Italian speakers, why on earth do they call football "calcio"?

[spacedonkey]

Why oh why do they call football "calcium"?

put me out of my misery someone

Oh, I did know this once - will research

thanks tinker! i have tried a google search but it was fruitless

i asked a couple of people when i was there and they didn't know

"...from calciare meaning to kick"

Actually, don't think I knew it now reading that.

aha that makes total sense, thank you tinker

Whinny!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Calcio also means "kick" noun - as you actually give kicks to the ball to play football.

If you are into Italian football, then you also need to know that Serie A is the top league, and that portiere (doorman) is the the goalkeeper!

and, this is quite amusing I think, Italian for foul is fallo, which also mean "do it" and a part of the man anatomy...

I think it's all Mussolini's fault!

Under Fascism there was a policy of banning foreign words, which meant that Italian words were 'invented' for concepts which are often referred to by the English term in other foreign languages. Foreign forenames were also banned (which is a bit of a joke since Benito isn't an Italian name), and place names in those parts of Italy where other languages are spoken (e.g. the South Tyrol where they speak German, the Val D'Aosta where they speak French) were 'Italianised'. That's why if you go to these areas even now, places often have two names (often not even very alike: Sterzing = Vipiteno).

The Fascists also 'banned' the polite form 'Lei' and replaced it with 'voi' (a bit like French 'vous').

hi there,I'm an english mother of two living in italy.I find it strangely un-natural speaking to my kids in English.I'm fluent in Italian and my h is italian.All my "baby talk" is in Italian and I just can't come up with the same words in English.Any ideas?

happyspider - is that where the term "fellatio" comes from?

Where are you eslitalia, I also living in Italy, not fluent but learning fast. Again certain words just are far better than the translation in Engliash and visa versa sometimes. A good example for me is 'tough' in Italian doesn't quite carry the message.

Hi, I'm living in the north of italy with two kids and italian hubby. been living here now for about 10 years. I found it difficult speaking in english to my first daughter when she was little as it seemed as though I was was being rude, you know nobody else could understand what i was jibbering on about and I just found it more natural talking to her in italian I guess. With my second child however I am going out of my way to only speak English to her, she is only a year old so its early days yet. My oldest child is now speaking to the little one in english too. I try and read to them as much as I can in English and whenever I can I take them back to england for a holiday to get the lingo flowing abit more!! Can you believe that after all these years I still get homesick??

I've just moved from Italy having been there for 3 years and Denmark before that. I have always spoken to DS in English because it is my mother tongue although I can speak other language quite well too. DH has always spoken to DS in Portuguese (he's Brazilian) and I never felt that we were being rude if not speaking Italian. DS said it made him feel very special! We all speak Italian and always used it when needed. It is such a gift for kids to know more than one language, dont miss the chance! Quite by accident we are now living in Brazil and because DS already speaks Portuguese he is fitting in fine. BTW I've lived abroad for about 15 years and I'm still homesick!!