000			01761nam a2200241 a 4500
001			055916
005			20231009193040.0
008			120413s2009 nyu b 000 0 eng
010			_a2008023006
020			_a9780767927703
050	0	0	_aPC1074.75 _b.H35 2009
082	0	0	_a450 HAL
100	1		_aHales, Dianne _d, 1950-
245	1	3	_aLa bella Lingua _b: my love affair with Italian, the world's most enchanting language _c/ Dianne Hales
246	3	0	_aBecoming Italian
250			_a1st ed.
260			_aNew York _b: Broadway Books _c, 2009.
300			_a301 p. _c; 21 cm.
504			_aIncludes bibliographical references (p. [291]-301).
520			_aBy interspersing interviews and anecdotes from her life in Italy, Hales, an American journalist and health writer (An Invitation to Health), interweaves her story of learning to speak Italian with highlights of the language's development. Hales explores political history, biographies of powerful artistic contributors, the widespread and continued use of local dialects, and, of course, food. Likewise, readers are treated to interviews with the likes of the president of the revered L'Accademia della Crusca, where Hales touched the society's first dictionary, nearly 400 years old. She portrays riveting performances of Dante and Verdi in Rome and Milan, and she describes how she could consistently hear from the mouths of ordinary Italians Dante's or Verdi's beautiful lyrics specifically crafted to be read aloud or sung. A word lover yet not a linguist, Hales offers helpful but not in-depth or technical linguistic background, so the bibliography is valuable. An enthusiastic cultural tour guide and introduction to Italian.
650		0	_aItalian language _x--Social aspects
942			_cMO
999			_c257855 _d257855