Supplemento al dizionario italiano – Supplement to the Italian dictionary

Supplemento al dizionario italiano

Supplement to the Italian dictionary
Supplement au dictionnaire italien
Anhang zum italienischen Wörterbuch

Scritto da: Bruno Munari
Casa editrice: Corraini Editore

“In questo libro l’autore esamina i vari modi di esprimersi senza parlare, non solo con le mani, ma con l’espressione del viso e con atteggiamenti dell’intera persona. […] Col passare del tempo e il diffondersi dei napoletani, molti di questi antichi gesti sono diventati di uso nazionale e alcuni addirittura sono capiti in molte parti del mondo. Ultimamente alcuni gesti di altri popoli del mondo, come il famoso O.K. americano, per cui abbiamo creduto opportuno raccoglierne il maggior numero, tralasciando i gesti osceni e volgari, per avere una documentazione il più possibile esatta, ad uso degli stranieri che visitano l’Italia o come supplemento al dizionario italiano.”

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“In this volume the author examines the many ways there are for expressing oneself without using words, using not just hands but also facial expressions and gestures using the whole body. […] With the passage of time, many of these Neapolitan expressions have spread to the rest of Italy and even the rest of the world. Some expressions have become a part of our everyday language, like the American ‘OK.’ This is why we have decided to collect as many of them as possible into one book, although we have not considered obscene and vulgar gestures, so the documentation is as precise as possible. It is an ideal supplement to the Italian dictionary for use by foreign visitors.”

Bruno Munari (1907-1998) was undoubtedly the most versatile Italian artist and designer.
Since his first experiences in the 1930s among the artists of Second Futurism, he always devoted his creative activity to all forms of “experimentation”, with a particular focus on the world of children and their games and toys. His works in painting, sculpture, design, photography and didactics cross their languages and poetics and follow the path of his own personal inventiveness.