Italian Language

General Information

Why Italian?

Italian is the second most widely spoken language in Australia. This is partly due to the fact that Italians make up the largest single non-English speaking group of migrants.

Italian has many similarities to English in grammar and vocabulary, and is no trouble to write as the spelling is phonetic. It is fun to speak, and has many accessible connotations, such as those relating to food and fashion.

Italian is increasingly a language of economic significance. We import clothing, footwear, wine, machinery and electronics from Italy, while there exist many opportunities for us to export our own raw materials and manufactured products to Europe.

The Italian language is of major importance in the study of culture. It is the language of classical music and opera and of Renaissance art and provides access to some of the Western world's greatest literature, including Petrarch and Dante.

Should students wish to undertake Italian studies at tertiary level, UNE offers a full range of undergraduate and postgraduate courses, including Ph.D. studies, both internally and externally. Our most popular courses, Italian 101, followed in second semester by Italian 102, require no previous qualification in Italian. These units provide basic grounding in the spoken and written language, and introduce students to contemporary society in Italy.

Career possibilities for students of Italian exist in teaching, business, foreign affairs and trade, journalism, the professions, and the arts.

If your are interested in teaching Italian at your school, the School of Languages, Cultures and Linguistics at UNE is available to help in any way possible, with course materials, advice, visits by our lecturers or visits to the university by your students. If your want to know more about Italian as a foreign language choice, or courses at UNE, give us a call on (02) 67733189, or write to us (email:Italian@une.edu.au), or drop in.