Official Language of Italy
Italy, located in Western Europe extending into the Mediterranean Sea, boasts a diverse population of over 60 million. The official language spoken throughout the country is Italian. With approximately 85 million speakers worldwide, Italian is recognized as a Romance language closely linked to Latin, particularly originating from the Tuscan dialect of the Italo-Dalmatian subgroup within the Indo-European language family. Dante Alighieri played a significant role in standardizing Italian during the 1100s, solidifying its literary and societal importance.
Minority Languages of Italy
Italy also hosts several minority languages officially recognized by the government. These include French, Greek, German, Sardinian, Albanian, Occitan, Croatian, Slovene, Ladin, Friulian, Catalan, and Franco-Provencal. Among these, Sardinian stands out with over a million speakers primarily concentrated on the island of Sardinia. This indigenous Romance language, influenced by Catalan, Byzantine Greek, Spanish, and pre-Latin languages, comprises two principal varieties: Logudorese and Campidanese, both classified as endangered by UNESCO due to the increasing prominence of Italian.
Other Languages Spoken in Italy
Italy is home to a variety of other languages, with 31 identified by UNESCO as having varying degrees of vulnerability. Some severely endangered languages include Griko, Gardiol, Vastese, Toitschu (Walser German), and Molise Croatian. Griko, for instance, is rooted in ancient Greek communities in Southern Italy and is considered a living artifact of Magna Graecia. Vastese, spoken solely in the town of Vasto, is dwindling with most speakers elderly and few young people fluent.
