The standardisation of Italian

Italy’s linguistic landscape is remarkably complex.

Although many Italians will tell you they speak dialetto (‘dialect’) at home, what they are often referring to is not a dialect of Standard Italian, but one of more than 30 distinct languages from the Italo-Romance family (Screti, 2024). In fact, until the formation of the Italian state in 1861, relatively few people spoke the Italian that we recognise today. The standardisation of Italian has been a long and politically fraught process which shapes the status of Italian languages today.

History of the Italian language

The language that we recognise as Italian today has its roots in a 14th century Florentine dialect. Florence was one of the wealthiest cities in Europe at the time and a hub of artistic, cultural and economic activity. This gave the local dialect prestige which spread across Italy, but it was mostly confined to literature and spoken only by a small number of elites (dal Negro & Vietti, 2011). Even by the unification of Italy in 1861, it is estimated that less than 10% of the population spoke Italian (Colombo & Kinder, 2012).

The newly established state embarked on a process of standardisation, making Italian the official language and associating it with national cohesion, identity and legitimacy. The dialetti and minority languages were seen as “communication barriers” that could undermine political unity. Public education was therefore crucial in the propagation of the standard variety and eradication of the dialetti. Although students, and even teachers, had likely never heard the prestigious Florentine dialect before, attitudes later shifted such that the Italo-Romance languages were associated with a lack of education (Guerini, 2011).

The diffusion of standard Italian was also accelerated by the First World War. War fostered a greater sense of national unity and as people of various linguistic backgrounds came together, they required a standard. Literacy rates also increased as letters were written between soldiers and their families.

During the Fascist regime of 1922-1943, the promotion of standard Italian and the suppression of dialetti and minority languages continued. South Tyrol, a German-speaking region annexed to Italy in 1919, was particularly affected by Italianisation. Place names were changed, Italians were encouraged to settle in the territory and the German language was banned in schools, courts and public offices (Bell, 2012).

The fight against Anglicisms

There is evidence that younger generations are abandoning old perceptions of dialetti and embracing them more than their forebears in what Dal Negro and Vietti (2011) describe as a “dialect revival.” Dialetti are being used on the internet and in text messages, but Coluzzi (2009) notes that many people, even those in favour of dialect use, do not pass them on to their children.

Moreover, a new type of linguistic “purification” has emerged with attempts to curb the pervasive use of English words in Italian, described as Anglomania. Giorgia Meloni’s government supported legislation that could impose fines on companies and public administrations for using foreign languages in official communications. The proposed bill would mandate Italian as the primary language, “even in offices that deal with non-Italian-speaking foreigners” (Nadeau, 2023). It also envisages a government committee established to ensure the “correct use of the Italian language and its pronunciation” in schools, media, commerce and advertising. This is despite generally positive attitudes towards English in Italy (Guerini, 2011) and its widespread use in global business and digital communication.

With its long history of linguistic regulation through the world’s oldest language academy, it seems that old habits die hard. Even as regional dialetti have gained wider acceptance, the steady encroachment of English poses a new challenge to the ‘purity’ of Italian, making some speakers still keen to sift la crusca from la farina.

References

Bell, B. (2012). South Tyrol’s identity crisis: Italian, German, Austrian?… BBC News. https://www.bbc.co.uk/news/magazine-20633126

Colombo, M., & Kinder, J. J. (2012). Italian as a language of communication in nineteenth century Italy and abroad. Italica, 89(1), 109-121.

Coluzzi, P. (2009). Endangered minority and regional languages (‘dialects’) in Italy. Modern Italy, 14(1), 39-54.

Dal Negro, S., & Vietti, A. (2011). Italian and Italo-romance dialects.

Guerini, F. (2011). Language policy and ideology in Italy.

Lamers, H., & Reitz-Joosse, B. (2016). Lingua lictoria: The Latin literature of Italian fascism. Classical Receptions Journal, 8(2), 216-252.

Nadeau, B. L. (2023). Italian government proposes fines for using English and other foreign words in official communications. CNN. https://edition.cnn.com/2023/04/01/europe/italian-government-penalize-english-words-intl

Rygg Haanæs, Ø. (2019). Using language as a weapon: How Mussolini used Latin to link fascism to the mighty Roman Empire. University of Oslo. https://www.hf.uio.no/ifikk/english/research/news-and-events/news/2019/using-language-as-a-weapon-how-mussolini-used-lati.html

Screti, F. (2024). Contested languages in the contemporary Italian press: an analysis of language ideology. Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 1-18.