ALEXANDRIA – Paul Borzacchiellowriter and popularizer, great expert in linguistic intelligence, is one of the protagonists of the ‘San Giorgio Festival’ scheduled at the former Valfrè barracks in Alessandria, organized by the Anteprima Group. The calendar also includes concerts by Nomads and gods Eiffel 65 (Who the complete program).
Borzacchiello will be on stage on the evening of July 7. ‘Il Piccolo’ met him.
Borzacchiello, one must at least ask a leading expert in linguistic intelligence what linguistic intelligence is.
Knowing how words work and how to use them to get the results we want.
It’s true that a popularizer never has any difficulty, but how can one bring linguistic intelligence to the theater or, in any case, to a show?
Remembering that people love to learn… while having fun. I teach valuable principles by making people feel good, even laughing, by removing the veil from the vices of language that make our lives complex. And it works great.
When and how did you begin to become passionate about the subject?
During a training course, twenty years ago. I discovered that when I spoke well, I sold twice as much.
“Ask well and it will be given to you” is a winning title for a book (hers). Aside from the questions I am asking her, are we generally wrong in asking?
Most of the time. Either we ask badly, out of fear, out of presumed good manners or various dogmas, or we ask ourselves the wrong things. The problem with the brain is that it always answers. And if I ask myself the wrong thing… it will do everything possible to make my life impossible.
How can we be interested in talking about language in an era in which the number of words used is extremely small?
Precisely because they force us to use few of them, we must insist. I interest people by explaining that words are the measure of the life we live, and that having more words in your head equals having a richer and happier life. The numbers tell me that there are many people ready to listen to this message.
Borzacchiello and the word that prevails
Are you also in the party that fights against abbreviations and acronyms?
I am not part of any party. Abbreviations are useful, as are acronyms. It always depends on the context and the use made of it.
There is also the party against anglicisms. Objective: if there is a corresponding word in Italian, that is used. Is it too boomer? (speaking of anglicisms…).
Again, it depends. We are in 2024, linguistic contamination exists and above all foreign languages have terms that do not have true equivalents. Furthermore, I find it anachronistic to be “against” anglicisms. Perhaps, “against” their abuse.
The word therefore makes a lot of sense in the age of images. Will it prevail?
The word always wins. Forever. And forever.
Given that “speaking well” is useful on every occasion, what are, in your opinion, the areas in which it is “obligatory” to say appropriate things?
You would need a license to communicate on social media. But, to answer the question briefly, I would say that in the medical field and in the school field it is absolutely mandatory to speak well.
Let’s hurt ourselves: speaking of language, how do you judge that of today’s journalism?
Almost always terrible, looking for bad words just to get a click. There are exceptions, but rare.
