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Lesson Transcript

INTRODUCTION
Cinzia: Buonasera a tutti and welcome to the second Culture Class.
Marco: Yes, welcome to Italian Names Lesson number 2. Today’s names will be…
Cinzia: Mmm...qual è il nome di oggi?
Marco: Okay. Marco and Elisa.
Cinzia: What about Marco and Cinzia?
Marco: Uh, no.
Cinzia: No? Okay. My name is so beautiful.

Lesson focus
Marco: No name day, no lesson. In this Culture Class Italian Name Series we will take a deep look into Italian names, and talk about many aspects such as origin, etymology of some names and also their name day, their onomastico. So, today first name is…
Cinzia: Marco.
Marco: And it’s only a masculine name. Only masculine!
Cinzia: Yes.
Marco: You don’t have Marca, do you?
Cinzia: No, but we have something else like.
Marco: Really?
Cinzia: Yeah, we have Marica.
Marco: Marica. Well, Marica, it doesn’t sound -
Cinzia: Marco, didn’t you read our lesson transcript today?
Marco: No, where is it?
Cinzia: So Marica is in lesson. Yes, my dear. So, would you like to tell us something about your name, Marco?
Marco: Yes. It’s a nice name. It suits me very well and…
Cinzia: Okay, okay. The name Marco is very ancient.
Marco: You mean I’m old?
Cinzia: Please, can you let me go on with my lesson?
Marco: Go on with your lesson. I ‘ll be outside.
Cinzia: Okay, thank you. So the name Marco comes from the ancient Latin word “Martcus”, which later drop to intermediate “T”.
Marco: So it became?
Cinzia: Marcus.
Marco: And then certainly became Marco.
Cinzia: But in the Roman culture it was “a habit” and also Marco means “consecrated to Mars”.
Marco: Oh, Mars was the Roman God of War.
Cinzia: Yes.
Marco: And of powers and physical strength. The opposite of what I am, right?
Cinzia: Yes, of course, because Marte era il dio della guerra. I don’t know about you and what God you are.
Marco: Oh you mean Marte, Mars was the God of War and I’m no God, am I?
Cinzia: Mmm, yeah.
Marco: Yes. No God on earth.
Cinzia: So the English word marshall, marziale in Italian, comes directly from the name of the Roman God of War: Mars, Marte.
Marco: Oh, okay, okay. So Marco, Marte, marziale they all have meaning of war or…
Cinzia: Yes, they are all connected to war, Mars, and …
Marco: Strength.
Cinzia: Strength, yeah.
Marco: Oh, okay. Not bad, not bad, not bad. And when is my onomastico?
Cinzia: Si Marco, quando è il tuo onomastico?
Marco: My onomastico is on the 25th of April. Il mio onomastico è il 25 aprile and it is in honor of San Marco Evangelista, Saint Mark the Evangelist. And it’s very easy to remember, actually my onomastico, because on the same day, the 25th of April
Cinzia: La liberazione.
Marco: Yes, the day of the Italian Liberation from?
Cinzia: From the occupying German Forces.
Marco: Yes, just at the end of the Second World War.
Cinzia: It was 1945.
Marco: So for me it’s very easy for me to remember when it’s my onomastico because it’s holiday in Italy.
Cinzia: Certo, è festa nazionale. It’s national holiday.
Marco: Nice. Nice. I have two holidays. Nice.
Cinzia: So Mark, the Evangelist, was considered the patron scent of the Republic of Venice.
Marco: And Venice is also known as the Republic of Saint Mark. La Repubblica di San Marco.
Cinzia: Yes, but what about diminutives?
Marco: Hmm.
Cinzia: Hai un diminutivo MArco?
Marco: Yes, I have many diminutives. For example, some people have call me Marchetto.
Cinzia: Really?
Marco: Yes, or Marchino. But the most common one that I’ve had people call me is Marcolino.
Cinzia: Oh, but what about Marcuccio?
Marco: Marcuccio. Never, never.
Cinzia: Never?
Marco: No.
Cinzia: But, you know what, in the South of Italy we usually say Marcuccio or even Marcuzzo.
Marco: Marcuzzo?
Cinzia: Yeah, or even a diminutive of Marcuzzo could be Marcuzziello.
Marco: Marcuzziello? Is that a good pronunciation? This is Naples dialect, a mean Naples pronunciation? So Marcuzziello… No, I can’t say it.
Cinzia: Too exaggerated.
Marco: No, you go with it.
Cinzia: Marcuzziello.
Marco: Never had anybody called me like that, sorry.
Cinzia: But anyway…
Marco: There are also some compound names with the name Marco.
Cinzia: Yes, so many, like Gianmarco, Marcantonio, Marcaurelio...
Marco: Oh, Marcantonio and Marcaurelio are famous Roman Emperor.
Cinzia: Yes, of course. So going back to the female names, we don’t have a corresponding female name to Marco.
Marco: Other feminine variants of Marco?
Cinzia: Yes.
Marco: Well, we have Marca, Marchina, Marcolina, Marcuccia, but actually the most common you can hear is Marica.
Cinzia: Yes, you are right. It’s so rare to hear a person called Marca.
Marco: Yeah, yeah. What about historical figures that had my name.
Cinzia: Oh yes. How could we forget Marco Polo?
Marco: Yes, he was considered by many the greatest European explorer of all times.
Cinzia: He was a Venetian merchant and he moved to China. Well, actually to the Chinese Empire with his father and uncle.
Marco: But I’m sure so many people actually know the history of Marco Polo. There was a very nice game that I heard playing when I was for example in Kenya and it was a nice game you play in swimming pool. You say Marco and the other guy says Polo, and then Marco, and then the other guy says Polo. I never quite understood the game maybe because with my name on it, I was like, “Who’s calling me, who’s calling me, who’s calling me?” Anyway, I’m sure our listeners can help us understand this strange game.
Cinzia: Mhm.
Marco: You have never heard it, have you?
Cinzia: No, actually, no.
Marco: So, listeners please tell us what type of game this is. I mean I’ve never played it. How can I play a game when they keep calling my own name?
Cinzia: Yes, but what’s the point Marco with this game?
Marco: I don’t know that is why I haven’t played it.
Cinzia: Oh, okay.
Marco: I was scared.
Cinzia: Scared?
Marco: Yeah.
Cinzia: Okay.
Marco: A mean, having other children calling your name for two hours in a row you are like, “What’s happening here?”
Marco: If you want to know more about the history of Marco Polo, please check the PDF - we have a short synopsis of his life.
Cinzia: And what’s today’s next name Marco?
Marco: You should know it, you’re reading a script.
Cinzia: Elisa?
Marco: Yes, good.
Cinzia: Okay.
Marco: She can read, she can read. Now…
Cinzia: Unlike Marco, the name Elisa comes from the Jewish name Elisheba, which is a compound name formed two words El, which is means “God” and Sheba, which means “seven”. And the number seven in the Jewish culture was symbolizing the idea of perfection.
Marco: Very nice, very nice.
Cinzia: Yes, very interesting. But, another alternative theory holds the second part of the name to come from Shabat, which means “Saturday”, which is in the Jewish tradition the sacred day dedicated to resting and praying.
Marco: So, the Italian name Elisa’s origins are actually very far.
Cinzia: Yes, very far, but really, really interesting, I think.
Marco: And there is another very famous longer version of Elisa that was adopted by the Christians.
Cinzia: Oh yes, I would say it’s a derived name.
Marco: Okay and what is that name?
Cinzia: Elisabetta.
Marco: Elisabetta. Elizabeth.
Cinzia: Yes. And this name was adopted by Christians since the early centuries in honor of Santa Elisabetta.
Marco: Saint Elizabeth.
Cinzia: Who was the mother of San Giovanni.
Marco: Saint John, the Baptist. When is Elisa’s onomastico celebrated?
Cinzia: L’onomastico di Elisa è celebrato il 26 giugno.
Marco: In honor of Santa Elisa . And there is a very famous singer now in Italy. Well, actually not now she’s being singing for quite some time. She’s still young though. And what’s her name?
Cinzia: Oh yes, Elisa.
Marco: Yes, her art name is Elisa.
Cinzia: I like her.
Marco: And she has a peculiar trait to her songs, doesn’t she?
Cinzia: Oh yes. Even if she’s Italian, she sings in English.
Marco: And she writes all her songs in English.
Cinzia: Yes.
Marco: So it’s a complete English production.
Cinzia: Yes. Their songs are like poems.
Marco: Yeah, true. So if you have time try listening to some of her albums like “Pipes and Flowers”, “Then Comes the Sun” or “Lotus” and “Pearl Days”.
Cinzia: My favorite ones are “Then Comes the Sun” and “Pearl Days”.
Marco: Really?
Cinzia: Yes.
Marco: Mhm. Certainly, dear listeners she sings in English, so it’s nice maybe to see her Italian’s point of view on songs, but you are not going to be listening to Italian songs in there, are you?
Cinzia: Yes, of course.
Marco: But still she’s Italian so hey, listen to it.

Outro
Cinzia: Okay. So, Marco, I think that’s it for today.
Marco: Yes it is. Let’s say ciao ciao to our students.
Cinzia: And thank you very much. And see you next time. Bye-bye.
Marco: Ciao.

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