Italy is a country blessed with a rich cultural heritage and a unique language. Located in the southern part of Europe and bordered by Austria, France, San Marino, Slovenia, and Switzerland. Italy is like an eagle flying high in the sky with no intention of coming down. Despite all that this country is known for, Italian language and culture always come first.
With a total population of about 61,680,122, Italians are sure enjoying Comfortable and modern life, but that has not prompted them to leave their culture and language behind. Italian’s are special kind of people that take pride in the language and culture despite all the modern pressures from other European countries.
Perhaps you want to come to study here in Italy, it’s important you have a glimpse of what the language and culture is all about. Right here in this article, we will be sharing a quick glimpse of what Italian language and culture is all about.
Italian Language
Italy is a republic country with an official language known as Italian. About 93% of the total population of this country speaks the official language, Italian. Therefore, it’s essential for international students to quickly learn simple day-in day-out sentences that can help ease communication with locales.
Despite the fact that Italian is the official language, 50% of Italians have their own separate dialect which is referred to as their mother tongue. These dialects are quite different from the official language. Hence, they are not recognized and are considered unintelligible. Friulian is one these dialects and it is spoken by about 600,000 Italians that resides in the northeastern part of the country.
There are other local dialects in the region and these includes; Slovene, Ladin, and German. These three languages are officially recognized in Alto-Adige. Val d’Aosta which is located in the Alpine region also allows French as an official language.
Albanian, Greek, and Croatian are commonly spoken in the southern part of the country. And this amount to just 0.2% of the population. There are two other languages, Catalan and Sardinan. These languages are spoken in Alghero, a beautiful Island City.
Italian Society and Culture
The Family is the fundamental unit of culture in any society and this is also applicable to Italian cultures. In Italy, the family style of living differs based on each region. In the southern part of the country, the family system is extended, which means an extended family lives in the same house. Whereas in the north, nuclear family’s living under the same roof. Each family member provides both financial and emotional support to other members of the family.
In Italy, there is this short phrase that goes thus “bella figura” which means a person appearance speaks a lot. Italian’s believes in looking, in turn, they value clothes and other fashion accessories. As your student, you need to blend into their society by always looking the best way you can. You will be addressed the way you are dressed.
Catholicism is another prominent part of the Italian culture. Despite the fact that the number of people you see in churches are low, hardly will you walk pass a state without a big Catholic Church. More so, the doctrines of this church are deeply rooted in each family in Italy.