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[Guide] Italian keyboard and Italian accents

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dakanga

[Guide] Italian keyboard and Italian accents

Post by dakanga »

![Imgur](
à À ç Ç é É è È ì Ì ò Ò ù Ù € « » : Special characters in Italian

Operating the Windows International Keyboard

##How to type Italian accents / diacritics

First off , check out:
https://support.duolingo.com/hc/en-us/a ... keyboards-

This tells you how to load different keyboards in different devices. i.e. it covers selecting different keyboards for a : Windows, or a Mac, or an iPad device.

##Windows Keyboard

With Windows, you need to select an appropriate keyboard to type all the required Italian characters.

For typing in Italian, for people who already are familiar with the US/English QWERTY keyboard, I highly recommend selecting the US-International keyboard. So in your "Text Services and Input Languages" select : [EN] English (United States) keyboard, and
go under "English (United States)/Keyboard/" select United States-International. Click here for more detailed instructions for selecting a keyboard.

Click here to read about Functions for Italian on a US-International keyboard. This points out where the function keys are, to enable you to type these characters. ie, where to locate the APOSTROPHE, BACK QUOTE, etc.




There are 2 types of Italian accents, and a couple of other special characters. Here is how to use them if you have the US-International keyboard selected.

characterhow toname
à, è, ì, ò, ùhold BACK QUOTE + (a) or (e) or (i) or (o) or (u)grave
éhold APOSTROPHE + (e)acuto
çhold APOSTROPHE + (c)cedilla
or hold RIGHT ALT + COMMA
hold RIGHT ALT + (5²)*euro*

  • *² use the numbers above your alphabet keys.

One thing to watch out for, is that when you want to type an apostrophe or a backquote, you have to hit the space key after it in order to tell Windows that you're not looking to type a special character.

Click here for further recommended and related articles.

p.s. Using the US-International keyboard has the added advantage, as it also gives you access to other commonly used accents for many other European languages. And all from a QWERTY keyboard layout for those that are most familiar with this. A great asset for those of us who dabble in multiple languages :D


I hope if others have any useful tips and advice about keyboards, that you may choose to also share them here. Also, if I have anything incorrect, that you will point this out. ![iGuide iGuideKeyboards ιροp](

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dakanga

Re: [Guide] Italian keyboard and Italian accents

Post by dakanga »

##Functions for Italian on US-International keyboard


To make good use of the International keyboard, you need to be aware of the functions now available to you.

  1. The BACK QUOTE (``) key, which is on the tilde key ( ~ ) , in the top right corner of the keyboard.
  2. The APOSTROPHE (') key, two keys to the right of the (L).
  3. Then there are the different ALT keys. The ALT key to the left of the spacebar enables you to type "ALT" codes. The ALT key to the right acts as a function key to additional characters on the keyboard. On some keyboards, this right most (ALT) key is labelled (AltGr). And I have also seen it labelled as (AltChar).

AltGr stands for Alternative Graph. It is a modifier key that is now commonly found on many keyboard layouts.

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dakanga

Re: [Guide] Italian keyboard and Italian accents

Post by dakanga »

##Alt codes : Keyboard shortcuts for Italian Accents
Sorted in type order.

characterAlt codename
àAlt+0224grave
èAlt+0232grave
ìAlt+0204grave
òAlt+0242grave
ùAlt+0249grave
éAlt+0233acuto
çAlt+0231cedilla
Alt+0128euro

For Italian the «» are now fading out of use, being replaced by the quotation mark (").

https://www.thoughtco.com/fra-virgolett ... ks-2011397

https://www.thoughtco.com/fra-virgolett ... ks-2011397

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dakanga

Re: [Guide] Italian keyboard and Italian accents

Post by dakanga »

##Detailed instructions for selecting keyboard:

  1. Go to the Windows menu.
    ![](

  2. Select "Control Panel"

  3. Select "Region and Languages"

  4. Select "Keybords and Languages", and select "Change keyboards"
    ![](https://imgur.com/b6XpzHB.jpg)
    ![](
    You will see something similar to this above.

  5. Under the section "Installed services"

check for "EN English (United States)"
if this is not selected, then select "English (United States)"

  1. Under "English (United States), then select "Keyboard", and "United States-International"
  2. Then make sure you remember to press the Apply button !
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dakanga

Re: [Guide] Italian keyboard and Italian accents

Post by dakanga »

##Further recommended and related articles


Also I hope others may suggest things that they have found interesting about this subject. Also, it is worthwhile checking out the "Related Discussion" listed to the right of this post.

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dakanga

Re: [Guide] Italian keyboard and Italian accents

Post by dakanga »

![](http://xahlee.info/kbd/i/kb/Apple_iMac_ ... 42-big.jpg)
A Mac keyboard is very similar to the varieties available for Windows. Above is a photo of one of the common Mac keyboards.
However you will notice that instead of (ALT) keys, the keys are labelled :
Alt
Option

So if you press the (Option) key, and then the letter you are after, the Mac system will bring up a set of optional characters for you to select from.

So for the keys for "question mark" and "explanation mark" , if you press first (Option) and then the (?) or (!) mark, then other options will be displayed.

  • The Exclamation mark is located on the (1) key.
  • The Question mark is located 3 keys to the left of (M)

Thus for, a letter like (e) or (c), if you press first (Option) and then the key, then the system will provide you with options for this character to select.


The iPad works in a similar way. Yet you instead hold your finger on the virtual key you are after, and if there are options, they will be displayed.

This is also similar to how it works for Android.

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dakanga

Re: [Guide] Italian keyboard and Italian accents

Post by dakanga »

###Operating the Windows International Keyboard

You need to understand about new function keys at your disposal. The common term for them is dead keys

![Imgur](

The dead keys are highlighted in red. And the Right Alt key in blue.

A dead key is a key that has become a modifier key, that is used to type special characters. The dead key when used in conjunction with another key (or combination of 3 keys) will generate a special character.

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dakanga

Re: [Guide] Italian keyboard and Italian accents

Post by dakanga »

From : https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/1802 ... d=18023262

By : CivisRomanus


I guess you mean accent as the stress of a word, not the graphic accent (i.e. the diacritical mark you place on certain vowels).

Generally speaking, although a majority of Italian words carries the stress on the penultimate word, there are words that carry it elsewhere.

Counting syllables from the right (i.e. backwards), Italian words can carry the stress on:

the last syllable: città, caffè, perché, però, etc.
In this case the last vowel must bear a graphic accent. These are known as parole tronche ('truncated words', as if a part was missing) or, more technically, parole ossitone .

The penultimate syllable: penna, limone, lampadina, calendario, etc.
These are the most common words and are know as parole piane ('plain words').

The antepenultimate syllable: seggiola, popolo, telefono etc.
These are know as parole sdrucciole ('slippery words').

Note that piane is itself a 'plain' word, and sdrucciole is itself a 'slippery' word.

The preantepenultimate syllable (fourth from the end): they are all third plural persons of the present indicative and present subjunctive tenses of long verbs (i.e. with four or more syllables) belonging to the 1st conjugation:
praticare → praticano = they practice

superare → superano = they overcome

masticare → masticano = they chew

These are known as parole bisdrucciole ('twice slippery words'). Unfortunately, not with all long verbs of the 1st conjugation the third plural person are stressed in this position; many others are stressed on the antepenultimate syllable (parola sdrucciola):

disturbare → disturbano = they disturb

insegnano → insegnano = they teach

ricordare → ricordano = they remember

Good dictionaries usually show where the first person singular of the present indicative carries the stress, for instance:

praticare, io pràtico

disturbare, io distùrbo

Since the third person plural has the same stressed syllable as the first person singular (despite the third person plural is longer by one syllable):

io pràtico → loro pràticano (bisdrucciola)

io distùrbo → loro distùrbano /b

When adding clitic pronouns to the imperative mood of a verb, they bind to the end of the word, so the word is longer by two syllables, but the stress keeps its original position. In this case you can have stress on the propreantepenultimate syllable (i.e. fifth from the end, parola trisdrucciola) if the imperative is three or more syllables long, and carries the stress on the first syllable:
libera = free → liberamelo = free it for me (the stress always falls on the i)

indica = indicate → indicaceli = indicate them to us (again the stress falls on the first i)

dimentica = forget → dimenticatene = forget about it (the stress falls on the first e).

As a general rule, even in very long words, with six or more syllables, the stress cannot fall any further than on the fifth syllable from the right:

incredibilmente = incredibly (6 syllables) carries the stress on the penultimate one

particolareggiato = detailed (7 syllables) carries the stress on the penultimate one

...and so on.

Graphic accents are very rarely used to indicate the position of stress (except the ones on the last syllable). This can be done to help the reader when a word can be easily mistaken for a similar one with a different stress:

àncora = anchor but ancòra = again

prìncipi = princes but princìpi = principles

Or when a vowel takes two different sounds:

pésca = fishing but pèsca = peach (different accents, the first one is acute, the other is grave)

But in a context of speech one would very rarely mistake the correct meaning.

Only dictionary entries always feature a graphic accent to indicate the stressed vowel (or syllable).

Clearly, one should memorize where the stress falls in each word, although the doubt is usually restricted to the penultimate and the antepenultimate syllables.

Verb inflections usually follow schemes, at least regular verbs do so. Once you know how one tense works for one verb, you can apply the same scheme to others verbs, as well.

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dakanga

Re: [Guide] Italian keyboard and Italian accents

Post by dakanga »

By CivisRomanus
https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/1802 ... d=18029206

How are the grave-accented 'e' and acute-accented 'e' pronounced?

In the international phonetic alphabet the acute-accented 'e' (é ) is /e/, what is referred to as 'close e' (e chiusa ).

The grave-accented 'e' (è ) is /ɛ/ , what is commonly referred to as 'open e' (e aperta ).

According to a general rule, any 'e' that does not carry the stress is pronounced /e/ ('close' sound).

Instead, when an 'e' carries the stress, its sound can be either 'close' or 'open'.

In telefono (telephone) the first 'e' is unstressed ('close' sound), the second one is stressed ('open' sound).

In celeste (pale blue) the first 'e' is unstressed ('close' sound), the second one is stressed ('open' sound), the third one is unstressed ('close' sound).

In vedere (to see) all three have a 'close' sound (the second one carries the stress)

In prendere(to take) the first 'e' is stressed ('open' sound) and the following two are unstressed ('close' sound)

In perché (why / beacuse) both have a 'close' sound (the last one is stressed, and bears an acute accent)

In caffè (coffee) the 'e' carries the stress and sounds 'open' (it bears a grave accent)

è (he/she/it is) carries a grave accent and is pronounced with an 'open' sound

e (and) has no accent and is pronounced with a 'close' sound

Similar rules also concern the pronunciation of the vowel 'o', whose sound can be either 'close' /o/ or 'open' /ɔ/.

When an 'o' is unstressed, it always sounds 'close', /o/.

When an 'o' is stressed, it can have either of the two sounds.

When the stressed 'o' is the last letter of the word ('truncated word') and carries a graphic accent, it always sounds 'open', /ɔ/ (so the accent is always grave).

In orologio (clock, watch) the first 'o' and the second 'o' are unstressed ('close' sound), the third one is stressed (it sounds 'open'), the fourth one is unstressed ('close').

In orgoglio (pride) all three sound 'close' (the second one is stressed)

In tornerò (I'll return) the first 'o' is unstressed ('close'), the second one is stressed and, being the last letter of the word, it sounds 'open' and bears a grave accent.

In proporrò (I'll propose) the first two are unstressed and sound 'close', the last one is stressed and, being the last letter of the word, it sounds 'open' and bears a grave accent.

ho (I have) sounds 'open'

o (or) sounds 'close'

In some cases, pronouncing the stressed vowel with the two types of sound produces different meanings:

esse (the first 'e' has a 'close' sound) = they [feminine]

esse (the first 'e' has an 'open' sound) = S, the letter S

svelto (the 'e' has a 'close' sound) = fast, quick

svelto (the 'e' has an 'open' sound) = uprooted, eradicated

torta (the 'o' has a 'close' sound) = cake

torta (the 'o' has an 'open' sound) = twisted, bent [feminine]

fossi (the 'o' has a 'close' sound) = (that) I were / you were [subjunctive]

fossi (the 'o' has an 'open' sound) = ditches, trenches

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dakanga

Re: [Guide] Italian keyboard and Italian accents

Post by dakanga »

MartinCroft : https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/1802 ... d=18020803

Hi!

I think that, unfortunately, Italian doesn't have such clear-cut rules :/. I'm not a native speaker but I've read that the accent mark must be there if the last syllable is stressed like in "città", "virtù" and "perché". If other syllables are stressed, the accent mark isn't always there. There are some words that have different meanings depending on which syllable is stressed like "àncora"-"anchor" and "ancòra"-"again"; this isn't always represented in writing, though.

Let me know if this is helpful :).

DuoFaber :

That's exactly right! For example, "anchor" can be written as "àncora" to avoid any possible confusion (ancòra/ancora = again/still/yet, is a far more popular word), but the accent can be omitted, it's not mandatory when the stress is not on the last vowel.

I would add that only a few words use the acute accent ("perché", "benché", "poiché", etc..), the standard accent mark in Italian is the grave accent ("città", "civiltà", "società", etc..), so that's another difference between Spanish and Italian. There are some native speakers who didn't pay attention in school and who always write "perchè", or "poichè", but that's wrong, the accent is important because it indicates the correct pronunciation. For example, "è" means "he/she/it is", while "e" (pronounced "é") means "and".

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dakanga

Re: [Guide] Italian keyboard and Italian accents

Post by dakanga »

Katzenperson : https://forum.duolingo.com/comment/1802 ... d=18024724

Ah, but tell me as one who is not a native speaker ,what is the difference between the acute-accented 'e' and the grave-accented 'e' in pronunciation? This seems to be of great importance.

DuoFaber :
Basically, è is pronounced like the "e" in the word "tell", while é is pronounced like the second "e" in the word "secret". That's why words like "perché" need the accent to go in that direction :)

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