Newsgroup: it.cultura.linguistica.inglese
Titolo: Halloween page

Since there hasn't been much activity in this newsgroup lately, I am
posting my Halloween web page (hey...it's better than nothing!).  I
think I posted the URL last year and some of you said you liked it, so
here it is again.  Try the Monster Mash if you can.  I couldn't get to
it tonight.
http://geocities.com/ssfadultschool/Halloween.html
bye
me

 Since there hasn't been much activity in this newsgroup lately
I know... we all miss our friend from Rome.
:-)))
Tschüss,
Enrico il Pentolaio.
--
"No victory comes without a price" (Desperate Housewives).
[My Skype nickname: enrico_il_pentolaio ] 


Thank you.  Let me know if you find any other mistakes.
bye
ari

 :-)))
He's conspicuous by his absence.
bye
ari


Rome? And all this time I thought he was a Ciociaro pretending to be a
Roman.  :>)
Joe from Massachusetts

 Roman.  :>)
Uhm... All I know is that he lives in Rome and he has a strong Roman 
accent... so he's from Rome.
:-)))))))))


 wrote in message
news:1130213026....@g44g2000cwa.googlegroups.com...

In Vicenza, where I was stationed while in the Army, many of the
locals seem to have adopted the celebration of Halloween, after being
exposed to it there for 50 years. Italian children under the age of 12
join in the trick-or-treating at the American housing complex.
I was dismayed when in Vicenza at how few Americans learned Italian,
but there was never really any great effort made to provide convenient
language classes for the soldiers or their families. I am encouraged
now by the fact that within the next 30 days, the Army will make
available on-line to all servicemen all of the language courses from
Rosetta Stone.
Joe from Massachusetts

 Rosetta Stone.
I rather like those courses, but those soldiers have lots of Mrs. Stones
(yes, I'm an idiot...) round them. Generally, I believe one can't help
learning a language after living in a place for some time. Do they live in
Vicenza or do they stay on their own in an "Italian-free" place?
Bye, FB
-- 
"Qualcuno, meglio se un parente, dovrebbe comunicare a Xxxxxxx Xxxxxx che
scrivere libri non fa per lui. Per il suo bene (e il nostro, soprattutto)."
(Recensione di Antonio D'Orrico sul Corriere della Sera Magazine)


When I was in Naples, if I asked an Italian soldier who was from
Mondragone where he was from, he would say "Naples". I guess there is
some status associated with being from a big city.
Joe from Massachusetts


Most of the unmarried American soldiers live in the Caserma Ederle,
and most of the married soldiers live with their families in a housing
complex for Americans. Some Americans choose to live in apartments
among the Italian population. It is the latter who are more likely to
associate with Italians on a daily basis, and who will learn Italian.
Living in the American housing area is chosen because of convenient
access to transportation to the schools and the facilities on the
base. Also, many of the career military families relocate every three
years, so they may have spent three years in Germany, and three years
in Korea or Japan, so they don't see the point of learning a language
when they will be leaving in a few years.
When I was in Vicenza, living in the caserma, I knew many soldiers who
only left the caserma a few times in the two or three years they spent
there. At that time, there was no satellite TV, but now with the
Internet and satellite TV available, there is even more temptation to
remain on the isolated island of the Caserma. When you add in the fact
that stores and movie theaters and cafeterias and gymnasiums are
available on the base, you can see how many don't feel it necessary to
learn the language.
This lack of integration of the American community in Vicenza with the
local population over the past 50 years was addressed recently by a
woman from the Province of Vicenza who wrote a thesis on this subject
at the University of Udine.
Joe from Massachusetts

 some status associated with being from a big city.
And you could have asked: "Napoli Napoli?", to find out whether he really
was  from the city, or rather from somewhere "upstate", so to speak.  :-D

 wrote in message
news:1hgdvyh5...@news.lillathedog.net...

I usually did ask, and they would admit that they weren't really from
Naples.
New Yorkers do the same thing. If you say you're from New York,
there's a certain mystique. But if you say you're from Albany, New
York, people aren't impressed (even though Albany is the capital of
New York State).
Joe from Massachusetts

 some status associated with being from a big city.
It depends on the person you're talking to.
When I was in Scotland last summer, I always said I lived between Bologna 
and Rimini, because my town is not so important and I can't expect a 
foreigner to know where Forlì is. Instead if I talk to an Italian, I'm 
always from Forlì.
:-))
Tschüss,
Enrico il Pentolaio.
P.S. But didn't you once say you stayed in Veneto when you were in Italy?
P.P.S. If our Roman friend read this post, he would certainly say he found 
"SPQF" very funny indeed.
:-DD


 least
Ooops, I didn't finish the sentence!
:-))))))
I should have written:
 Well, Mondragone (never heard before!) is not very far from Naples or at
least that's what I can see here:  
http://snipurl.com/j2ub
Tschüss,
Enrico il Pentolaio.



Mondragone, in the Province of Caserta, about 40 kilometers North of
Naples, on the Via Appia, is near the site of a deactivated nuclear
power plant, and it is also the home of a famous housekeeper named
Cetina.
Joe from Massachusetts

 there.
Really? I dare say the caserma was very big, but a few times in _years_! 
[...]
Bye, FB
-- 
This hat was made as a special request for a client who's a financial whizz
by day and a blues player by night. He was so happy with his hat I fear his
blues may suffer.

 Well, Mondragone (never heard before!)
I think it's mainly known for its "mozzarella di bufala". :)

 always from Forlě.
What would you say, if you were from Forlimpopoli? ;)

 wrote in message
news:zbjbdz1ntsx5$.dlg@news.lillathedog.net...

I lived in small town in New Jersey named Northvale. Whenever anyone
asked where I was from, I would say "New Jersey", because no one ever
heard of my town. Or I might say "New York", because I spent my early
years in New York City.
But Forlimpopoli? You have a problem there.  :>)
As for mozzarella di bufala, I usually got mine from Lago di Patria. I
would eat a mozzarella sandwich while watching the "bufala" wallowing
in the mud.
Joe from Massachusetts


One fellow, who was married, and would only be in Vicenza for a little
more than a year, decided to leave his wife and baby at home in the US
with her family. He spent all his free time making very fine pieces of
furniture, which he sent home to his wife. He was very frugal, and
sent all his money home. He even made some extra money on the side,
cutting the hair of his fellow soldiers.
Joe from Massachusetts

 What would you say, if you were from Forlimpopoli? ;)
Forlimpopoli? Have you ever been there?
It takes about 10 minutes from my house to drive there, perhaps because I 
live on the side of Forlě which is closest to Forlimpopoli.
So, about your question, if I were from Forlimpopoli I'd say I live in a 
suburb of Forlě or in a village near Forlě.
Have I answered your question?
:-))
Tschüss,
Enrico il Pentolaio.
P.S. Since Forlě is not such a big city, perhaps "suburb" is not suitable 
for Forlimpopoli.


 --
I have relatives in Coeymans, New York. It is just South of Albany.
Everyone from Albany knows the town, but anyone not from the area
would never have heard of the town. If someone from Albany asks them
where they are from, they say "Coeymans". If anyone else asks, they
say "Albany", to avoid confusion.
Joe from Massachusetts

 Vicenza or do they stay on their own in an "Italian-free" place?
I suspect that they stay in their Italian-free areas.  I am not sure
about American bases abroad, so perhaps Joe can tell you about that,
but the military base we had in San Francisco and which recently
closed, had everything in it, including a veterinarian.  You could live
your whole life in there without ever stepping out into the civilian
world.  
bye
ari

 world.  
It sounds insane to me.
Bye, FB
-- 
«"Plano su di lei come un paradiseo imbottito di Taurus... Faccio guizzare
la lingua come un pitone ubriaco". Prendo questo libro, lo butto nel
cestino.»


 absolutely no Italian aside from "ciao bella"
That would be a bit awkward, to say the least, when addressing a macho
lorry driver ;)

 It sounds insane to me.
It happens all the time in some communities of immigrants: they stick
together to help each other in a foreign and often hostile environment,
shop in their own stores, make friends and marry only with people from thei
same country, and so on... At the end of the day, they don't need to speak
to local people at all, if not for business reasons or short casual
conversations using basic words. 

 wrote in message
news:1130480895.9...@f14g2000cwb.googlegroups.com...

You also have to consider that the soldiers who are sent to places
like Italy are no different from the average soldier stationed here in
the US. They are not chosen for assignment to Italy because of some
special linguistic or diplomatic skills. Most of them have not studied
a foreign language, so the task of learning Italian is that much more
difficult. Most of them did not choose to be sent to Italy, they just
go where they are assigned. Many years ago, when the draft was still
in effect, the soldiers represented a cross-section of society, and
many college graduates were drafted. Even then, the level of
linguistic success in Italy was very small. Nowadays it is rare for a
college graduate to enter the military, and the level of linguistic
success can be expected to be less, because the average level of
education is lower. And above all, you have to consider the fact that
for some reason, Americans seem to have an aversion to seriously
studying a foreign language. There is a famous American reporter named
David Gregory who is assigned to cover the White House, and when the
President travels to Europe, Gregory goes along. He speaks fluent
French, and at a news conference with Bush and Chirac, Gregory asked
his questions addressed to Chirac in French. Bush mocked him for
having "memorized four words of French", when in reality Gregory
speaks excellent French.
Even those who live near the borders of Québec or Mexico don't take
advantage of the proximity of millions of French and Spanish speakers
to learn a foreign language. So, if you find yourself in a foreign
country and don't speak the language, you will spend most of your time
with people who speak your language, in the caserma.
Joe from Massachusetts

 It sounds insane to me.
It may be insane, but it happens all the time.  See Enrico's answer.
In San Francisco where the immigrant population constitutes a sizable
percentage, we have neighborhoods that are occupied  by specific
nationalities.  You can go to Chinatown and find everything you need to
survive without ever leaving: stores, doctors, lawyers, accountants,
pharmacists, travel agents, etc.  It's the same in the Mission District
where the only difference is the language (Spanish).  North Beach in SF
was the same for many years. That's where the old Italian families
settled.  Now it's an upscale neighborhood and most of the Italian have
left due to the fact that there hasn't been much of an Italian influx
during the past 50 years.  The old generation has passed on and the
children and grandchildren have moved away.  Daly City, just south of
SF is in the same boat.  It has the largest Filipino community outside
of the Philippines.  Anyway, I don't want to bore you with
demographics, but I can assure you that in this country if you live in
a large city, you can survive and even find a job without ever leaving
your neighborhood.  Moreover, because of this situation, employers are
scrambling to find poeple who speak those languages since the children
and grandchildren of these residents will eventually venture outside
their neighborhood.  If you speak Spanish, Mandarin, Tagalog, Korean
etc.  you have a better chance of being hired for certain positions.
That of course does not provide an incentive for people to learn
English.  Well, I could go on for another five pages, but I'll stop
here.
bye
Ari

 pharmacists, travel agents, etc.  It's the same in the Mission
District
In New York's Chinatown, it is very common to stop someone to ask for
directions, and find that they only speak Chinese.
Joe from Massachusetts

 Joe from Massachusetts
Yes, absolutely.  In fact, you can pretty "suspect" that any
Asian looking individual walking in Chinatwon in any US city will not
speak English.  It's certainly true in SF for both Chinatwon and the
Mission (Spanish).  In CA even our voting ballots are in three
languages because we have US citizens who don't speak English.
bye
ari


I left a word out...sorry "pretty *much* suspect".