L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, NOVEMBER 2 2023 www.italoamericano.org 22 L'Italo-Americano T he word accanto ( a h k - k a h n - t o h ) c o m e s f r o m t h e fusion of the Ital- i a n w o r d c a n t o and the prefix "a." Canto in Italian can refer to singing, but is also an old-fashioned w a y t o s a y " c o r n e r , " o r "side." The prefix "a," on the other hand, is a Latin-script letter used in Italian to indi- c a t e t h e d i r e c t o b j e c t — mainly to avoid confusion when it, the subject, or both a r e d i s p l a c e d — o r f o r emphasis, also conveying the sense of "at" or "to." I n i t s c u r r e n t u s a g e , accanto is employed to signi- fy proximity or closeness, translating to English terms such as "next to," "nearby," "alongside," or "near." The versatility of accanto in Italian reflects in its Eng- lish translations, each bear- ing a slightly different nuance o f s p a t i a l r e l a t i o n . F o r instance, in the phrase seder- si accanto a qualcuno, which translates to "sitting next to someone," the word depicts immediate proximity. Simi- larly, in vivere accanto al mare, meaning "living near 1 of; from 2 on; up 5 the (feminine) 7 ships 8 island 14 (we) stay 16 chair 19 pipes (for smoking) 20 there 21 into, going inside 22 (he) goes Using the provided meanings as clues, search for the appropriate Italian word in the grid 1 (you/tu) give 3 (feminine of) a, an 4 grape 6 (I) give 9 seed 10 lines 11 three 12 (you/tu) wash 13 not; no, not any 15 (feminine plural of) my 16 six 17 (he) gives 18 wing the sea," it denotes a some- what broader spatial close- ness. The use of accanto is not a recent development, as the word has been a part of the Italian lexicon for centuries. The frequency of its use has seen some variations over the past 500 years, which mirrors the evolving nature of lan- guages and how they adapt to societal changes and needs over the years and centuries . In modern times, accanto continues to be a widely used term to illustrate spatial rela- tions in various contexts. Its application is seen in every- day conversations, literary w o r k s , a n d a l s o t e c h n i c a l descriptions, showcasing its flexibility and relevance in the Italian language. Vieni qui! Siediti accanto a me! Come here! Sit next to me! L a s u a m a c c h i n a è parcheggiata proprio accan- to alla mia H i s c a r i s p a r k e d j u s t beside mine Le tue scarpe sono lì, pro- prio accanto al tavolo! Your shoes are there, just next to the table! LA VITA ITALIANA TRADITIONS HISTORY CULTURE Accanto: a word that speaks of bonding (Photo: Monkey Business Images/Dreamstime) 1 man 2 to turn 3 face 4 son 5 father 6 home 7 girl 8 boy 9 woman 10 mother 11 to eat 12 to talk 13 heart 14 friend 15 light A C R O S S D O W N ITALIAN WORD SEARCH The solution to these word games will be available on the next edition. Games courtesy of Lexis Rex

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