Italian Language

The dialects of modern Italian trace back to the spoken form of Latin. Classical Latin was the preferred language of study by the Church and in literature but other modes of speech developed after the fall of the Roman Empire. A language developed by common folk came in many forms and many of those forms were unintelligible with each other. The 'new' language developed so far from Latin that it became a separate literary language.

Then in 1800, the linguistic unification of Italy arrived and the Italian language was born. This new language was not literary but instead, comprehensible to all. Over the past 200 years, Italian language has grown very popular among non-Italians or people of Italian descent for the interests of study or family traditions. In fact, about 200 million people in the world speak, are studying or wish to learn Italian. The country is home to the standard Italian language, numerous dialects, and German, French, and Slovene languages from people of neighboring countries.

For additional Language information, see the following:

iLUSS

Italian Language Related Resources