Double Consonants by Ronald Glenn Wrigley
Native speakers of English often have great difficulty in mastering the pronunciation of double consonants in Italian. One rule to keep in mind in learning correct pronunciation is that every letter in an Italian word must be pronounced. It logically follows that double consonants are pronounced longer than single consonants.
Say the sentence “I met Tim,” focusing on the final T of met, and the first T of Tim. If you can pick up on the sound of the two consonants, you're on your way to understanding the correct pronunciation of double consonants in Italian.
Table 2-10
Practice Pronunciation of Double Consonants
Single Consonant |
Double Consonant |
sano |
sanno |
lego |
leggo |
fata |
fatta |
papa |
pappa |
The Letter R</h2>
<p>The letter <B>r</B> (and the double <B>rr</B>) are perhaps the most difficult letters for nonnative speakers of Italian to master. It is interesting to note that the English <B>r</B> is also very difficult for non-native speakers of English! Say the following English words aloud, focusing on the motions made by your mouth and tongue:</p>
<ul>
<li><p>roar</p></li>
<li><p>rice</p></li>
<li><p>car</p></li>
<li><p>hair</p></li>
<li><p>roam</p></li>
<li><p>right</p></li>
<li><p>ring</p></li>
<li><p>rack</p></li>
</ul>
<p>You will notice that the English <B>r</B> is formed in the back of the mouth with the back of the tongue and that it is a soft, round sound. On the contrary, the Italian <B>r</B> is formed using the tip of the tongue on the upper palate behind the front teeth. Try pronouncing these English words, paying close attention to the placement of the tip of the tongue when pronouncing the letter <B>d.</B></p>
<ul>
<li><p>dog</p></li>
<li><p>dinner</p></li>
<li><p>dart</p></li>
<li><p>duck</p></li>
</ul>
<p></p>
<p><B>Table 2-11</B></p>
<p><B>Pronunciation Exercise: The Letter R</B></p>
<table width="100%" frame="all">
<h2>
<tgroup cols="2">
<colspec colname="col1" colnum="1"/>
<colspec colname="col2" colnum="2"/>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><p><B>Italian</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>English</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>raro</B></p></td>
<td><p>rare</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>Roma</B></p></td>
<td><p>Rome</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>caro</B></p></td>
<td><p>dear/expensive</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>foro</B></p></td>
<td><p>forum</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>povero</B></p></td>
<td><p>poor</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>reggere</B></p></td>
<td><p>to support</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>forno</B></p></td>
<td><p>oven</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>ritornare</B></p></td>
<td><p>to return</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>furbo</B></p></td>
<td><p>shrewd</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>futuro</B></p></td>
<td><p>future</p></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</table>
<p></p>
<p><B>Table 2-12</B></p>
<p><B>Pronunciation Exercise: The Letters RR</B></p>
<table width="100%" frame="all">
<tgroup cols="2">
<colspec colname="col1" colnum="1"/>
<colspec colname="col2" colnum="2"/>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><p><B>Italian</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>English</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>carro</B></p></td>
<td><p>cart</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>burro</B></p></td>
<td><p>butter</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>sorriso</B></p></td>
<td><p>smile</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>birra</B></p></td>
<td><p>beer</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>corretto</B></p></td>
<td><p>correct</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>vorrei</B></p></td>
<td><p>I would like</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>berresti</B></p></td>
<td><p>you would drink</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>porre</B></p></td>
<td><p>to place/to put</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>tradurre</B></p></td>
<td><p>to translate</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>correre</B></p></td>
<td><p>to run</p></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</table>
<title>Exercise 2-1</h2>
<p>Practice your Italian by reading the following sentences aloud.</p>
<table width="100%" frame="all">
<h2>
<tgroup cols="2">
<colspec colname="col1" colnum="1"/>
<colspec colname="col2" colnum="2"/>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><p>1. <B>Mario vorrebbe una birra Peroni</B>.</p></td>
<td><p><B>Mario would like a Peroni (beer).</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p>2. <B>Vorrebbero sorridere</B>.</p></td>
<td><p><B>They would like to smile.</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p>3. <B>La signora comprò una parrucca</B>.</p></td>
<td><p><B>The woman bought a wig.</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p>4. <B>Vorrei correre perché ho parecchia fretta</B>.</p></td>
<td><p><B>I would like to go because I'm in a hurry.</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p>5. <B>Non riesco a tradurre la letterada Roma</B>.</p></td>
<td><p><B>I can't translate the letter from Rome</B></p></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</table>
<title>The Letters L and GL</h2>
<p>In Italian, the letter <B>l</B> is pronounced as in the English word “like.”</p>
<p></p>
<p><B>Table 2-13</B></p>
<p><B>Pronunciation Exercise: The Letter L</B></p>
<table width="100%" frame="all">
<h2>
<tgroup cols="2">
<colspec colname="col1" colnum="1"/>
<colspec colname="col2" colnum="2"/>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><p><B>Italian</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>English</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>lago</B></p></td>
<td><p>lake</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>lento</B></p></td>
<td><p>slow</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>libro</B></p></td>
<td><p>book</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>locale</B></p></td>
<td><p>place</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>lungo</B></p></td>
<td><p>long</p></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</table>
<p>The <B>gl</B> in Italian is pronounced like the <B>-lli</B> in the English “million.” Practice saying the word million, trying to focus on the position of the tongue as you're saying the <B>-lli</B> combination.</p>
<p></p>
<p><B>Table 2-14</B></p>
<p><B>Pronunciation Exercise: The Letters GL</B></p>
<table width="100%" frame="all">
<tgroup cols="2">
<colspec colname="col1" colnum="1"/>
<colspec colname="col2" colnum="2"/>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><p><B>Italian</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>English</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>famiglia</B></p></td>
<td><p>family</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>moglie</B></p></td>
<td><p>wife</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>figli</B></p></td>
<td><p>sons</p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p><B>aglio</B></p></td>
<td><p>garlic</p></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</table>
<title>Exercise 2-2</h2>
<p>Practice your Italian by reading the following sentences aloud.</p>
<table width="100%" frame="all">
<tgroup cols="2">
<colspec colname="col1" colnum="1"/>
<colspec colname="col2" colnum="2"/>
<tbody>
<tr>
<td><p>1. <B>Gli studenti l'hanno letto</B>.</p></td>
<td><p><B>The students read it.</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p>2. <B>I figli fanno gli spaghetti all'aglio e olio.</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>The sons are making spaghetti with garlic and oil.</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p>3. <B>Vogliamo leggere il libro</B>.</p></td>
<td><p><B>We want to read the book.</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p>4. <B>La Sicilia è un'isola in un clima caldo.</B></p></td>
<td><p><B>Sicily is an island in a warm climate.</B></p></td>
</tr>
<tr>
<td><p>5. <B>Quella bella ragazza è la figlia del signor Luigi Miglia</B>.</p></td>
<td><p><B>That beautiful girl is Mr. Luigi Miglia's daughter.</B></p></td>
</tr>
</tbody>
</tgroup>
</table>
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