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New Official Language of Italy: Italian
You'd think it'd be a no-brainer: Italians, in Italy, speak Italian. But not so fast. Not only did the country's parliament just this week vote to add "The Italian language is the official language of the Republic" to the constitution, many Italians are unhappy with the decision.
While at first this may seem odd, when you look closer, it makes sense. I didn't realize this when I traveled through Italy, but the language most English speakers assume is Italian, is actually just the Tuscan dialect of Italian. The language actually has a number of dialects -- some so specific to particular regions, that, when spoken, they're incomprehensible to the rest of the country. (For an example in English, talk to someone from South London, and then someone from Liverpool -- at times it's hard to believe they're speaking the language.) And, as you might suspect, people are quite attached to what's spoken in their area.
In fact, some parts of the country don't speak Italian at all -- notably the Alto Adige region, where they speak German, and in Val d'Aosta, where they speak French.
The change, however, is symbolic. So, chances are -- even if you speak Italian -- you won't notice anything different on your next visit.
Filed under: Italy
Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
Will Mar 30th 2007 5:22PM
I can't believe you did know of the dialects in the Italian language.
Jonathon Mar 30th 2007 5:24PM
Did you mean did *not* know? I'd agree, it's astounding. I was in high school at the time, so I forgive myself.
Note to self: stop revealing that you're dumb on the Internet.
Jocelyn Milici Mar 30th 2007 5:57PM
Meraviglioso. Gli italiani sono interessanti genti. Gotta love Italians and their passion for their culture! It's what keeps us all going back anno dopo anno. :-)
Jed Springfield Mar 30th 2007 6:48PM
"Gli Italiani sono interessanti genti" is not good Italian. Better to say "Gli Italiani sono interessanti" OR "Gli Italiani sono un gente interessante". The first example is a word-for-word translation from English to Italian. This rarely works in the Romance languages.
Sandi Edgar Mar 30th 2007 11:08PM
Growing up in an Italian family, I often heard the older folks speaking in what I assumed was their native language. Until I took an Italian course in college. They didn't understand a thing I said!!
http://next-20-years.blogspot.com
pg Rossi Apr 2nd 2007 5:49AM
What is true for Italian is true for all Romance languages, if not for all modern languages, namely that they start out as a dialect and then get picked a standard language for a modern nation-state.
In th case of Italy it started with the collapse of the Roman Empire when standard High Latin (which had already begun to evolve into regional varieties the way English has over the past 3 centuries) broke down. For centuries it remained the official language of most European states until the 16th century, but regional varieties emerged. Those spoken by dominant groups whether in what are now Italy, France or Spain were eventually imposed on the rest as a standard written language in lieu of Latin. Until the advent of modern education, compulsory military service and especially radio and TV, this dualism -- a neo-Latin dialect elevated to the status of so-called national language and other local varieties of Latin -- could go on. But in a modern, industrialised capitalist economy, language conformity became the norm. Under the circumstances in countries like Italy regional, uncodified, predominantly oral languages -- the so-called dialects -- could be dismissed as quaint folklore, interesting but of little importance. But it is no accident perhaps that the Italian Parliament's decision to make Italian the offical state language comes at the same time that the Regional Council of Venetia (Veneto) adopted a law recognising the Venetian language and requiring the Venetian Government (Giunta Regionale del Veneto) to protect it.