English
Country |
| ITALY |
Population:
Language
Italian Sardinian Friulian
German Albanian |
56.7 million
Number of speakers
5.480.000 1.000.000 550.000 (400.000 – 700.000) 280.000 – 300.000 100.000 – 300.000
|
|
Other Languages: | Franco-Provençal [French] (25.000 – 90.000), Romani (80.000), Occitan (50.000 – 80.000), Slovene (50.000), Ladin (30.000 – 35.000), Catalan (15.000 – 20.000), Croatian (2.000 – 20.000), Greek (10.000 – 13.000) |
|
Basic information on the spoken languages:
Italian
The Italian language is a member of the Romance group of the Italic subfamily of the Indo-European languages. It is the official language of Italy and San Marino, and one of the official languages of Switzerland, Italian is spoken as a mother tongue by about 54 million people in Italy, 24,000 in San Marino, 550,000 in Switzerland, another 1 million in other European countries, and perhaps 5 million in North and South America. Italian is one of the 11 official languages of the European Union. Historically, Italian is a daughter language of Latin. The sound system of Italian is quite similar to that of Latin or Spanish. Its grammar is also similar to that of the other Romance languages.
Sardinian
Varieties of Sardinian are spoken throughout Sardinia with the exception of the city of Alghero, where Catalan is spoken. The number of speakers is estimated at one million. Although Sardinia is an autonomous region with a Special Statute, the native language does not enjoy any legal recognition. Sardinian is used in pre-primary schools in so far as it is necessary to communicate with children. At primary and secondary level, the language has recently been introduced as a separate subject, on an experimental basis. Teachers can attend courses organised by universities and cultural associations. Since 1970, there has been free language tuition for adults. This opportunity is not availed of regularly.
Friulian
Friulian is spoken in the provinces of Udine, Pordenone and in parts of the province of Gorizia and of Venice. It is estimated that of a total of 1.230.000 inhabitants in the Region of Friuli-Venezia Giulia, about 550.000 people speak Friulian. Friulian is used in some state nursery school of the province of Udine in pilot projects of bilingual pre-school education. A programme of partial immersion in Friulian and Italian started in 1987 and is still under way following the pattern of Aone person - one language@. A regional act (April 1993) assigns funds to the promotion of Friulian in the primary schools of the public sector. The language has been taught as an optional subject during the first three years of the cycle. There is no training in the teaching of Friulian, but some cultural associations provide courses for teachers in collaboration with the University of Udine. Friulian language and literature are taught at the Universities of Udine and Trieste.
German
Following the Treaty of St. Germain (1919) the area of Tirol south of the Brenner was awarded to Italy. German is spoken in the provinces of Bolzano/Bozen and Trento. According to the 1981 census, there are about 280.000 to 290.000 Germans in the province. This amounts to 66,4% of the population. The region of Trentino/Alto Adige (Südtirol) is governed by a Special Statute. It gives equal status in the region to German and Italian. The Special Statute guarantees the right to education in the mother tongue for Germans in the province (from nursery to higher level). Italian is taught as a second language starting from the second year of the elementary cycle. The preservation of cultural and linguistic specificities of the German population of Südtirol seems largely secured.
Numerous linguistic islands exist along the ridge of the southern Alps. There are a few thousand people in total, scattered over no less than eleven linguistic islands.
Albanian
Albanian is spoken in certain towns in the Abruzzo, Campania, Calabria, Basilicata, Puglia, Sicilia and Molise regions in Italy. Its use is very restricted and mainly oral, but the number of people who learn to write the language is increasing. The number of speakers is estimated at about 100.000 to 300.000. Recent wave of immigrants from Albania have increased the firgures to an unknown extend. The language is not officially present in the education system, but it is taught in a small number of schools (pre-primary through secondary education) as an extra-curricular subject. It is also taught as a subject at a number of Italian universities.
Francoprovencal (French)
French is spoken in the Valle d=Aosta, where it comes under the influence of Francoprovencal dialects spoken locally, and in the region of Piedmont (province of Turin).
The population of the entire Aosta Valley (115.000 inhabitants) is officially bilingual, French and Italian are the official languages. The number of those who use French daily is however limited, the native population preferring instead Francoprovençal dialects and immigrants preferring Italian. Francoprovençal dialects do not enjoy official status, but their usage is widespread and they are actively protected and promoted. The 1948 Statute of Autonomy stipulates that all schools in the Region, during all stages of education (from nursery schools to secondary schools), must spend the same number of hours on the teaching of French and Italian. Some subjects however may use French as the language of instruction.
According to the estimates, in Piedmont, French is spoken by about 4.000 people. The total population of the valleys where Francoprovençal is spoken is about 80.000 and it is estimated that about 28% of the inhabitants speak the language. Since the end of the 1970s Francoprovençal has been used at nursery school level thanks to private initiatives. In some primary schools the language is taught and used as a medium of teaching on the private initiative of individuals. Teachers attend special preparatory courses organised by the universities and by local bodies and associations.
Occitan
There are three main varieties of Occitan: northern Occitan, which comprises Limousin, Auvergnat and Alpine Provençal, central or southern Occitan, which comprises Languedocien and Provençal, and Gascon. Occitan is spoken in 14 Piedmontese valleys in the Alps. Estimates cite figures around 50.000 to 80.000 speakers. At national level, there are no legal regulations for the protection of the Occitan language. The region of Piedmont, however, approved two laws (in 1979 and 1990) to promote and protect the development of activities and cultural resources, and to protect the linguistic and cultural heritage of Piedmont. Private initiatives have introduced Occitan in some pre-primary and primary schools, but the teaching of Occitan is not carried out in an official coordinated fashion.
Slovene
Slovene is spoken in 36 communities in the Friuli-Venezia Giulia region. Estimates cite figures around 50.000 speakers (out of a population of 632.000). The legal status of the language differs considerably from one province to the other. In Udine Slovenes do not enjoy any clearly defined linguistic rights. In Gorizia the Slovenes are entitled to their own schools. The linguistic rights of the Slovenes in Trieste are covered by the Special Statute attached to the London Memorandum of 1954. The Treaty of Osimo (1975) between Italy and Yugoslavia also gives protective measures to the Slovene minority throughout the territory of Friuli-Venezia Giulia. The situation of Slovene schools differs widely from one province to the other. The language is not taught as a subject at Italian-medium secondary schools. Teachers receive their training at the University of Ljubljana (Slovenia). The language is not used as a teaching-medium at third-level institutions in the area. A few adult courses in Slovene exist.
Ladin
The term >Ladin= or >Rhaeto-Romance= refers to a group of neo-Latin varieties spoken in the central and eastern Alpine regions. Three varieties can be identified: Western Ladin is spoken in the Graubünden and Engadin areas in Switzerland. Central Ladin is spoken in certain valleys of the Dolomites, Val Badia, Val Marebbe, Val Gardena, Val di Fassa, Livinallongo, as well as in Cortina d=Ampezzo. The language is spoken by between 30.000 and 35.000, most of whom are bilingual, (either Ladin-Italian, or Ladin-German). The language has not yet been totally standardised but lately efforts have been made in this regard. The Ladin communities in the province of Bolzano/Bozen enjoy more legal and administrative protection than those in the provinces of Trento and Belluno. The Autonomy Statute (1972) of Bolzano/Bozen stipulates that Ladin should be used in all nursery schools and taught in all primary schools in the Ladin valleys
Catalan
Catalan is spoken in the city of Alghero in the North-West of Sardinia. Catalan is spoken by about 15 to 20.000 people out of a total of 40.000 inhabitants. There is no use of the language at pre-primary and primary level. One secondary school teaches the language as a subject outside normal school hours. There are some courses for adults.
Croatian
Croatian is spoken in three communities in the Molise region (province of Campobasso). It is spoken by about 2.000 - 20.000 people. The language is not used as a medium of instruction in the schools, nor is it taught as a subject.
Greek
Greek is spoken in the regions of Puglia and Calabria. Estimates cite figures around 10.000 to 13.000 speakers. There is no official legal recognition for the language. However, in Calabria the regional statute does regulate the use of the minority language. In Puglia, Greek is not used in nursery schools, despite the fact that current regulations allow parents to request the use of the language at this educational level. At elementary level, the situation varies from one community to the other. In two towns the language has been taught since 1978 on an official experimental basis for 15 hours per week. In Calabria, Greek is used sporadically in nursery schools. At elementary level, the language is taught as a subject three hours per week. At secondary level the language is occasionally taught as a subject. Adult courses in Greek are recognized for residents who do not know the language.
On 03-11-97 Italy has ratified the European Framework Convention of National Minorities.
Eurostat surveys showed that 28% of the population can take part in a conversation in English, 17% in French and 3% in German.
Sardinia | |
Friulian | |
Ladin |
