11 October 2024: Italian Tutor Strahinja on Loanwords and Language Learning
11 October 2024: Italian Tutor Strahinja on Loanwords and Language Learning Heading link
A benefit to growing up in a region of the world that is very intermixed culturally and nationally is the inevitability of picking up words that are spoken by people from different cultures and different countries, by chance making it easier for the average person to later study other local languages. This has been my exact experience growing up in Belgrade, Serbia, the heart of the Balkan peninsula.
In my language, or we can even say my dialect, there are plenty of words that come from the region, such as the Hungarian words “varoš” (town), “vašar” (fair), or “šargarepa” (carrot). Alongside these examples, there are also even more words of Turkish origin such as “čelik” (steel), “kralj” (king), and “čarapa” (sock). There are plenty of other words from languages such as German, Greek, and Italian, all of which contribute to the wealth of my native tongue.
Right now I am taking Italian classes and am a peer tutor as well. Learning the language, I have recognized many words that have a direct equivalent in my native language, such as Italian “ciao” (Serbian ćao), “urlare” (urlati), and “piazza” (pijaca). Given that it sometimes can be frustrating to memorize terminology and words when learning a foreign language, it really is a relief for me to have these moments where I can rest assured that the word that sounds familiar means what I think it does. Plus, it also reminds me of words in my own language that I may not use that often, expanding my vocabulary in both Italian and my language.
After two years of Italian classes and getting far more motivated for languages than I had been in high school, I’ve decided to pursue more local languages to really utilize the advantages I’ve inherited by speaking a language from such a diverse part of the world. Now I’m prepared to take on another language once I feel comfortable with my Italian skills, and who knows how loanwords will help me in my task.