On 12/16/03 10:48 AM, "Remo Del Bello" <[EMAIL PROTECTED]> wrote:
> On 12/15/03 7:49 PM, Bruce Klutchko deftly typed out: > >> I think a bunch of us New Yorkers hear fractured Italian spoken in bad pizza >> parlors. Glad you were here to tell us - I always thought it was supposed to >> be pronounced the wrong way, too! > > I really hope no one was actually offended by my comment. I tried to take > the edge off of my comment by purposefully indicating that I was standing on > a soapbox. I hoped to convey the fact that even I believed my comment to be > preachy. > >> Actually, in this environment where so many languages are spoken, words from >> one language are often appropriated by the slang of another. And in the >> process corrupted quite badly. For example, "No problemo" is a commonly >> heard phrase, while Spanish speakers say "No problema." > > Yes, I do understand. But having grown up with Italian I hear words that are > pronounced some way and they are just *wrong* to my ears. Many Americans > think "Gratzi, grazie...what's the difference" and, of course, to them there > really isn't any...it's close enough. But to someone who speaks the language > it is possibly as annoying as mixing "Thanks" and "Tanks". Sure, you catch > the drift of what they are saying, but don't you feel a twinge of desire to > help them say it correctly? When you hear a foreigner misusing an idiomatic > phrase, don't you ever feel a desire to correct them on its usage? Maybe you > don't act on it, but don't you ever feel it? > > Maybe I'm just a little too obsessive. But not any more than the French or > Germans who have actually setup organizations to protect their languages. > >> capisca? > > :-) > > I'm sick and I need help. In case you care, and at the risk of being overly > obsessive again, there are two ways to say this correctly. One is > formal..."Capisce" (pronounced "Kapish-A"). The other, informal..."Capisci" > (pronounced "Kapish-E"). > > And with that I'll apologize for derailing the list. To bring it back to > Entourage...I love being able to switch between the English and Italian > proofing tools with a simple menu selection. :-) > > -Remo Del Bello As someone who dabbles in several languages and is master of none (including my native English!) I greatly appreciate people who defend the beauty and purity of their native languages. It's a pleasure - don't let up! -- Bruce ____________________________________________________ B R U C E K. klutch-at-erols.com -- To unsubscribe: <mailto:[EMAIL PROTECTED]> archives: <http://www.mail-archive.com/entourage-talk%40lists.letterrip.com/> old-archive: <http://www.mail-archive.com/entourage-talk%40lists.boingo.com/>
