Different accents in Italy? I was curious if there are different Italian accents spoken by native speakers in Italy or if it's pretty much the same in all areas of the country. I often listen to Italian news on the internet and I don't really notice any different accents. Thank you friends.

Une Question Sur Le Mot "Charge" Est-ce que c'est correct? La charge sur la facture = The charge on the bill Je demande si ce sens du mot charge signifie la même chose que l'anglais. "Les frais sur votre facture"... Est-ce que c'est une meilleure traduction?Merci

Imitation of Accents Among Native Speakers (British vs. American) I know accents are hard to do... (Even the exact same language for native speakers). We'll consider an Australian accent as British here. Is it easier for an American to do a good (Standard) British accent or someone from Great Britain to do a good (Standand) American accent? Myself (Native Americain English)... I can do a very good Irish accent, but can't keep it going too long. I can do a decent standard British accent, but a native speaker would call me out in a few seconds. Any thoughts?

Political Correctness... A Contradiction in Terms? A definition of POLITICALLY CORRECT as defined by Merriam-Webster: “{Conforming to a belief that language and practices which could offend political sensibilities (as in matters of sex or race) should be eliminated}” That's a good textbook definition. However, when I hear the word politics, the first thing I think of is dirty campaign advertising and an overall feeling of strongly conflicting beliefs. Notice this definition mentions only matters of sex and race. In the rather touchy world we live in today, there are potentially countless ways to offend someone with what you do or say. You can even offend people by being too politically correct. A good example is the overuse of the term "Happy Holidays!" to avoid mentioning the specific religious holidays at the end of the year. Some people become tired of hearing this term used over and over because it almost implies the name of the holiday they celebrate is too controversial to ever be written or said out loud. People already are aware that there are important holidays celebrated by different religions at the end of the year. The constant attempt to hide this fact made by corporations and the media simply becomes illogical. It’s worth mentioning that what’s considered politically incorrect is constantly evolving. For example, when Elvis Presley performed on television in the 1950’s, it was forbidden that he be filmed from the waist down because of his gyrating hips. This kind of dancing is now considered nothing out of the ordinary because people have grown accustomed to it. I think the term politically correct can be compared to the expression “look but don’t touch.” We can make a very tantalizing statement, but since it might not be considered politically correct, we better not touch on it. By trying to make a particular opinion come across as politically correct, you are more than likely thinking something that you would be ridiculed for if you dared to say it. Your opinion could be intelligent and of great significance, but the fear of receiving a backlash for saying a few words makes it never worth uttering. It’s funny how politicians often find themselves handcuffed in what they can or cannot say by the term “political correctness.” Many brilliant ideas throughout history have come from defying what the vast majority of people believed at the time. Just because an idea has the potential to offend people, that doesn’t automatically make it worthy of being sentenced to death.

The Difference in Pronunciation Between Poisson and Poison I believe there's a slight difference between poisson (fish) and poison (poison just like in English) in French pronunciation. From what I hear when I listen to the two words, the difference in the "s" sound. Thanks for any help.

Una Triste Verità È importante mantenere passione. Credo che come abbiamo più anziani è facile perdere la passione. Mi ricordo quando ero più giovane e le differenze tra oggi e il passato. La vera emozione per le piccole cose era comune. Ad esempio, quando la scuola chiude presto a causa della neve, è molto eccitante per i bambini. Quando l'ufficio chiude presto a causa della neve, va bene, tranne lo stress di tornare a casa senza avere un incidente può essere insopportabile. Lo stesso vale per i giorni speciali che celebriamo, giorno di Natale e tutti gli altri giorni di festa. La necessità di comprare i regali può creare stress. La necessità di prendere tempo di vacanza per presentarsi in questi giorni può creare stress. Queste cose sono naturalmente piccoli ostacoli, ma questi ostacoli non esistessero quando noi eravamo bambini. Per questo motivo è facile capire perché l'entusiasmo dimostrato da parte dei bambini è così vero. Vorrei ritrovare l'entusiasmo e la passione che sembrano persi da qualche parte nel tempo.

Another Boring Notebook Entry I'll try my best not to make this lackluster, uninspiring, monotonous or mediocre. I just finished drinking a chai tea at a well known coffee chain (ends in bucks for those who really care). While I was sitting there waiting for my future wife to walk in the door, some random thoughts popped into my head. First of all, when I was referring to my future wife, I meant whatever pretty woman that might enter and smile at me. Unfortunately that didn't happen and I’ll have to wait until later this afternoon when I go back to redeem my treat receipt. To give you all the mesmerizing details, I can go back and show the treat receipt after 2 p.m. in order to receive any cold Grande drink for about half price. I live only a block away and can walk there, which will no doubt be the highlight of my day when I receive another tasty beverage. Anyway, back to the random thoughts. I watched the gold medal basketball game earlier. I must admit it was a great game and you could tell the American players were genuinely happy to win. It’s a nice thing to see when usually all the talk that surrounds the majority of these athletes is the terms of their current contract. You often hear about how unhappy they are to play in the city they’re in. They all want to play in the big market cities, even when offered a tremendous amount of money to stay in a middle or small market. This usually has to do with their egos and hurts the NBA in my opinion. I’m writing in English again because I just feel like it. I’m often awestruck when I read comments, corrections and notebook entries written by people that speak a language other than English as their native language. I often like to think that I’ve learned enough French and Spanish over the years to rival a native speaker of either one. However, sometimes when I see what they’ve written in their native language, I can’t help but to feel incredibly dispirited at how much better they are than me. I often view people’s profiles here that claim they speak fluent this or that, but rarely do I see them answer questions or make notebook corrections in this language they’re supposedly fluent at. This is especially true of native English speakers from the United States that claim to speak fluent Spanish. If their Spanish is so good, why don’t they put their money where their mouth is and actually use it here? I’m not being a hypocrite because I use other languages here. Sorry, I’m going on a rant. No characters remaining. Take care!

SONO PRONTO PER L'AUTUNNO Quest'anno l'estate è stata particolarmente calda. Ci sono stati numerosi incendi nelle vicinanze e molte persone hanno visto le loro case nelle ceneri. È principalmente per questo che sono felice che l'autunno sta arrivando. Le temperature dell'autunno sono piacevoli. Sarò in grado di indossare la mia bella giacca una volta di più. Amo le serate durante l'autunno, soprattutto quando c'è una brezza leggera.

How can I say with confidence the word "œil"? This French word has been a problem for me to pronounce for years. œil (eye) is difficult for a native English speaker like myself to say with total confidence. As far as my Frech ear can take me, it should be simple: "O" (just like the English letter O), which is followed by a sound similar to the English word "eye." However, like I said, it's been confusing to me for years. Thank you.