Italian is in ‘hazard of dying out’ as it has been ‘so corrupted’ by English phrases
Italian researchers fear the language is at risk because of the widespread adoption of English phrases. They’re warning it could become redundant like Latin did centuries ago
Experts fear Italian could die out(Image: Getty Images)
Italian is becoming so corrupted by the adoption of English words and phrases that it is in danger of dying out, experts fear. They’re warning that it could become redundant just like Latin did centuries ago.
The alarm has been raised by researchers at the Accademia della Crusca, the world’s oldest language institute in Florence, Italy, which was founded back in 1583 to preserve the purity of the Italian language.
They have claimed the growth of English in science, research and academia, along with an invasion of imported English words that are now used in day-to-day life, risks killing off the language.
Academy president Paolo D’Achille warned: “The Italian of the future risks becoming a dialect. Italians are not inventing any new words. They’re not creating anything. They take everything from English.”
The growing use of what has been dubbed “Itanglese” or “Itangliano” ramped up during the coronavirus pandemic. Italians became accustomed to using English words like “long Covid”, “lockdown” and “smart working”, meaning working from home.
And in recent years there has been a marked rise in the number of Italian universities offering undergraduate and graduate courses that are taught entirely in English.
Professor D’Achille moaned: “English is progressively eroding the use of Italian in the worlds of research and education. It is now essential to publish in English, not just to be read by foreign academics but also to be valued in Italy. There are now sectors in which Italian is hardly ever used, just as there are now university courses which are conducted only in English.”
Other areas like marketing, advertising, business and finance are increasingly using imported English words and phrases such as “wireless” and “quantitative easing”.
Antonio Zoppetti, the founder of a website called “Diciamolo in Italiano” or “Let’s say it in Italian”, added: “Our entire lexicon is being Anglicised. English is becoming superior to Italian. It’s considered prestigious.”
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