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# 62 • June 12 , 2015
ve to our culture and language.
A closer analysis shows that
the young Italian Americans
who attend schools at an age
by between 5 to 17 years are
about 15% of the total: we
are talking about 3 million of
young people. If we add up
the Italophiles to the 3 million
Italian Americans we reach a
pool of about 6 million of potential students of our language and culture.
Our sources suggest that we
are one of the most popular
foreign languages and with
the largest percentage of increase, but well away from these numbers: in fact, students of
Italian language in the United
States do not exceed 200,000.
About 100,000 of these students attend classes in the
Tri-State Area (NY-NJ-CT) where IACE is run like a business
thanks to the work done by its
Board of Directors, and with
the help of the Foreign Ministry, the Italian Embassy in Washington and the Consulate
General in NYC.
IACE fulfills its mission of promoting the study of American
schools in the three states of
New York, New Jersey and
Connecticut, operating with
government funds and with
private funds. In my opinion a
on the shelves! In short, it is essential to motivate the choice
of our language and create synergies between all the actors
responsible for the spread of
Three things are needed to the Italian language and cultuconquer a market: a quality re in the States: entrepreneurs,
product, a receptive territory, Italian American associations,
and a marketing strategy for both Italian and American universities, and why not, also the
the product.
church with their own private
As for the product, no one can schools frequented by Catholidoubt that Italian language cs of Italian or South American
and culture represent a unique heritage.
asset: according to UNESCO,
65% of world art is concentra- The great world of the "Italian
ted in our country. As for the descendants" in the US helps
land, that’s it: we are in Ameri- to maintain alive valuable traca, a friendly country that loves ditions, as some dialects that
us. Americans have come twi- no longer exist in Italy, but
ce to get us out of wars, inva- above all as the old recipes of
sions and bad choices. There their grandmothers. The return
is no doubt then that the Italian to the language and culture of
influence touches not only the their ancestors strengthens
twenty million mentioned abo- people’s mental and physical
ve, but at least twice as many balance.
Americans. But of course all
this is not enough. You cannot We in America have a chalhave a great product and keep lenge right now: there is an
it at home, you have to take it image of Italy that is overwhellanguage is like a product: you
have to make it attractive to
compete with other languages
offered in public schools.
WE THE ITALIANS | 19
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