Page 27 - Via del Corso A1 for English speakers, edizioni Edilingua

1 The Alphabet and Pronunciation

1.1 The Alphabet U1

A a a H h acca Q q cu In words of foreign origin
B b bi I i i R r erre J j i lunga
C c ci L l elle S s esse K k cappa
D d di M m emme T t ti W w doppia vu
E e e N n enne U u u X x ics

F f effe O o o V v vi, vu Y y ipsilon
G g gi P p pi Z z zeta

1.2 C: [ʧ] or [k] U1

C [ʧ] C [k]
C + E, I cellulare, cinema, ciao C + A, O, U, H banco, cuore, macchina, cane, Como

1.3 G: [ʤ] or [g] U1

G [ʤ] G [g]
G + E, I gelato, buongiorno G + A, O, U, H ragazzo, dialogo, lingua, spaghetti

1.4 Double Consonants U2
In Italian, all consonants can be doubled (however, instead of QQ, we almost always find CQ, as in
acqua).
In many cases, as in notte (night) vs. note (notes), double consonants change the meaning of a word.
• The consonants BB, CC, DD, GG, PP, CQ, TT are pronounced with a stronger stop.
• The consonants FF, LL, MM, NN, RR, SS, VV, ZZ are pronounced with a prolonged consonant.

1.5 S: [s] o [z]; [sk] o [ʃ] U3

In Italian, there are voiceless consonants, produced without sound from the vocal chords (C, F, P,
T) ) and voiced consonants, produced with sound from the vocal chords (B, D, G, L, M, N, R, V).
Only S and Z can be either voiceless or voiced.
Voiceless S

[s] [sk]
S + F, P, Q, T risposta S + CA, CO, CU, CH maschile

SS basso
[ʃ]
S + a vowel (at the beginning of a word) signore
S + CI, CE Brescia
consonant + S insegnante
S at the end of a word autobus

Voiced S
[z]
vowel + S + vowel casa
S + B, D, G, L, M, N, R, V sbagliato

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