Answers
Mar 31, 2014 - 08:07 AM
It is a shift, going from Sonia to Sofie, but I think over time you will come to appreciate the new style. Pronunciations will vary slightly by speaker, and that's true in general. So it is good to be exposed to different accents. The podcasts and CD's offer another exposure at different pronunciations, with native speakers from Rome and Florence.
When I finally made it to Italy, after doing all 5 levels, there were sounds that to me were slightly different than what I heard via Fluenz….that was fine, and also interesting.
Try listening to Italian radio (if you aren't already) and you can hear a wide range of accents.
When I finally made it to Italy, after doing all 5 levels, there were sounds that to me were slightly different than what I heard via Fluenz….that was fine, and also interesting.
Try listening to Italian radio (if you aren't already) and you can hear a wide range of accents.
Apr 03, 2014 - 03:49 PM
I'm now about halfway through Italian 2, and to me, a great many "e" sounds have sounded "eh," especially the unstressed final "e's" and "`e" ("is"). I also hear the "e" in these words as "eh": bene, dove, dov' `e, pagare, andare, c' 'e. The word for "and," however, and e's followed by a vowel, and also stressed e's followed only by one consonant sound to me more closed - more like "ay" - as in teatro, aereo, treno. and the first e's in "avere" or "bere."
Apr 06, 2014 - 05:52 PM
There are also two specific pronunciations of the letter e (as well as o) referred to as open or closed. So there would be a difference in the way the same person pronounces this letter depending on the word, in addition to what's been mentioned above.
Apr 06, 2014 - 10:37 PM
Regional accents are a reality in Europe, Latin America, and China. While standard English in America is pretty standard at this point, it hasn't always been that way. In Italy regional accents remain a fact of life. Sophie is a native of Milan and Sonia's teacher was Tuscan, which probably accounts for the difference.
Apr 07, 2014 - 04:16 PM
Well I must say I am rather impressed with Sophie's mastery of English. She is completely fluent and hardly shows any foreign accent at all beyond a very precise enunciation that exceeds a lot of native English speakers. I am warming up to her and do appreciate the accelerated pace that Fluenz 3 has introduced. All in all, Fluenz is an outstanding program. I've been through 5 levels of German and 2½ levels of Italian. Although there are obvious limitations in compressing any language, Fluenz usually makes the right choices (the matching pictures feature being an exception; lame and needlessly repetitive) I will try French next year if my aging mind can absorb another language. It's time well spent, I believe.
May 26, 2014 - 12:40 PM
Hi Tony
We're glad that Sophie has won you over! Don't you wish you spoke Italian as well as she speaks English? We do!!!! And we are very happy to hear that you are enjoying the program. It's always nice to get good feedback!! :) Just so you know: Northern and Southern Italians pronounce vowels slightly differently. Sometimes they elongate the E, or make it sharper. Both are correct and you will hear both. By the way if you do miss Sonia feel free to get a dose of Sonia on her travel blog https://www.youtube.com/user/soniastr...
We're glad that Sophie has won you over! Don't you wish you spoke Italian as well as she speaks English? We do!!!! And we are very happy to hear that you are enjoying the program. It's always nice to get good feedback!! :) Just so you know: Northern and Southern Italians pronounce vowels slightly differently. Sometimes they elongate the E, or make it sharper. Both are correct and you will hear both. By the way if you do miss Sonia feel free to get a dose of Sonia on her travel blog https://www.youtube.com/user/soniastr...
Aug 26, 2014 - 06:08 PM
I have been using (gasp, heresy) RS primarily to expand my vocabulary - yes, it is horrendous for grammar! - and the program rejected most emphatically my early attempts at pronouncing "e" - so I now go out of my way to make it a Canadian "eh"! I can't really hear a difference between the "e's" of Sonia and Sophie!
Aug 28, 2014 - 05:29 PM
I totally hear a difference in the "e's" between Sonia and Sophie! But then, there are many different accents in spoken English as well. So I think it's good for us to hear Italian spoken by different people. I had a Spanish teacher in class once that had a lisp…now that was difficult! Felt like I was in Barcelona!!
Aug 30, 2014 - 12:27 AM
perhaps pargare is the singular form and pagari is the plural form?