La Bella Lingua

I read Dianne Hales' book, La Bella Lingua, some time after coming back from Europe, possibly around December last year, because I can't find it on my monthly reading lists that I've been keeping here since January. It's a fabulous book about the history of the Italian language - how it evolved into the expressive, evocative language it is today, alongside what eventually became the Italian nation.

My attention was drawn to it again today through a mention on a travel forum I frequent, and there was mention made of a connected website, so naturally I had to take a look. It's only been a brief visit so far, but I skipped over to her blog, and I love the way she's set it out, focussing on phrases relevant to a single subject in each post. Such a natural way to learn a language!

It's interesting, and makes a lot more sense than labouring over  the technicalities of a language, when all you really want to do is communicate. No matter how many Italian lessons I might take, and how word perfect I might become (hah!), I would never pass for a native Italian, and nor do I necessarily want to. But I do want to be able to visit and be able to talk to people, whether it's in a shop or with someone at the next table at dinner.

So I have bookmarked Dianne's blog, and will be a frequent visitor, as I count down the days to my next trip.