Name:
Location: Seattle, Washington, United States

What you have here is an old guy. In education for 30 years, started teaching elementary, ended as library and media director of community college. I've enjoyed mountain climbing, sports car rallying, was pipe major of a bagpipe band, played guitar and sang during the folk revival, walking and hiking later in life. Now fairly sedentary. Enjoy reading, esp. mysteries and fantasy, but my reading is pretty eclectic. Enjoy movies, giving Netflix a workout.

Tuesday, April 18, 2006

Italian Alphabet

I must be getting blind in my old age. Or at least inattentive. Bill Crider responded to yesterday's blog to say that I surely must have meant 21 letters in the Italian alphabet, not 31. I could have sworn that the article I found on MSNBC said 31 letters. But a few moments research on the internet this afternoon found that I was inexplicably wrong. Oh, the shame, the embarrassment. To have to admit it. Is oldtimer's setting in? So forgive me, all, especially any Italian friends out there, particularly Bob Sabella. And thank you, Bill, for setting me straight. I may never write anything again.

I was just thinking that I grew up as an Irish kid surrounded by four square blocks of Italians. And I never learned any Italian. I'm wondering if the Italian kids that I went to school with learned any, either. Surely, they must have. But I never heard them speak it to each other. I did learn to love Italian food, however. Those families were very generous in sharing. There was even an Italian man who came from over the hill with his herd of goats to graze on the vacant land that was there at the time. And the women who came to pick dandelions to make wine. Don't get me started. I'll get all nostalgic.

2 Comments:

Blogger Cap'n Bob said...

This comment has been removed by a blog administrator.

3:00 PM  
Blogger adamosf said...

I'm ashamed to admit, Frank, that I do not speak Italian at all. My second-generation parents thought it more important to be American than maintain our heritage, something I have learned to regret as I've gotten older. Now I am trying to learn a few phrases before this summer's Italy trip, which fortunately will be accompanied by a native of Naples who will do most of the speaking for us.

4:14 PM  

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