If any language proves that there’s room at the linguistic table for everyone… it’s Italian!

This week, we continue our examination of the languages of Italy as we take a closer look at her many Regional Languages and Dialects, including the unique blend of Italian and English spoken by Italian Americans through the generations.

We’ll discuss the state of Italy’s diverse Regional Languages, both before and after Italian Unification, as well as their contemporary renaissance thanks to social media. Plus we’ll explore the rich patrimonies of Sicilian poetry and Neapolitan music and how both of these forms, and many others, are vehicles for linguistic survival.

We’ll focus on Italy’s constitutional commitments to protect her linguistic minorities, and even see some of the enduring aspects of “Italianness” in Italy’s former colony Eritrea.

Heading back to the United States, we talk about how the Italian American dialect changes depending on geographic location and how certain Italian American-born words have cemented themselves as part of the American vernacular.

And, for our weekly off topic ramble, we’ll discuss Italian clothing culture and how it is seen as a source of identity and pride in the Italian American community, how this translates back across the ocean in the Motherland.

Finally, we’ll look at the state of the Italian language in the United States today, it’s status on the “endangered programs list” at American schools, and how Italian and Italian American groups are seeking to ensure its academic survival. We’ll also opine on how to teach your children Italian, especially in these days of quarantine!

Parli italiano? You’ll certainly want to after this week’s episode!

Grazie mille,
The Italian American Podcast Team