L'Italo-Americano

THURSDAY, MARCH 7, 2024 www.italoamericano.org 18 L'Italo-Americano I taly is, by definition, a l a n d o f d i f f e r - ences. From north to south, from east to west, landscapes, habits, food, climate, flora, and fauna: they all change. But perhaps nothing says as much about the country's multifaceted, at times com- plex, reality as the way we s p e a k . T h e a c c e n t a n d v o c a b u l a r y o f a n I t a l i a n from Lombardia are very different from the accent and vocabulary of an Italian from Puglia. We are all Ital- ians, enjoying life under the same sky, but, oh! We speak differently! E v e n m o r e t h a n i n o u r beloved national language, it is in Italy's dialects that such diversity truly resides, a diversity that is at once a c u l t u r a l a n d l i n g u i s t i c wealth, as well as a strong identitarian marker. And here, I dare say something a tad controversial: when it comes to identity, dialects m a y b e m o r e r e l e v a n t t o Italians from abroad than I t a l i a n s f r o m I t a l y . I a m sure that many of you, dear r e a d e r s , h a d y o u r f i r s t encounter with a language other than English in the warmth and coziness of your family's kitchen, perhaps while, as children, you lis- t e n e d t o y o u r p a r e n t s o r y o u r g r a n d p a r e n t s s p e a k about their homeland. Yet, there are significant chances that what you used to hear back then — the very words and melodious rhythm you have always associated with "Italian" — is not Italian at a l l , b u t y o u r r e l a t i v e s ' dialect. Many Italians from Italy, especially if born in large cities, especially among the y o u n g e r g e n e r a t i o n s , n o longer know their dialect; t h e y c a n ' t s p e a k i t n o r understand it. They feel no need to learn it, and, cru- cially, they no longer feel a connection to it because it no longer represents neither a means of communication nor a signifier of identity. Things can be different for many Italian Americans, though. For us, it can be all of that and more. A dialect, t h a t o f o u r p a r e n t s a n d grandparents, of our neigh- bors and their relatives, is also emotionally charged, and part of our Italianità. This is why I thought it was i m p o r t a n t t o p r e s e n t t h e findings of an interesting a r t i c l e b y F u l v i o F u l v i p u b l i s h e d i n t h e I t a l i a n daily Avvenire, where the author discusses the history, relevance, and safeguarding of Italy's dialectal heritage with Giovanni Gobber, Dean of the Faculty of Lin- guistic Sciences and Foreign Literatures at the Università Cattolica in Milan, one of the country's most presti- gious universities. Under- standing the wealth local idioms represent, and the connection they have with local culture and social his- tory — aspects that Gobber highlights in his interview with Fulvi — is key if we, as Italians from abroad, want to really understand "where we come from." A concept that, by the way, fits very well into this year's overar- ching theme of Turismo delle Radici supported by t h e F a r n e s i n a , b e c a u s e nothing more than what our ancestors spoke can bring them closer to us. I t a l y , u n d o u b t e d l y , stands unique in Europe for i t s l i n g u i s t i c d i v e r s i t y : a c c o r d i n g t o U N E S C O there are thirty-one "region- al languages" in the country, b u t t h e a c t u a l n u m b e r stretches far beyond, influ- e n c e d b y a h i s t o r i c a l melange of Greek, German- i c , A r a b , a n d p r e - R o m a n l a n g u a g e s , a l l r o o t e d i n L a t i n ' s d e v e l o p m e n t . I n such a varied context, Gob- ber says, the mapping and subse- q u e n t c e r t i f i c a t i o n o f dialects, alongside specific legislation to shield them from inevitable extinction, becomes paramount. But if today we are facing, and trying to avoid, the risk of seeing our dialects disap- pear, it's worth noting that it hasn't always been like this. During the fascist regime dialects, which were pre- dominantly spoken by two- t h i r d s o f t h e p o p u l a t i o n , faced official condemnation i n a b i d t o u p h o l d t h e n a t i o n a l l a n g u a g e . Y e t , d e s p i t e e f f o r t s m a d e through educational reforms led by Giovanni Gentile, the e r a d i c a t i o n o f d i a l e c t s remained an elusive goal. It was only with the advent of television in the 1960s that I t a l i a n t r u l y b e c a m e o u r n a t i o n a l l a n g u a g e , a l s o thanks to the work of Alber- to Manzi, known as "Italy's teacher," who contributed significantly to adult literacy through his program "It's Never Too Late," where he taught people how to read and write in Italian. T o d a y , t h e d i a l e c t a l panorama of Italy is com- p l e x a n d m u l t i f a c e t e d : according to a 2017 survey by Istat, only 14% of Ital- ians primarily speak dialect at home, with the majority b e i n g e l d e r l y i n d i v i d u a l s (75% aged over 75), while younger generations pre- dominantly communicate in Italian. And with the rapid advancement of technology over the past eight years, as noted by Fulvi, these per- centages are likely to have further diminished. We are, therefore, facing a challeng- i n g s i t u a t i o n , w h e r e a n essential part of our varied cultural heritage is at risk of d i s a p p e a r i n g , a t a t i m e when the country is trying to offer new relevance to its roots, origins, and connec- tions with the past. Here, then, we need to look back at what Professor Gobber s a i d , a n d r e c o g n i z e t h e essentiality of cataloging and protecting our linguistic wealth, lest it disappears. It is in this context that the AlpiLink project was born: to bring the linguistic diversity of Northern Italy's Alps into the digital era, and to offer an example to follow for other areas of Italy. The project features an interac- tive audio map capturing the core of eighteen linguis- tic varieties including Friu- l i a n , V e n e t i a n , T r e n t i n o , Ladin, Lombard, Piedmon- tese, Franco-Provençal, Occ- i t a n , W a l s e r , C i m b r i a n , M ò c h e n o , S a p p a d i n o , S a u r a n o , T i m a v e s e , Tyrolean, Resian, German, and Slovenian from the Val Canale. The initiative, sup- p o r t e d b y t h e M i u r a n d developed in collaboration with universities in Verona, Trento, Bolzano, Turin, and Valle d'Aosta, aims to pre- serve and promote multi- lingualism as part of our cultural heritage. Through the contributions of 1,731 individuals of all ages and s o c i a l b a c k g r o u n d s , A l p i L i n k c o l l e c t e d o v e r 201,000 voice and sound files, creating the largest database dedicated to the study, documentation, and research of multilingualism. P a r t i c i p a n t s , w h i c h a l s o count 23 schools, 559 sec- o n d a r y s t u d e n t s , a n d 7 9 t e a c h e r s , h a v e b e e n c o n - t r i b u t i n g t o r e s e a r c h b y sharing their dialects or lan- guages through the project's website. AlpiLink is a well-func- tioning and active example of what Gobber describes as the mapping, certification, a n d p r o t e c t i o n o f o u r dialects: much like we'd do with ancient artifacts, we must protect them, but also keep them alive by making t h e m k n o w n , a n d u n d e r - stand how deeply they con- nect with the essence itself of Italy's special diversity. Just like we wouldn't stop learning how to write with a pen just because today we have keyboards, we must keep our old dialects alive, if not to communicate with those around us today, cer- tainly to maintain our con- nection with the past strong. People over 75 are the most likely to speak in dialect (Photo: Giuseppemasci/Dreamstime) GIULIA FRANCESCHINI L'Italia dei dialetti: a wealth also for Italian Americans HERITAGE HISTORY IDENTITY TRADITIONS PEOPLE

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