Requests in Italian
Requests in Italian
PRACTICAL IDEAS AND RESOURCES
Resources in this section curated by: Illena Trebont
How to Say "Please" in Italian | YouTube Video
This video explains how to say “please” in different contexts while speaking Italian. It provides examples of how to say “please” when making a request, accepting an offer, and making a concession. It also includes examples of conversations in which the different forms meaning “please” are used, as well as information about which forms are more or less common. This video was created by a native Italian speaker, but all of the explanations are in English.
ACADEMIC RESOURCES ON POLITENESS IN ITALIAN
Resources in this section curated by: Illena Trebont
Fedriani. (2019). A pragmatic reversal: Italian per favore “please” and its variants between politeness and impoliteness. Journal of Pragmatics, 142, 233–244. https://doi.org/10.1016/j.pragma.2018.09.008
This study discusses how the pragmatic meanings of the Italian politeness markers “por favore,” “por piacere,” and “per cortesia” have changed over time. In this study, the researchers begin by providing a history of the use of these terms. They then use an online corpus of written Italian in order to analyze the contexts in which these politeness markers are used in contemporary Italian. Their findings suggest that Italian speakers have started to use these politeness markers in order to carry out impolite speech acts, such as rude requests and rebuttals. The researchers call this phenomenon “pragmatic reversal,” and explain that it is a common process that has been documented in several languages.
ACADEMIC RESOURCES ON REFUSALS IN ITALIAN
Resources in this section curated by: Illena Trebont
Verzella, & Tommaso, L. (2020). The Pragmatics Of Refusing A Request In Italian And American English: A Comparative Study. Discourse and Interaction, 13(1), 92–112. https://doi.org/10.5817/DI2020-1-92
This study examines and compares the strategies used by speakers of Italian and American English to refuse requests. The participants in this study were two groups of college students from Southern Italy and North Dakota, and the data was collected during conversations that were meant to elicit refusals in response to a request to participate in a language circle with international students. Researchers found that Italian speakers are more likely to provide long explanations and apologies when refusing a request, while English speakers tend to provide more positive opinions and encouragement by saying things such as “I can’t, but I wish I could do it!”.
