LearnItalianPod

This entry was posted on Sunday, October 7th, 2007 at 2:40 pm and is filed under Culture Shot. You can leave a response, or trackback from your own site.

Rosemarie Says:

Hi. Just wanted to tell you the subtitle in this episode is also “Arrivederci, Luciano”–not about double consonants or Ms. Piotta!

Giacomo Says:

One of the best episodes ever. This one was really very helpful: thank you Jane and Massimo!

Rosina Says:

I have just returned from Italy and visited Tirano in Lombardia. I heard about the townspeople of Baruffini who used to smuggle coffee and cigarettes over the Swiss border into Italy. These people, men and women, risked their lives to improve the lifestyles of their families. I thought this might be a topic for Culture Shot.

LearnItalianPod.com Says:

Mike, as a general rule, “CC” is pronunced as a “K” before “a”, “o”, “u”, “hi”, “he” and as the English “CH” before “i” and “e”.

Examples:
“secca” – dry (female adj.) as “K”
“secco” – dry (male adj.) as “K”
“specchi” – mirrors as “K”
“secche” – dry (female plural adj) as “K”

“frecce” – arrows as “CH”
“fantocci” – puppets as “CH”

LearnItalianPod.com Says:

The correct way to pronounce “Aleccia” in Italian is with “ch” sound. In order for the name to be pronounced with the “k” sound, it would have to be “Alecchia”.

Daniele Says:

 I learned Italian in Sardinia, where the double consonant is the norm. The Italian accent there is very enunciated and clear, making Sardinia perhaps the easiest place to learn to speak italian fluently.