Language Research

European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages signed on June 27, 2000.

Framework Convention for the Protection of National Minorities signed on February 1, 1995, ratified on November 3, 1997 and enacted on March 1, 1998.

Updated (August 2003)

TABARCHIN AND GALLO-ITALIC MINORITIES ASK FOR OFFICIAL RECOGNITION IN ITALY

It has taken three years for the Italian government to begin the ratification of the Charter for Regional and Minority Languages, signed in Strasbourg on June 27, 2000 and the controversies around it are not quite over yet.

At their meeting on May 7, 2003, two parliamentary Commissions (Constitutional Affairs and International and European Affairs) extensively discussed the Charter and its effect on the Italian legal system.

Two main proposals came out of the discussion. The first one, which follows on from the requirements laid down in Article 6 of the Italian Constitution (the protection of its linguistic minorities) and whose text is based on the 482/99 Law protecting historical linguistic minorities and the second, more complex one, proposed by Sardinian MP Antonio Mereu (UDC, Christian and Center Democrats), which adds the Tabarchin-speaking community in Sardinia and the Gallo-Italic speaking community in Sicily and Basilicata to twelve already officially recognized communities (namely Albanian, Catalan, Croatian, German, Greek, Franco-Provençal, French, Friulan, Ladin, Occitan, Sardinian and Slovene).

According to Mr Mereu, the National Law 482 should be open to these language communities and they should be gradually incorporated into the Charter. Tabarchin and Gallo-Italic are separate languages and they have the right to be protected as much as other languages.

Currently spoken by about 10,000 people in two communities of Carloforte and Calasetta, located respectively on the islands of San Pietro and Sant Antioco, in the southwestern coast of Sardinia, Tabarchin owes its name to the Tunisian island of Tabarca, a Genoese colony in the 16th Century. In the 18th Century, Tabarca inhabitants fled from the island and settled in Sardinia and on an island off the coast of Alicante (Spain), subsequently named Nueva Tabarca. Of a Ligurian origin, Tabarchin is completely different from Sardinian and it is protected by the Sardinian Regional Law 26/97.

Tabarchin is still commonly spoken and taught at schools and used at all levels of education in different projects.

Mereu's proposal also demanded the inclusion of Gallo-Italic which originated from the migration of northern Italian populations who settled in Sicily and Basilicata between the 11th and 13th Century and where it is still spoken by various communities (currently 60,000 speakers in Sicily and 23,000 in Basilicata).

In this case the situation is very complex, as the language is not protected even at regional level, though speakers commonly use it in everyday life.

Source: Eurolang News, Brussels, July 18, 2003, by Marcello Mereu, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4334

Top of page

Updated (October 2003)

ITALY MOVES TOWARDS RATIFICATION OF THE EUROPEAN CHARTER FOR REGIONAL AND MINORITY LANGUAGES

Italy took another step towards ratification of the European Charter for Regional and Minority Languages. The Chamber of Deputies finally approved the Bill concerning the ratification signed in June 2000, by the former Italian Foreign Affairs Minister, Lamberto Dini. It now needs the approval of the Senate.

The Bill is a result of the projects made up by the Government and by MPs of several parliamentary groups (for example the minority language one composed by the representatives of Ladin, German and French minorities). It follows on the requirements laid down in Article 6 of the Italian Constitution (the protection of its linguistic minorities) and its text is based on the 482/99 Law protecting historical linguistic minorities. It also refers to more favorable provisions existing in autonomous regions of Aosta Valley, Trentino-South Tyrol and Friuli-Venezia Giulia.

During the discussion an amendment concerning radio and TV public broadcasting in minority languages was added promising that two channels, one broadcasting in Friulan and another one in Sardinian, will be included in the next contract of service between the public broadcasting company RAI and the Italian Government.¹

According to the President of CONFEMILI (Committee of Minorities in Italy), Domenico Morelli, minorities can be satisfied with this Bill. A heavy vote in favor of the ratification of the Charter; however, indicates that Law 482 has to be correctly implemented also in the domains, where it is neglected at the moment, like radio and TV public broadcasting.

Source; Eurolang News, Rome, October 16, 2003, by Marco Stolfo, http://217.136.252.147/webpub/eurolang/pajenn.asp?ID=4436

¹ Starting from the end of 2004

Top of page

Updated (June 2007)

ITALY IS CONSIDERING THE RATIFICATION OF THE ECRML

The Italian parliament is taking further steps in the ratification and implementation of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages. Italy signed the Charter seven years ago, on 26 June 2000, but it has not yet ratified it.

The Charter defines regional or minority languages as those: "traditionally used within a given territory of a State by nationals of that State who form a group numerically smaller than the rest of the State's population; different from the official language(s) of that State. It does not include either dialects of the official language(s) of the State or the languages of migrants".

If the Charter was finally signed, various levels of protection would be guaranteed to 13 minority languages at least, such as Albanian, Corsican, Serbo-Croatian, Franco-provençal, Friulian, Sardinian and Slovene. However, a dispute remains on whether languages such as Venetian or Sicilian, which are now considered to be dialects, would gain the status of minority language.

Source: Legislation News, Mercator Newsletter No.31, June 2007 http://www.mercator-education.org/newsletter/MERCATORnewsletter31#ml6

Top of page