Italian Language

Italian Language Course Introduction

ITALIAN (Italiano) Italian Language, just like. Spanish, French and Portuguese, is a child of Latin. Latin was once the official language in a large part of Europe because the Romans ruled so much of the area. Before the Romans came, people spoke their own languages and the mixture of their original tongues with Latin produced many of the languages and dialects that are still in use today.

Deliverable:

Level: Basic A (45 Hours)

Deliverables: Upon successful completion of this level, the student will be able to :

• use basic vocabulary in simple conversation.
• understand and use familiar everyday expressions and very basic phrases aimed at the satisfaction of needs of a concrete type.
• introduce him/herself and others and can ask and answer questions about personal details such as where he/she lives, people he/she knows and things he/she has.
• interact in a simple way provided the other person talks slowly and clearly and is prepared to help.

Level: Basic B (45 Hours)

Deliverables: Upon successful completion of this level, the student will be able to :

Level: Intermediate A (60 Hours)

Deliverables: Upon successful completion of this level, the student will be able to :

• understand sentences and frequently used expressions related to areas of most immediate relevance (e.g. very basic personal and family information, shopping, local geography, employment).
• communicate in simple and routine tasks requiring a simple and direct exchange of information on familiar and routine matters.
• describe in simple terms aspects of his/her background, immediate environment and matters in areas of immediate need.

Level: Intermediate B (75 Hours)

Deliverables: Upon successful completion of this level, the student will be able to :

• understand the main points of clear standard input on familiar matters regularly encountered in work, school, leisure, etc.
• deal with most situations likely to arise whilst travelling in an area where the language is spoken.
• produce simple connected text on topics which are familiar or of personal interest.
• describe experiences and events, dreams, hopes & ambitions and briefly give reasons and explanations for opinions and plans.

Level: Advanced A (120 Hours)

Deliverables: Upon successful completion of this level, the student will be able to :

• understand the main ideas of complex text on both concrete and abstract topics, including technical discussions in his/her field of specialisation.
• interact with a degree of fluency and spontaneity that makes regular interaction with native speakers quite possible without strain for either party.
• produce clear, detailed text on a wide range of subjects and explain a viewpoint on a topical issue giving the advantages and disadvantages of various options.

Italian Language

Italian is the official language in Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, and Istria (in Slovenia and Croatia). It used to have official status in Albania, Malta and Monaco, where it is still widely spoken, as well as in former Italian East Africa and Italian North Africa regions where it plays a significant role in various sectors.

Italian is spoken by large expatriate communities in the Americas and by small minorities in places such as Crimea, France (especially in Corsica), Belgium, Montenegro and Tunisia. Italian is a major European language, being one of the official languages of the Organisation for Security and Cooperation in Europe and one of the working languages of the Council of Europe.

It is the third most widely spoken first language in the European Union with 65 million native speakers (13% of the EU population) and it is spoken as a second language by 14 million EU citizens (3%). Including Italian speakers in non-EU European countries (such as Switzerland and Albania) and on other continents, the total number of speakers is around 85 million.