letture

Letture is the Italian noun meaning reading, with the plural letture used to reference several related concepts. It denotes the act of reading, the interpretation of a text, or a set of texts selected for reading in a given context. The term spans everyday literacy, academic analysis, and public performances of texts.

Etymology: lettura derives from Latin lectio, from legere “to read,” sharing cognates with many Romance languages.

In education, lettura covers decoding written symbols, fluency, and comprehension. It also distinguishes silent reading from reading aloud and from critical reading, which emphasizes analysis of structure, argument, and meaning. In curricula, letture can mean the assigned readings that students are expected to study, alongside activities that develop reading skills.

In literary studies, letture refers to interpretations of a text. Different readers, theoretical approaches, or historical contexts can yield multiple letture of the same work. The plural emphasizes diversity of meaning rather than a single authoritative reading.

In religious contexts, especially in Italian Catholic usage, “Letture” describes the scriptural readings proclaimed during worship, such as the First Reading, Psalm, and Second Reading in Mass or other liturgical services.

In cultural practice, a public lettura or letture can be an author reading event, where a person reads from a work for an audience. The term thus covers personal, educational, literary, and liturgical uses of the act of reading.