Births, migration and age structure — numbers that go on working for decades.
Practise this list
From these 40 words, as many per round as you like — up to all of them: first what is due today, then new ones. First you choose, then you fill the gap, then you write it yourself. Mistakes come back again shortly.
More about this list
The fourth entry is l’effetto tempo, and the word in the middle is a loan that came home changed. English took tempo out of the Italian of music, where it marks how fast a piece is played, and kept nothing else: « tempo » in English is pace and only pace — the tempo of a match, the tempo of a negotiation. So an English reader meets the demographic term and hears speed, when what is meant is timing. The measure sinks while couples are having their children later and lifts again once they stop postponing, and the number of children ever born need not have moved at all. Italian never narrowed the word. Il tempo is time itself — non ho tempo, a tempo debito, arrivare in tempo — and it also names the halves of a football match, il primo tempo, and the tenses of a verb, i tempi del verbo. One consequence for reading the table. « Tempo » here answers the question when, and the term that stands beside it in the literature, « quantum », answers the question how many; a fall in the first says nothing yet about the second.
L’inerzia demografica fa crescere la popolazione anche dopo il calo delle nascite.Demographic inertia makes the population grow even after births have fallen.
la migrazione internainternal migrationNoun (f)C2
La migrazione interna svuota le aree montane.Internal migration empties the mountain areas.
l’ampiezza familiarehousehold sizeNoun (f)C2
L’ampiezza familiare cambia con il numero dei figli.Household size changes with the number of children.
la sottocoperturaunder-coverageNoun (f)C2
La sottocopertura colpisce soprattutto chi si sposta spesso.Under-coverage affects above all those who move often.
la previsione demograficathe population projectionNoun (f)C2
La previsione demografica non è una promessa.A population projection is not a promise.
l’età media al primo figliothe mean age at first birthNoun (f)C2
L’età media al primo figlio si legge nei registri di stato civile.The mean age at first birth is read off the civil registers.
l’assenza di figlichildlessnessNoun (f)C2
L’assenza di figli non è sempre una scelta.Childlessness is not always a choice.
la popolazione in età lavorativathe working-age populationNoun (f)C2
La popolazione in età lavorativa si restringe lentamente.The working-age population is narrowing slowly.
la partecipazione al mercato del lavorolabour market participationNoun (f)C2
La partecipazione al mercato del lavoro varia molto tra donne e uomini.Labour market participation differs greatly between women and men.
la seconda generazionethe second generationNoun (f)C2
La seconda generazione cresce con due lingue.The second generation grows up with two languages.
la classificazione per origineclassification by originNoun (f)C2
La classificazione per origine cambia da un paese all’altro.Classification by origin varies from one country to another.