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26th AMENDMENT SIGNING | MEMORIES | YOUTUBE VIDEOS
Phyllis Learns To Speak ITALIAN
When we spent a semester on sabbatical in Rome, Italy, pronunciation became even more of a challenge - especially for Phyllis. We spent a wonderful day with the family of a young woman, Graziella Petricca, who had been very helpful to our family. She graciously assisted Phyllis in shopping. We had originally become familiar with Graziella when we stayed at Domus Mariae where she was a young server.
When Graziella invited us to spend a wonderful Saturday with her family, we had the privilige of meeting her Grandmother, her Parents, and her sister. Her family did not speak or understand English and only I (and our children somewhat) understood Italian. Her Father decided to attempt to teach Phyllis how to pronounce some common Italian words. The first, last, and only one was pomodoro (tomato.) He sounded the word and indicated that Phyllis repeat it. Phyllis then utterred pah-muh-DOH-roh! Her delightful southern drawl and diphthongs were obvious and he said, "no, no, no" and once again repeated the word. This happened multiple times and each time the entire families (both their and ours) would burst into laughter.
Graziella Petricca, 1974
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Top: Graziella Petricca with Her Grandmother | Graziella's Mother and Phyllis
Bottom: David and Mr. Petricca (Graziella's Father) | Sandra (Graziella's Younger Sister)
& Father
When we returned to the USA, I purchased the following Italian spoon rest to remind us of the great fun we had and the great progress (not) that Phyllis made in developing her Italian accent.
