Italian Language
The Italian language is a Romance language natively spoken in nations such as Italy, the Italian cantons of Switzerland, the Vatican City, San Marino. It is also a language spoken by minority groups in other European countries such as Croatia, France, Malta, Monaco and Slovenia as well as some African nations like Eritrea, Libya and Somalia. There are about 65 million native speakers of Italian in member countries of the European Union. Add to that the Italian-speaking residents of other non-European Union countries and the amount blossoms to about 85 million.
While it does not enjoy bigger statistics like Spanish, French or German, Italian still is an important language. It has been described as a very melodic language and is often featured in art, especially Opera. Mozart, the famous Austrian composer, wrote his operas in Italian rather than in his native German tongue. The Italians themselves have been great contributors to the arts and sciences, and learning Italian helps in deciphering everything from Renaissance-period works up until contemporary times.
Being able to speak and understand the Italian language offers many advantages ranging from art appreciation to increased education and employment opportunities. The challenge and improvement to one’s mind is also a great value one gets from learning the Italian language.
