It is widely
known that the Tuscan vernacular, particularly Florentine, has the most
occurances of words derived directly from Latin. This issue’s Florentinism is
no exception-ire, to go.
Two examples
of common use of ire in Florence:
O indove l”
ito? (Where did he go?)
C” che ire! (There’s a
long way to go yet!) This one is particularly important to me as it reminds me
of my childhood-my grandmother used this expression often.
Interestingly, ire also shows up in Spanish, also as the verb ir (to go).
Since readers
seem to be enjoying the column so much, I would like to thank the inexhaustable
font of Florentinisms that were my grandparents; the city of Florence for its
historical background that continues to be a source of inspiration; and the
readers and other writers who will give me a hand in writing this column in the
future!
