10 US Politicians Who Speak A Foreign Language
Despite the United States being a multilingual melting pot, the relationship between American politics and foreign language isn’t a particularly close
The Origins Of Italian Carnival Masks
The Carnival of Venice is an annual celebration in Italy — and one that’s world famous for its intricate Venetian masks. In the festival, these masks are part of elaborate costumes that evoke feelings of pomp, elegance and even a bit of magic. But did you know that Italian carnival masks are more than beautiful pieces of art?
Here, we’ll explore how each mask symbolizes a character from the Italian theater tradition of Commedia dell’Arte, and cover a bit of the history behind these classic tropes.
The Stories Behind Italian Carnival Masks
Pulcinella
City of origin: Naples
Pulcinella represents irony and insolence. He’s resourceful and always finds a way to outsmart people in power.
Colombina
City of origin: Venice
Colombina (“little dove” in Italian) is Arlecchino’s girlfriend and the archetype of the smart, sassy servant. She is very devoted to her lady Rosaura and often helps her with her love intrigues.
Arlecchino
City of origin: Bergamo
This astute and mischievous character was originally associated with demons. His name comes from the German Höllenkönig (King of Hell), which transformed first into Helleking and finally Harlequin. His costume is composed of differently colored patches and rags.
Pantalone
City of origin: Venice
Pantalone is a rich and greedy merchant. He wears red tights (calzamaglia in Italian), a black cape and a money purse full of golden coins. Tight trousers, called pantaloni after this character, were very popular among the Venetian working class in the 16th century, and are the source of the English word “pants.”
Dottor Balanzone
City of origin: Bologna
The doctor is a typical azzeccagarbugli (unscrupulous lawyer) who speaks a refined language full of Latin words. Balanzone comes from the word balanza (bilancia in Italian and “scale” in English), a symbol of justice.
Brighella
City of origin: Bergamo
Brighella is a shrewd and cunning character and the best friend of Arlecchino. He’s a skilled liar, perfectly represented by his name, which comes from briga (meaning “trouble,” or “dispute”).
Want to learn more about the history of Carnival? Read about Carnival celebrations around the globe.
Recommended Articles
How To Talk About Family In Swedish
There’s nothing like learning the names we give our family members to completely upend your expectations for how language is supposed to work. I
How Does Word Order Work?
Word order, as the name implies, is how words are arranged in a sentence. The words “I saw Sam” can’t be rearranged as “I Sam saw,” “Saw Sam I” or any
Is Learning A Language While Sleeping Possible?
The average human sleeps about eight hours a night for, on average, 75 years. That adds up to around two hundred and 22,000 hours in a lifetime. What
9 Charming Poop Idioms In Other Languages
Let’s level with each other for a second. We all know poop humor is universal; if it weren’t, there wouldn’t be so many colorful phr
How Did The Continents Get Their Names?
Geographical names, much like physical geographical features, split the world up every which way. For as long as humans have been around, they’ve been
How To Get Past Your Language-Learning Plateau
Once you’ve been learning a language for a while, you might hit into a brick wall known as the language-learning plateau. When you first start l
Let’s Bust Some Myths About Raising Bilingual Children
There are many reasons why you might be looking into raising bilingual children. Maybe you live in a multilingual community, or would like to enhance
About Us
We are a comprehensive and trusted information platform dedicated to delivering high-quality content across a wide range of topics, including society, technology, business, health, culture, and entertainment.
From breaking news to in-depth reports, we adhere to the principles of accuracy and diverse perspectives, helping readers find clarity and reliability in today’s fast-paced information landscape.
Our goal is to be a dependable source of knowledge for every reader—making information not only accessible but truly trustworthy. Looking ahead, we will continue to enhance our content and services, connecting the world and delivering value.