What if, however, this is an active choice on the part of those Italians that do use English words, and why might that be? Does linguistic disunity have a part to play? With the variety of dialects that are spoken in Italy, perhaps Italians are more pre-disposed to take on new words in search of some sort of linguistic unity, an expression of Italy’s attempts at forging a popular, modern, national identity which necessarily requires engaging with modern trends so often dissimilated through the lens of American English?
Whichever side you take, there are two assumptions that an English speaker must be careful not to make. The first is that our status as native English speakers makes us immune to the exact same patterns of behaviour. Of course, we quite naturally notice much more clearly the Americanisation of the Italian language, without paying due attention to the equally rapid, but much less obvious, Americanisation of our own. The second is the assumption that Italians simply take these words as given to them, without adding their own nuances of meaning. When for example was the last time you described something as “the top” (il top being the commonly used Italian phrase)? They simply don’t equate. The word “chance” used at the beginning of this article could easily be said with the word “opportunità”, so why isn’t it? Perhaps “chance” has a unique meaning in Italian, or at least a unique tone, that the word “opportunità” simply cannot convey. Either that, or it is an apt reflection of the situation that young Italians now find themselves in. They have no choice but to bow to the irresistible force of the English language. “Che chance restano?”
Hugh Stanley and Tom Gidman
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