In the spring semester, the International Resource Center at TSU Research Library established the Italian speaking club Il Signor Fervorino e la Signorina Favella.
“When conceptualizing the club’s name I really wanted it to be meaningful. Il Signor Fervorino e la Signorina Favella seemed like the perfect pick to me: I do believe that the word and, essentially, speech should be the foundation of everything,” explains the club’s moderator Carolina Botteschi, a PhD student at TSU Faculty of Philology. “During the meetings, club members have the opportunity to ‘chitchat’—or fare quattro chiacchiere, as Italians say—in a pressure-free environment, learn about the past and present of Italian culture, and exchange ideas and opinions on various matters, as well as try to overcome the dreaded language barrier.”
Born in Italy, Carolina dedicated the major part of her pre-university and university education to studying foreign languages and literature. Ars oratoria—the art of oratory—has always been one of her greatest passions. In her free time, she enjoys writing short stories, going for long walks in nature, and exercising. She likes to travel, stroll through libraries, flip the pages of old books; she is mesmerized by the people of the past who, through sheer mastery, were able to portray the endless variety that is the human soul and the world itself.
“Why did I become a speaking club moderator? That is a good question… The truth is, I did not even choose to become one—it is likely that I did not choose at all. Rather it is a combination of circumstances and luck that created a just about perfect turn of events,” Carolina continues reminiscing. “Language is a feisty little creature that changes constantly and is always ready to catch its learners by surprise. This is why during the meetings I do my best to acquaint people with Italy through games, songs, poems, or videos: If we stick to grammar only, we rid the language of its creative aspect.”
Club sessions offer a wide variety of topics, which enable its members to use different styles, vocabulary, and narration techniques.
“I can never come up with a topic without a spark of inspiration and thorough introspection combined: While getting prepared for a new session, I let the words take control,” adds Carolina.
Il Signor Fervorino e la Signorina Favella takes place every Wednesday at 16:30 p.m. in the International Resource Center of TSU Research Library. If you are interested in learning Italian, consider applying—people of all proficiency levels are welcome.
Email: irc@lib.tsu.ru, tel.: (3822) 78-51-03.
Apart from Italian, there are 13 more speaking clubs: Russian as a foreign language, Chinese, English, Spanish, Indonesian, and others.
Original article and photo by: TSU Research Library