The Italian language, la bella lingua, is one of incredible diversity and with over 85 million speakers worldwide, here are some interesting facts for the linguist in you.
- There are 21 letters in the Italian alphabet.
Except for in loan words, the letters j, k, w, x and y don’t exist in Italian.
- Italian has some very close relatives.
Its vocabulary is 89% shared with French and 82% with Spanish and Portuguese.
- Multiple dialects.
Technically, the term ‘dialects’ is incorrect as each of these are their own independent language in Italy.
- A popular choice.
Italian is the 4th most studied language in the world.
And something a little random to surprise your friends with;
5. A very long word.
Generally, the longest word in the Italian language is said to be ‘precipitevolissimevolmente’ meaning ‘very quickly’ – that’s a 26-letter word.
