Approximately 70 million people speak Italian as their mother tongue. They live mainly in Italy, but also in southern Switzerland – also known as the “Italian Switzerland” part – as well as in the independent Republic of San Marino and Vatican City (Italian is the official language alongside Latin in Vatican). Italian is also spoken by the Italian population of Istra (a region in Slovenia and Croatia) and in Dalmatia (Croatia).
In addition, the local population of Corsica speaks an Italian dialect. The Corsican language is a Romance language, which was influenced mainly by the Tuscan and Genoese dialect. In Nice and in the Principality of Monaco, many people understand Italian without a problem.
Another interesting aspect of Italian is it’s influence on television, which enables many Albanians acquire knowledge of it. Of course, Albanians are in direct contact with Italian in different ways since many of them work abroad in Italy. Brindisi is just 177 km from Albania across the Adriatic sea.
Italian is spoken in Malta too, where it plays an important role. It used to be an official language, and it’s still taught in schools. Italian still plays an important role as a commercial and educational language in the former colonies of Eritrea, Ethiopia, and Libya as well.
There are also several Italian-speaking communities in the Americas because of the strong movement of the Italian immigrants, particularly in Argentina, Brazil (15% of the Brazilian population is of Italian descent), the United States, Canada, Mexico, Venezuela and Uruguay.
It’s worth learning!
The Italian language is harmonious and musical. Those who learn Italian enter a new and fascinating world. In addition to learning about the carefree lifestyle of Italians, by learning Italian you will get to know plenty about the culture and cultural world in Italy. Be it Italian composers, writers, painters, sculptors, architects, film directors or designers, Italy has produced the biggest names in the world.
In addition, Italy is one of the most visited places by tourists worldwide! But, to feel at home in Italy and get to know people better, it is important to know their language and culture. Learn a language, gain a new soul!
Source: Língua italiana: É bonita e vale a pena aprender!
Translated and adapted by Nikola Gizharovski