# It really speaks to me



## Stynella

Ciao a tutti,

mi imbatto spesso in questa frase, in particolare leggendo i vari commenti a delle canzoni...

Capisco il senso, ma come si può dire in italiano? Potrebbe essere un equivalente di "mi arriva dritto al cuore"?

Però l'ho trovata anche in un contesto differente, parlando di dinosauri... il tipo dice "dinosaurs really speak to us... every child has this fascination with dinosaurs...".


----------



## Anja.Ann

Ciao, Stynella 

Sì, secondo me. Molto dipende, giustamente, dal contesto. 
Ad esempio "i testi di questa canzone sono davvero significativi" o "i dinosauri ci dicono assai" ...


Phrasal Verb: speak to someone 

To have a conversation with them. To reprimand them. To be meaningful to them. 
Example: That painting really speaks to me


----------



## Stynella

Grazie Ahja.Ann...
ho pensato anche a "mi tocca nel profondo"...


----------



## Anja.Ann

Sì, anche secondo me, il senso è quello: in base al contesto, potremmo dire " ... sono emozionanti" o " ... profondamente toccanti" o, persino, " ... hanno molto da raccontare/dire"


----------



## rrose17

Sorry but I don't agree. In my opinion, it really speaks to me doesn't necessarily mean it really touches me emotionally. To me it means I can easily understand it, we speak the same language, I can identify with it.


----------



## Stynella

Hi rrose, 
I understand your point of view, but, for example, talking about dinosaurs... "dinosaurs really speak to us... every child has this fascination with dinosaurs..."
We can't easily understand them, actually, we know very little about them and we can't identify with them... so the only thing that came to my mind is that, since they fascinated us when we were young, then, now that we are adult, "dinosaurs" touch us emotionally...


----------



## rrose17

I see your point, too!  But to me it means the same as "resonates", the idea of dinosaurs resonates with children, there can be an emotional element, but not necessarily.


----------



## GavinW

Stynella said:


> ... "dinosaurs really speak to us..." .



Did someone actually say this? I find it a very hard statement to justify.


----------



## Stynella

GavinW said:


> Did someone actually say this? I find it a very hard statement to justify.


Yes, Gavin... Someone says this in a documentary...


----------



## GavinW

Stynella said:


> Yes, Gavin... Someone says this in a documentary...



I suppose it just goes to show the power of buzzwords/clichés! In that case, we can probably all agree that, here at least, it means "we can really relate to dinosaurs".


----------



## AlabamaBoy

How can you "relate to a dinosaur?" I think it is just as figurative (maybe just as silly) as "dinosaurs speak to me." All it means is that I feel some kind of connection (what does this mean?), some kind of interest, something about them piques my interest. I agree with rrose, there is not necessarily any emotional bond. Perhaps I think the world of dinosaurs would be interesting because they were so big and powerful.


----------



## Lorena1970

In Italian, "I dinosauri ci parlano (or ci raccontano)" significherebbe che ci insegnano delle cose. "ci parlano" is figurative to say that through their behaviours, their uses, their "lifstyles" (I know we are talking of animals  ) they tell us also about other things related to their history. Nothing emotional at all. Cannot be the same in English?


----------



## Anja.Ann

Ciao a tutti 

As far as the English expression is concerned ... up to your English ears! 
Yet I'd like to point out that the Italian expression "dire molto", as well as "dire poco" and "non dire niente" can mean "avere importanza" or "essere significativo" or "essere privo di significato").

_"Non dire nulla_, essere privo di espressione, essere insignificante ... (_questi versi non mi dicono nulla_; _è un quadro che non dice niente_)." 

The expression simply talks of your intimate feelings or impressions: emotions, to me.  

"Questo quadro_ non dice niente_": questo quadro non mi procura nessuna emozione/non mi piace/non mi interessa. 
"Quello sguardo _dice molto_": quello sguardo è tanto espressivo che palesa le emozioni/mi parla di uno stato d'animo.  

Now, again, in Italian you can say "I dinosauri non mi dicono proprio un bel niente" and, based on your feeling, it can mean "I dinosauri non mi interessano per niente" or "... non mi affascinano per nulla".

What about the example in the link in my post # 2: "That painting really speaks to me"? Literally "Quel quadro mi "parla": parla alla mia mente, alla mia anima ... mi suscita emozioni.


----------



## curiosone

I correlate "speak to me" with communication - which may be simply verbal communication, or communication on a deeper (more emotional) level, or even communication on an intellectual level.  I don't think it HAS to be on an emotional level (as an emotional response is personal and variable - and certainly not objective or common to all).  So it isn't necessary to have an emotional response, to learn something from a dinosaur or even a painting by Picasso.


----------



## GavinW

curiosone said:


> I correlate "speak to me" with communication - which may be simply verbal communication, or communication on a deeper (more emotional) level, or even communication on an intellectual level. I don't think it HAS to be on an emotional level (as an emotional response is personal and variable - and certainly not objective or common to all). So it isn't necessary to have an emotional response, to learn something from a dinosaur or even a painting by Picasso.



Which kind of brings us back to the idea of "resonates", as per rrose's post #7.


----------



## Anja.Ann

Ciao, Curiosone and ciao GavinW  

Thanks for your feedbacks. It's perfectly clear. 
Any suggestions for a possible translation in Italian?


----------



## GavinW

Anja.Ann said:


> Ciao, Curiosone and ciao GavinW
> 
> Thanks for your feedbacks. It's perfectly clear.
> Any suggestions for a possible translation in Italian?



I dinosauri hanno un fascino tutto loro....
I dinosauri occupano uno spazio tutto loro nel nostro immaginario...
Il mondo dei dinosauri riverbera tutt'ora nella nostra fantasia....
Ci sentiamo stranamente vicini ai dinosauri....
etc etc

Just a few ideas (from a non-native speaker, attenzione). More of the original context would help us understand how the phrasal verb is being used precisely (if a precise understanding is at all possible -- and that's a big "if").

EDIT: Also, maybe: "Ci rispecchiamo in qualche modo nei dinosauri...." / "Riusciamo addirittura ad identificarci coi dinosauri (in qualche modo)...."


----------



## Anja.Ann

OK, Gawin 

I agree and I also understand I could not properly explain my idea. 
It depends on what you think (of dinosaurs or other subjects) or on your feelings; I don't think a precise understanding is possible ... I'd "adjust" the words based on the context "I dinosauri mi affascinano" or "I dinosauri mi incantano" ... (but a song may be poetry in my opinion and poetry is emotion, that's why I suggested "mi emoziona").


----------



## MR1492

AlabamaBoy said:


> How can you "relate to a dinosaur?" I think it is just as figurative (maybe just as silly) as "dinosaurs speak to me." All it means is that I feel some kind of connection (what does this mean?), some kind of interest, something about them piques my interest. I agree with rrose, there is not necessarily any emotional bond. Perhaps I think the world of dinosaurs would be interesting because they were so big and powerful.



Reading your reply (and the slight edge to your "voice"), we now know why you are a physicist and not a poet.


----------



## GavinW

Anja.Ann said:


> I agree and I also understand I could not properly explain my idea.
> It depends on what you think (of dinosaurs or other subjects) or on your feelings; I don't think a precise understanding is possible ... I'd "adjust" the words based on the context "I dinosauri mi affascinano" or "I dinosauri mi incantano" ... (but a song may be poetry in my opinion and poetry is emotion, that's why I suggested "mi emoziona").



Right... you've reminded me that Stynella's original question was in fact a _multiple _question. In songs etc, it's likely that Stynella's suggestion of "mi arriva dritto al cuore" (or something vaguely similar) will work best. In the dinosaur example, which Stynella points out is different, we are likely to need a different translation, such as you, I and others have been trying to suggest. 
At this point, I don't think this thread is likely to reveal anything new, without further, actual examples (and maybe the full context of the dinosaur passage).

EDIT: @MR1492: ! ;-)


----------



## Anja.Ann

Yep, Gawin, I think so too


----------



## AlabamaBoy

MR1492 said:


> we now know why you are a physicist and not a poet.


No edge intended, but you earn a "touché" anyway.


----------



## Stynella

GavinW said:


> At this point, I don't think this thread is likely to reveal anything new, without further, actual examples (and maybe the full context of the dinosaur passage).
> 
> EDIT: @MR1492: ! ;-)



I'm sorry, but there isn't much more to say about the context... This man appears (it's like a piece of an interview) and says "Dinosaurs really speak to us, every child has its fascination with dinosaurs and we know that they were able to fly, we know that they were able to frighten you...".
I really liked your first suggestion, Gavin, "I dinosauri hanno un fascino tutto loro", I think that it gives back exactly the original meaning of the sentence!


----------



## GavinW

Stynella said:


> I'm sorry, but there isn't much more to say about the context... This man appears (it's like a piece of an interview) and says "Dinosaurs really speak to us, every child has its fascination with dinosaurs and we know that they were able to fly, we know that they were able to frighten you...".
> I really liked your first suggestion, Gavin, "I dinosauri hanno un fascino tutto loro", I think that it gives back exactly the original meaning of the sentence!



Thanks for providing fuller context. I'm glad you found a suggestion that you're happy with, and that you think fits. I had another idea that might be even closer to the original: "I dinosauri hanno(/esercitano) un vero(/forte/immenso) fascino su di noi", which finds room for the personal pronoun.


----------



## Stynella

GavinW said:


> Thanks for providing fuller context. I'm glad you found a suggestion that you're happy with, and that you think fits. I had another idea that might be even closer to the original: "I dinosauri hanno(/esercitano) un vero(/forte/immenso) fascino su di noi", which finds room for the personal pronoun.



Thanks Gavin, that works too!
Anyway, I keep preferring the previous one because it's more "spoken language" and the guy is talking in a very colloquial way...
But thank you all for your precious help!!


----------



## joanvillafane

*NEW QUESTION ---

*Hi everybody - I'm reopening this thread because it's the only one with this phrase ("it really speaks to me") but doesn't quite answer my question. I'm not talking about dinosaurs.  This is in response to a literary text for an assignment.  We have to pick one passage from a book and explain why we chose it and then write a response.  So in English I'd say, 
"This brief selection speaks to me in many ways."  and then I will elaborate on several points from a personal point of view.  
In post #2, Anja.Ann said "i dinosauri ci dicono assai," but I don't think "questo brano mi dice assai" works here.
A few people mentioned "resonate" but I couldn't find an Italian equivalent for resonate, either.  I know there are other ways to express this.  I could say,"mi tocca," or "mi fascina," or even "mi arriva dritto al cuore" or "mi suscita emozioni." But I'd like to stay with "parla" if possible.  So can I use these phrases from post #13
"Il testo mi "parla": parla alla mia mente, alla mia anima ...

Thanks for any suggestions.


----------



## ohbice

Nell'esempio _This brief selection speaks to me in many ways _"parlare" non è sbagliato: _Questo brano mi parla in molti modi_.
Tuttavia in italiano forse sarebbe preferibile: _Questo brano mi coinvolge in molte direzioni_, _Questo brano mi tocca particolarmente_, _Questo brano mi offre molte suggestioni_...
Ciao.


----------



## Anja.Ann

Hi, Joan 

I agree with Oh, Bice : if you want to be poetic and express your inner feelings, nothing prevents you from saying “questo brano parla alla mia anima” (meaning that a novel deeply impressed you, strongly touched you), but in my opinion this expression better fits specific literary genres (poetry, epic, Russian literature). What type ofliterature is your selection?   

In your case, I think I’d say “Questa piccola selezione _mi ha molto colpita _per diverse ragioni …”  (see "colpire" 3.)


----------



## joanvillafane

Thank you, oh, bice and Anja.Ann - I appreciate your explanations and I think I will stay with "colpire" or "toccare."   (The text is not in the form of a poem, but it has poetic qualities - do you know Le città invisibili di Calvino??_


----------



## Anja.Ann

You're welcome, Joan  Are you dealing with Calvino's "combinatorial" skills?


----------



## joanvillafane

Hi Anja.Ann - I just tried to send you a private message, but your inbox is full!!


----------



## Lorena1970

oh said:


> _ mi parla in molti modi_.


Voto per questa. "Le città invisibili" non può essere definito toccante o coinvolgente: è davvero un testo "che parla".
"_Questa selezione di racconti mi parla in svariati modi"_. In alternativa mi piace anche "_Mi offre svariate ispirazioni_"


----------



## curiosone

Io direi "questo brano mi risuona molto" o "...mi risuona in diversi modi."


----------

