U.S. English Foundation Research
ITALY
Language Research
2. Background: Background notes
Italy failed to secure political unification until the 1860s, thus lacking the military and imperial power of Spain, Britain, and France. The fascist dictatorship of Mussolini after World War I, led to the disastrous alliance with Hitler's Germany and defeat in World War II. Italy was a founding member of the European Economic Community (EEC) and joined in the growing political and economic unification of Western Europe, including the introduction of the Euro in January of 1999. On-going problems include illegal immigration, the ravages of organized crime, high unemployment, and the low incomes and technical standards of Southern Italy compared with the North.
Independence was achieved on March 17, 1861 when the Kingdom of Italy was proclaimed.
Current international disputes: Italy and Slovenia have made progress in resolving bilateral issues. Croatia and Italy are making progress towards resolving a bilateral issue dating from World War II over property and ethnic minority rights.
Updated (December 2002)
LADIN
Ladin is a neo-Latin or Rhaeto-Romance language spoken in the Central and Eastern Alpine regions. It is divided into Central, Eastern and Western Ladin, which formed one language area in the past. Nowadays they are separated by the areas where Italian or German is spoken.
Eastern Ladin is referred to as Friulian and Western Ladin is spoken in Grischun in Switzerland. All these Ladin varieties have witnessed a continuous decline, both in speakers and in territory.
Central or Dolomite Ladin is spoken in five valleys in the Dolomites (Val Badia, Gherdëina, Fascia, Fodom and Cortina de Anpezo), which belong to different provinces and regions and have, for that reason, different language policies. Out of the total population of some 38,000 people in all five valleys, approximately 30,000 speak Ladin.
In Gherdëina and Badia (Bulsan) 18,434 speakers form some 90 percent of their population. In the Fascia Valley in Trentino the number of Ladin speakers is about 7,000. In the Fodom and Anpezo Valleys in the province of Belum some 5,000 persons still speak the language.
THE NAMES OF VALLEYS AND PROVINCES IN THE LADIN, GERMAN AND ITALIAN LANGUAGE
| VALLEY | | PROVINCE |
|---|
| Ladin | German | Italian | | Ladin | German | Italian |
|---|
| Val Badia | Gadertal | Badia | | Bulsan | Süd-Tirol | Bolzano |
| Gherdëina | Gröden | Gerdena | | * | * | * |
| Fascia | * | Fassa | | Trent | * | Trentino |
| Cortina de Anpezo | * | Cortina d'Ampezzo | | * | * | * |
Source: Mercator Education, Regional Dossiers, the Ladin Language in Education in Italy
http://www1.fa.knaw.nl/mercator/regionale_dossiers/regional_dossier_ladin_in_italy.htm
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Updated (January 2003)
GERMAN
According to the 1991 Census (another Census in 2001) there were approximately 460,000 inhabitants in South Tyrol. From those 67.9 percent considered themselves to be German speakers, 27.7 percent were Italian speakers and 4.4 percent Ladin [Rhaeto-Romanic] speakers. The remainder did not declare to belong to any of these linguistic groups.
The German-speaking population preponderated in all the cities and small towns of South Tyrol with the exception of the Ladin valleys where the majority was Ladin-speaking and the capital Bozen/Bolzano, Leifers/Laives, Branzoll/Bronzolo, Salurn/Salorno and Pfatten/Vadena, where the majority was Italian speaking.
EDUCATION
At the end of World War I, the borders between Austria and Italy were redrawn and since then citizens of the German community have been in the minority. The 1920s and 1930s were characterized by an immense suppression of the German language and culture.
Within the context of post-war reconstruction, South Tyrolese focused on rebuilding German schools. The most important thing for the population was to have schools where both teachers and students are able to use the same language.
The German schools in South Tyrol also teach the second official language (Italian, taught by Italian native speakers) as well as one or more foreign languages from secondary level onwards. Mother tongue education is considered to be essential for the linguistic and cultural survival of the German community and it is the cornerstone of the South Tyrol autonomy.
The principle of mother tongue teaching also applies to the Italian community. Students study German as a second language so both communities share the same opportunities and options. Experience shows that children from bilingual families mostly attend German schools.
Source: Mercator Education, Regional Dossiers, the German Language in Education in South Tyrol (Italy)
http://www1.fa.knaw.nl/mercator/regionale_dossiers/regional_dossier_german_in_italy.htm
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Updated (June 2004)
THE FRIULIAN LANGUAGE
Friulian is a Neolatin language of the retroromantic group. It became a language more or less around the year 1,000 and through the centuries it has kept its own peculiar originality, which makes it very different from Italian and the other idioms spoken in the bordering areas (German, Slovenian and Venetian).
In 1866, Friuli became part of the Kingdom of Italy (except its eastern part, which became Italian in 1918) The first documents written in Friulian date back to the 12th and 13th Centuries, just like the first poetic writings. Since its origin, the Church has used it in religious ceremonies and over the past few years the Bible and the Lectionary have been completely translated into it.
Friulian is spoken in the Provinces of Gorizia, Pordenone and Udine in the Autonomous Region of Friuli Venezia Giulia and in the Province of Venice (District of Portogruaro).
SPEAKERS
Around 600,000-650,000 people speak Friulian, although the latest statistics report about a drop in the use of the language, mostly among young people. According to a recent socio-linguistic survey, carried out in 2001, 52.2 percent of the interviewees understood and spoke Friulian regularly, 20 percent understood it but spoke only occasionally, 19.9 percent understood it but did not speak it whereas 2.6 percent did not understand and speak it at all.
LEGAL STATUS
The first official acknowledgement of the Friulian language dates back to 1996 when it was approved by Regional Law No. 15/1996. Italy recognized the Friulian minority only recently in Law 482/1999.
Source: The web page of the Province of Udine, http://www.provincia.udine.it/English/Home/Territory/The%20Language/index.asp
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