Why learn Italian?

Italy is many things to many people. For lovers of art it represents the home of the greatest artists and composers. For food lovers it is a diverse, culinary voyage of great food and wine. And for fashionistas it is the seat of power for the world’s leading labels and style conscious.

Grand Canal in Venice

Rome, Venice, Siena and Pompeii, just some of the Italian cities known worldwide for their outstanding architecture, culture and historical significance. Italian is the language of culture: it is the language of Dante and of lyric. It is the language of great artists, poets and philosophers. It is the language of fashion, food and fast cars. It is “La Dolce Vita”. Learn Italian and get more out of your journey through one of the most beautiful and creative countries in the world.

Knowledge of Italian can greatly benefit you in many career fields and can give you access to some of the world’s leading brands. Italy is a world leader in interior design, fashion, shipbuilding, construction, and many other industries.

Additional information:

Italian developed from Latin and an estimated 60 per cent of English vocabulary comes directly from Latin, therefore it is the language closest to English. Italian has the “best phonetic fit” and it is the easiest foreign language to read, write and pronounce because there is only one sound per letter of the alphabet.

An interesting fact is dyslexia is rare in Italy. This may be because it is much easier for people with dyslexia to read in languages where there is one-to-one correspondence between letters and sounds.

Am I eligible to study Italian?

Italian is available as a credit-bearing module (optional or compulsory) and as part of our Free Language Course scheme.