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Origins of the Italian Language
The Italian language is one of the Romance group of languages and part of the Indo-European family.

Italian, like the other Romance languages, is the direct offspring of the Latin spoken by the Romans and imposed on the peoples under their power. Of all the major Romance languages, it retains the closest resemblance to Latin.

Italian is considered a single language with many different dialects. The multiplicity of these dialects presented a peculiar difficulty in the evolution of an accepted form of Italian that would reflect the cultural unity of the whole peninsula.

During the 14th century the Tuscan dialect began to predominate, because of the central position of Tuscany in Italy, and because of the commerce of its foremost city, Florence. In Modern Italian the Latin qualities of the Florentine dialect are preserved, but the vocabulary of Latin has been made to meet the changing conditions of Italian life.

How many people speak the Italian language?
Some 66 million people speak Italian.

Italian-speaking Countries
Italian is spoken principally in the Italian peninsula, southern Switzerland, San Marino, Sicily, Corsica, northern Sardinia, Argentina, Brazil, France, Monaco, Slovenia, Somalia and in the United States.

Screenshots from Talk Now! Learn Italian CD-ROM

Talk Now Italian CD-ROM Details

This is an excitingly different language learning series. Talk Now! uses games and quizzes as a basis for making the learning process fun, easy and relaxing. There is no better way to teach an old dog new tricks and this fun element of the program means that your fears are forgotten as you absorb words and phrases without even realising you are learning them.

Talk Now! is the world's best selling language learning CD-ROM series for beginners, used by more than three million people to date. It's ideal for travellers, holidaymakers, business people, schoolchildren, students and families.

Anyone over 10 years of age will find the disc indispensable for improving listening, understanding and spoken language skills. There are nine topics: first words, food, colours, phrases, parts of the body, numbers, time, shopping and countries.

The games and quizzes included on the disc ensure that users have fun whilst using the disc, without realising that they're learning. The "intelligent" software feature remembers words you get wrong and targets your weak points.

NOW includes Apple iPod integration, which allows you to listen to Talk Now Italian wherever you are!

Italian Art

Many of history's most outstanding and important artists and writers have come from Italy. Artists include Giotto, Michelangelo, Leonardo da Vinci and Raphael, while among the writers are the likes of Virgil, Ovid and Horace, as well as Dante, Petrarch and Boccaccio.

Italian Music and Dance

The Italians invented both the piano and our system of musical notation, as well as producing great composers such as Monteverdi, Vivaldi, Scarlatti, Verdi, Puccini, Bellini and Rossini.

The accordion was introduced to the island of Sardinia from mainland Italy at the end of the 19th century. It is generally used to accompany traditional village dances, particularly the 'ballu tunfu', or 'round dance'. The small, diatonic accordion is often called by its Italian name, 'organetto'.

Italian Food and Drink

The various regional styles of Italian cookery combine to form a world famous cuisine. Some of the best-known Italian dishes originate from the Northern Emilia-Romagna, including spaghetti bolognese, lasagne and tortellini. The best prosciutto and mozzarella are also produced there. Italian cuisine includes a variety of vegetable and pasta dishes, seafood and exotic meats.

Italian Attractions

Rome: Rome is a city steeped in history. Monuments, ruins and tombs reveal Rome's many layers of history, from the time of the Etruscans through to Imperial Rome, and the Renaissance. This is the home of the perfectly preserved Colosseum, famous for its ancient games involving gladiators and lions, the opulent and awe-inspiring St. Peter's Square and Vatican, and the fascinating remains of the ancient city.

Venice: This is a place like no other. Canals and gondolas replace roads and cars, 117 islands form the foundation for the city, and it is home to several uniquely famous structures, such as The Doges' Palace, St. Mark's Basilica and The Bridge of Sighs.

Florence: This is a city alive with cultural and historical significance and retains the feel of a late-medieval centre with a major role in the cultural and political development of Europe. Famous sights include the shop-lined Ponte Vecchio, the Duomo, the Uffizi Gallery filled with artistic gems, the turreted Piazza della Signoria and the Medici Chapels.

Milan: Milan is famous for its fashion, cuisine, opera, its church, which is the world's fourth largest, and the Last Supper fresco by da Vinci in Vinciano Refector. Milan is a large, working city, the country's business and finance capital. Shopping is huge in Milan and it is home to what is hailed as the world's most beautiful shopping mall: the Galleria Vittorio Emanuele II.

Customer Testimonials

"This is an excitingly different language learning series. Talk Now! Uses games and quizzes as a basis for making the learning process fun and relaxing." - PC Answers

"I bought your Learn Malay CD today - I've only just begun, but I wanted to say how much I am enjoying it. I studied Malay from a book all day yesterday, making some 25 pages of notes on grammar and vocab, but I remember more from your CD from just an hour!" - James Bryce

Full list of Talk Now Language CD-ROMs available to buy online in the UK.