“And most stopped speaking the language so quickly when they got here that many second and third generation could barely speak Italian or not at all.”
A coworker born, raised and very well educated in Italy enjoyed speaking Italian with a Tex-Mex coworker speaking Spanish.
They said it was not 100% but could understand each other.
The Tex-Mex guy was the worlds worst Spanish teacher, ever!
He worked for me twenty-plus years and I had a few semesters in school. All that and still not much!!!
A smart guy, but not much of a Spanish instructor.
Is Fredo a popular Italian name in NYC?
I lived in a solid Italian neighborhood for years, knew some named Fred, Maybe only their mother called them Fredo?
Funny you say that. I have a friend who owns an Italian restaurant and speaks fluent Italian and he can give orders to the spanish speaking workers well enough for them to understand.
I wonder if 2nd generation Tex/Mex spanish has its own variations on words :) I know we Americans from the boot have butchered many Italian words so much that true Italians may not know what we’re trying to say :)
I know ONE guy of Italian descent with the name Freddy.
And he is my sister in law’s cousin! So I had to reach to find one.
Not a very common name at all.
Alfredo (Freddy) was much more popular in the first 2 generations. I know more deceased Alfredos than alive ones!
I am second generation but that’s unusual.
Most with ancestors from the boot or 4th and 5th generation now.
A few semesters in school for a smart person can go a long way.
I can’t anymore but for a long time I could understand and speak some French due to my those early French classes.
Sorry for being so long winded!