I had never noticed how often Italians use the word impegnativo before I got myself a very large puppy that attracts everyone’s attention every time I take him out for a walk. I’m not even going into all the weird questions I get asked about my big boy, but one thing that I did notice is the frequent use of impegnativo, which roughly translates as demanding or challenging, and that is invariably tossed my way when I’m out and about with my dog.
I’ve always found it odd for passersby to define my choice of having a large pet as a companion as impegnativo, as though I had just announced my plan to climb the K2 or take out a multi-million loan to restore an abandoned castle in Auvergne.
I have since taken note of how frequently Italians seem to resort to this adjective as an all-purpose reply to certain situations that, quite frankly, I would deem less than challenging or far from demanding.
The term impegnativo encompasses the idea of a commitment (impegno) or an awesome responsibility with fearsomely binding legal implications verging on promissory estoppel. Surely – I keep telling myself – having a large-sized dog shouldn’t warrant such – albeit passing – comments.
Interestingly, the range of Italian collocations featuring impegnativo is quite varied and it can become impegnativo (troublesome) for the translator to find appropriate collocations in English. For instance, in Italian a dress may or may not be impegnativo. Would this be a formal dress in English? A present may also be referred to as impegnativo or poco impegnativo, which usually means it is either expensive or not so expensive, but if it’s to be given, say, on Valentine’s Day, it may also hint at the fact that an expensive gift, or a regalo impegnativo, could also lead to a more committed relationship.
I would normally confine impegnativo to a demanding task or a taxing job. An exam perhaps. But why would my dog be impegnativo? Any dog, regardless of its size, is a responsibility insofar as it has to be fed, groomed and walked, but mostly loved and cherished. Why would anyone feel it burdensome (incidentally another way of connoting impegnativo) to welcome a pet into one’s life? So I decided to look further into the matter to try to get to the bottom of it. I researched, inconclusively, other Romance languages to see whether they, too, contemplated a similar word. However, it seems to me that the Spanish laborioso just means demanding or time-consuming and if associated with a dog as in perro laborioso, it would mean a hard-working dog. Perhaps a perro exigente (exigente in Portuguese or exigeant in French) would come close, but then again Italian also has esigente, which has a rather different connotation from impegnativo.
So is this yet another culture-specific word whose meaning Italians have decided to extend to a variety of contexts? If so, would it be far-fetched to surmise that some Italians are disinclined to commit themselves to much in life? Or are they implying that my dog is high-maintenance or merely a lot of work? Either way, in a world where everyone seems to be impegnato (busy) or pieno di impegni (with a lot on one’s plate), calling my gorgeously laid-back dog impegnativo just sticks in my craw and rankles with me long after my Newfie and I have waddled by.
