The students at Birregurra Primary School are fortunate to have Signora Convery visit our school on a Wednesday to provide a dynamic Italian program, which includes learning about the language, the history and the culture of Italy. in 2024, our youngest members of the school community will begin their Italian journey supported by Mrs Welsh. 

Italian – a language for all

Italian is a relatively easy language to learn because of its similarity to English. Both English and Italian are derived from Latin so they share a similar sentence structure. Italian is written in Roman script as is English, but the Italian alphabet only has  twenty-one letters. Studying Italian also provides the background for further studies of other Romance languages, such as French, Spanish and Portuguese.

Why learn Italian?

Italy has a rich cultural history. Its lifestyle, art, food, wine, fashion, sporting events, architecture and scenic beauty attract some 40 million tourists each year. The influence of Italy is seen everywhere in Australia today as nearly one million Australians are of Italian descent. Victoria has a large Italian speaking community and there are plenty of restaurants, shops and industries offering authentic Italian products. Australia and Italy have bilateral agreements covering everything from culture to commerce to health care and two Italian born Australians have even been elected to the Italian Parliament. Italian news, current affairs and entertainment are offered through programs such as Rete Italia, RAI International and SBS, and publications such as Il Globo and La Fiamma provide excellent local Italian resources for learners of Italian. Students of Italian have many opportunities to use the language in everyday life. There is an abundance of Italian restaurants, businesses and social groups where Italian is spoken. Knowledge of the Italian language can open doors to a wide range of employment opportunities in the commercial, educational, scientific, chemical, automotive and hospitality fields. It also provides access to a rich culture known throughout the world for its contribution to art, architecture, music, ballet, literature, film, fashion and of course, food!