Reflection: Roots and Connections

Recently I learned something surprising: the Italian name Giovanni is actually the same as John. Both come from the Latin Iohannes, but languages reshaped the sounds differently—English shortened it to John, while Italian shifted “Io-” into “Gio-” (Italian often adds a “g” sound before “i” and “e” for smoother pronunciation) and turned the Latin ending -annes into the common Italian -anni. That’s why they look so different even though they share the same root. It reminded me of the word milk: in English we say “milk,” but in Spanish it’s leche, in Italian latte, and in French lait. At first these look unrelated, but they all come from the same Latin root lacte, while English kept its older Germanic form.

What struck me is how language works like culture and people: the same root can take on very different forms depending on history, geography, and influence. Giovanni, Juan, John, and Jean are all “the same person” in different languages. Milk, leche, latte, and lait all point to the same thing we drink, just expressed through different traditions. It reminds me things that look different on the surface may share a deeper connection.

Sometimes you have to look at the history or the root to understand how people, ideas, or practices evolved. And when you do, you often discover that we are more similar than different, even if we come from different cultures and backgrounds.