which is exquisitely efficient and totally confusing. The subject-object-indirect object relationship is a complex puzzle. In the simplest example, the object precedes the subject, ti vedo: I see you. It’s what I call the subject-object conundrum, in other words, who’s doing what to whom. It could be a metaphor.