Buondì.
Horribly late today, sorry! Blame the end of the month.
For anyone who runs a business, or businesses, the end of the month brings unwelcome extra work.
In our case, for instance, we have writers and online teachers to pay, everything has to be checked first, the actual payments made (some idiot has always changed bank account without telling us), documents uploaded to the online accountancy systems, and so on.
And this is for four different businesses – my head’s spinning!
So, I’ll be extremely brief, for a change. No really.
Here’s the link to the latest in our Summer Series, on The Renaissance:
There are thirty episodes in total, so do the maths and you’ll see we’re just starting on the second third.
Timewise, we’re finishing up the fifteenth century (the 1400s – confusing isn’t it?)
But after eleven, I’m beginning to get the hang of what the Renaissance is about, though there are still several centuries to come, and nineteen more free episodes. Plenty of misbehavior to look forward to.
N.b. For anyone who never got started, or started with the best of intentions but got distracted (maybe the end of the month is a busy time for you, too), Episodes 1-10 can be found on our History page, along with the Summer Series for the last two years (Romans, Middle ages).
When learning a foreign language, listening/reading practice is fundamental, especially if it’s free, and double-especially if there’s lots of it!
Don’t neglect the skills side, even if it’s unfamiliar/hard at first. Focusing just on grammar deprives you of context, which can help a lot.
A venerdì.
P.S. I forgot to mention this on Monday…
This week we have the third in our ‘Italian Diaspora’ series of ‘easy reader’ ebooks.
Earlier in the year we published ebooks about Italians in Spain (La diaspora italiana – Italiani in Spagna) and Italians in Scotland (La diaspora italiana – Italiani in Scozia).
Both were a little niche, but they sold well.
But now, the biggie, La diaspora italiana – Italiani negli Stati Uniti (B2/C1).
One thing I FORGOT TO MENTION ON MONDAY is that this new one is quite a lot longer than our usual ‘easy readers’ (because there was so much to write about).
It’s sixteen chapters, rather than the usual eight, so a snip at just £5.99!
What’s it about? Well, Italians in the USA, obviously. Here’s the blurb from the ebook shop website:
+++
A ‘diaspora’ is a population that lives somewhere different from their original home, or that of their forebears. Since the late nineteenth century, millions of Italians have emigrated in search of better prospects. By 1980 it was estimated that twenty-five million Italians had made their home outside of Italy, in countries all over the world…
Secondo il censimento del 2010, gli Italo-americani sono 17.250.000 e corrispondono al sesto gruppo etnico più numeroso negli Stati Uniti d’America.
Gli Italo-americani si sono distinti nei più diversi settori della società. Nel campo dell’invenzione, per esempio, ricordiamo Antonio Meucci, il padre del telefono, e la famiglia di origine friulana Jacuzzi, che ha prodotto le famose vasche da bagno.
In ambito sportivo si sono distinti, fra gli altri, il mitico giocatore di baseball Joltin’ Joe (Giuseppe Paolo) di Maggio, sposato per qualche anno con la diva Marilyn Monroe e citato in una famosa canzone di Simon and Garfunkel, e poi il campione dei pesi massimi Rocco Francis Marchegiano, meglio conosciuto come Rocky Marciano, the Brockton Blockbuster.
Anche nel mondo dello spettacolo non mancano cognomi italiani: da Frank Sinatra a Leonardo di Caprio, da John Turturro a Madonna (alias Veronica Ciccone) a Frank Zappa, passando per Robert De Niro, Jake LaMotta, Joe Pesci, Liza Minelli, Al Pacino e Jon Bon Jovi… La lista è lunghissima!
E, infine, un buon numero di italiani di prima, seconda, terza o quarta generazione hanno contribuito a governare il paese. Per esempio, Fiorello La Guardia è stato sindaco di New York negli anni della Grande Depressione.
“Little Flower”, così era chiamato (traduzione letterale del suo nome italiano), ha amministrato con grande onestà ed efficienza la città e ne ha rilanciato l’economia.
- .pdf e-book (+ audio available free online)
- .mobi (Kindle-compatible) and .epub (other ebook readers) available on request at no extra charge – just add a note to the order form or email us
- 16 chapters to read and listen to
- Comprehension questions to check your understanding
- Italian/English glossary of ‘difficult’ terms for the level
- Suitable for students at intermediate level or above
- Download your Free Sample Chapter (.pdf)
La diaspora italiana – Italiani negli Stati Uniti is B2/C1-level, so uppper-intermediate, and as usual the first week, it’s disounted 25%, to £5.99 rather than the usual ‘easy reader’ price of £7.99.
And if you’re not at B2/C1 level? Not to worry – there are plenty of other ebook options from beginner to advanced in our online Catalog, all with downloadable free sample chapters and FREE online audio!
Buy La diaspora italiana – Italiani negli Stati Uniti | Free Sample Chapter (.pdf) | Catalog
How do I access my ebook?
When your order is ‘completed’ (normally immediately after your payment), a download link will be automatically emailed to you. It’s valid for 7 days and 3 download attempts so please save a copy of the .pdf ebook in a safe place. Other versions of the ebook, where available, cannot be downloaded but will be emailed to people who request them. There’s a space to do that on the order form – where it says Additional information, Order notes (optional). If you forget, or if you have problems downloading the .pdf, don’t worry! Email us at the address on the website and we’ll help. Also, why not check out our FAQ?
P.P.S.
Did you listen to Tuesday’s FREE bulletin of ‘easy’ Italian news?
I did, managing a whole week’s worth of bulletins in one sitting. So now I’m all caught up!
There was an elementary financial error in one of them, which both writer and editor failed to notice. I won’t tell you what, as that spoils the fun of finding it, don’t you think?
If you do spot it, feel free to leave a comment chastising the team for their lack of basic common sense.
I’d do it myself, but I’m married to the editor. And it’s hot enough in Bologna right now…
Subscribing to EasyItalianNews.com is FREE, too, by the way. And if you do so, you’ll no longer need these reminders, will you?
+++
OnlineItalianClub.com | EasyItalianNews.com | EasyReaders.org (ebooks) | NativeSpeakerTeachers.com (1-1 lessons)