The Importance of the Correct Accent
In Italian, the direction of the accent mark changes both the pronunciation and the meaning of a word. It is not just a stylistic choice.
Grave (`) vs. Acute (´)
- È vs. É: This is the most common confusion. È (Grave) means "is" (the verb *essere*) and has an open sound. É (Acute) has a closed sound and is found in words like *perché* (why), *poiché* (since), and *né* (nor).
- Final Vowels: Most Italian words ending in an accented vowel use the grave accent (à, ì, ò, ù), such as *città* (city) or *virtù* (virtue).
The Uppercase "È" Problem
A common typographic error in Italy is writing E' (E + apostrophe) instead of È. This dates back to typewriters lacking the capital accented key. In digital typography, using the correct character È is considered professional and grammatically correct.
Caporali Quotes (« »)
While standard quotation marks (" ") are common, traditional Italian publishing often uses Caporali (or Guillemets) for dialogue and citations. Unlike French, Italian usage typically does not put spaces inside the quotes (e.g., «Ciao» instead of « Ciao »).