Is the language of lo stivale still alive and kicking in the UK ?
How the Italian language is being inherited through generations
Source : Giulia Volpi
With nearly 2,000 Italian-born people living in the UK in 2021 , Italians
make up our third largest European immigrant community , according to census data . For many , immigrants or expatriates alike , la lingua italiana is the heart of their identity and community in the UK . To gain a more personal insight into this , I carried out a survey of first , second and third generation Italians , aiming to understand their relationship to the Italian language in the UK and how this linguistic heritage is surviving . Is the language of lo stivale still alive and kicking ?
As a result of immigrating to work or study , English has become the language of the work domain and Italian relegated to that of home life . Italians moving here for work is hardly a new phenomenon : la fuga dei cervelli , or brain drain , denotes Italians leaving Italy to seek out employment , and escape an inaccessible world of work back home . Throughout my survey , better opportunities in the UK were consistently identified as the motivation for moving . One survey participant , having moved to study here four years ago , labelled the difference as “ crazy ”, not just in the roles available but also in the attitude of higher education . UK universities are much more geared towards the jobs market , and treat their degree , product design in this case , more seriously .
This work-home distinction in speaking English and Italian was evident for numerous survey respondents . Italian thus provides a cherished sense of “ home ” for many due to the specificity of what they can express ; it is the language in which they can feel “ all the emotion ”, as one survey participant said , and show affection , like another ' s “ sweet nicknames ” for her loved ones . Similarly , the specificity of shared cultural references , sense of humour and gestures remain unique to their mother tongue . In this way , Italian is particularly precious for its native speakers in Britain .
Conversely , in the case of second and third generation Italians , there is a fragile relationship to the language , with grandchildren hesitant to speak it despite the pride and enjoyment they associate with it . As for all learners , understanding Italian comes more naturally than speaking it for these generations . Within linguistics , the term ‘ passive bilingualism ’ has emerged to describe those with perfect comprehension but limited ability to speak it . The admittance that it ’ s harder to “ put sentences together myself ” from one survey participant is evidence of this trend . This is partially due to the different areas of the brain required for understanding versus speaking a language . More generally a lack of confidence often causes a reluctance to speak Italian . One participant , who was born in Italy and moved to the UK aged seven , now doesn ’ t feel “ comfortable at all ” speaking Italian with her family . Other respondents also feared getting it wrong , and the embarrassment associated with this becomes a barrier to practising it .
Other barriers to learning Italian , for children and grandchildren in Italian families , were time and effort . For some , growing up with the language seemed innate , making acquisition of Italian much smoother . And yet for others , such as one third-generation participant who has always felt she does not have the time , the inheritance of the language has come to a standstill . Her attempts through Duolingo have had little longevity , despite the threat of Duo the owl . Other participants mentioned taking Italian modules at university , in this case as a supplement to the knowledge they already had . But these attempts cannot replace the immersion of speaking Italian in the family home , the heart of “ cultural continuity ” in the words of Professor Fortier . This means it is hardly surprising that linguistic heritage gets lost when left to the individual motivation of the second and third generation .
Unfortunately , it is not always realistic to bring up a child speaking a heritage language in the UK . Parents prioritising English for their children can be common , wanting to ensure access to the best opportunities . Myths persistent in the 20th century , that have since been debunked , included that learning a second language could detract from your mother tongue and that children in multilingual families would be confused . Bilingualism is now believed to improve the brain ’ s executive systems , aiding concentration , problem solving and multitasking . Emerging research around the ‘ bilingual advantage ’ has since led some families to view their heritage language as an economic asset , providing new motivation to pass it on to their children .
The decision to bring children up speaking Italian or not has tangible consequences in terms of their own sense of identity . According to my survey , those that use labels of both Italian and English were those that speak it proficiently or are actively learning it .
The attachment to this mixed heritage was clear in responses like “ a sense of pride , I like being able to say I ' m half Italian , I ' m very proud of that part of myself ” and the assertion that the language “ is part of what makes me different ”. Conversely , nonspeakers showed greater hesitancy to label themselves as Italian , making the distinction that it is their grandparents instead who are Italian . In this way , the language itself forms an intrinsic part of personal identity .
The responses to this survey demonstrate that Italian is certainly still alive and kicking in the UK - the passion of respondents was plenty testament to that . There is no systematic loss of the language perceived here and yet there exists this wish to reconnect with it on a personal , localised level , in a way that is “ left to the individual ” as one participant stated . A strong majority expressed a desire to speak the language more often in their daily life . Yet , as one respondent said , “ not many people speak Italian in the UK ” and correctly so , according to the 2021 census , where only 0.27 % of people in England and Wales classed Italian as their “ main language ”. Whilst it is not necessarily practical to ‘ preserve ’ l ’ italiano in the UK , besides steps like making Italian as a GCSE or A-level more readily available , it remains an ideal that many favour . Participants also showed a desire to preserve specific dialects , distinct from the Florentine standard , with one first generation participant passionate about “ never ” forgetting their Sicilian identity . One notable response mentioned how speaking it allows them to carry on what their family taught them , and “ remember them .” Ultimately the human connection behind the language counts the most .
By Anna Boyd ( She / Her ) ; Second Year ; French and Italian
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