The Kaso English to Italian Dictionary:
With a Proposed One-to-One Relationship of
Italian Graphemes (letters) and Phonemes (Sounds)
Adolph Caso
Branden Books
ISBN 0-8283-2082-9
527 Pages

Do you have a need to understand the Italian language? Hai bisogno capire la lingua italiana? Or, do you have a need to translate words to English as you visit or live in English-speaking countries? Adolph Caso, in The Kaso English to Italian Dictionary has responded to that need!

When I was asked to review the Dictionary, I thought immediately of the times I visited with my Goddaughter’s family and was unable to share our happy events with anything other than smiles and hugs. It would have been nice to be able to practice ahead and say congratulazioni to the family that was lucky enough to welcome the new Mrs. Lori Mastroianni with her family and me. And with The Kaso Dictionary, it is so easy!  

This dictionary excludes definitions and other features of regular dictionaries. Adolph has instead taken the time to make the book a daily tool for anyone who requires quick and efficient English or Italian words to explain their needs. It is a must for travelers, family members who find they are now relatives of Italian-speaking people and students as well. Because of its format, it is also a quick reference for pronunciation and spelling in either language. 

After a brief explanation of basic pronunciation issues in Italian, the dictionary moves quickly to provide words of our daily lives in an easy-to-read format. There are two columns each having two words The English word is provided first and the Italian translation immediately follows: 

                                    congratulations congratulazioni

 This first column can be used quickly to find the correct spelling in English and then in Italian. 

The second column, for me, was the more important one¾how do I pronounce the word? I can quickly move to the next column and see: 

                                    kongràtulàtions             kongratulaziòni

As can be seen, the “c” is quickly changed to “k” to explain how to pronounce the English “c” in this word. Actually the word does not change too much in either language except for the accents. English puts the emphasis on the “grat” as well as on the “la” while the Italian puts the accent on the last vowel “o” as is done in many of their words. By showing the “k” sound in the English and then the accent on the “o” it became quite easy for me to pronounce kongratulaziòni and feel fairly confident that I would be understood, even if I said nothing else! 

Of course, as all of us know, there are always exceptions to the rules! So those exceptions are printed at the top of every single page—how could it be any easier? 

Now, there are some basic reasons for choosing The Kaso Dictionary. The author provides the example of to ascertain from nine different dictionaries of the English language and provides their nine different phonological transcriptions. I had already realized that problem—many times I’ve looked up a word in an English dictionary and was unable to figure out how to pronounce the word! Frankly, how many of us have the linguistic background to immediately interpret what those symbols mean? I confess I do not! So, Adolph Caso, in creating this dictionary, has also helped me in better pronunciation of my own language! 

You need this reference book if you, too, have not been able to understand pronunciation from your own dictionary. And you especially need this reference book if you have occasions to speak and interact, even in writing and e-mail, with those who speak Italian.

Thank you, Adolph, for this major addition to our reference libraries! 

G. A. Bixler
For IP Book Reviewers