LL-L: "Language policies" LOWLANDS-L, 26.NOV.1999 (05) [E/Italian/Sardinian]

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From: R. F. Hahn [sassisch at yahoo.com]
Subject: Language policies

Dear Lowlanders,

The following is not actually Lowlandic but is of interest regarding language
policies in the light of the European Language Charter.  Lone Olesen, a former
List member, informs me that Italy, which until now had been among those
countries that basically ignored minority language interests and refused
official recognition, has finally come around.  Let's hope others will follow.

Many thanks to Lone for keeping us informed about the fate of non-Lowlandic
minority languages.  Please find her message below.

Regards,

Reinhard/Ron

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Dear Ron -as a former member of the list I take the liberty to write to you in
private, hoping that the following can be of some interest.
>From the Sardinian language list I found the happy news in my mail thatthe
minor languages in Italy have finally gotten accepted by law 25thNovember.
According to the text, these include:
 "la lingua e la cultura delle popolazioni albanesi, catalane,germaniche,
  greche, slovene e croate e di quelle parlanti il francese, il
franco-provenzale,  il friulano, il ladino, l'occitano e il sardo."
(Disegno di legge 3366, Art. 2, onhttp://www.senato.it/att/ddl/a3366t.htm)
Below I quote the immediate reaction from one of the members of the
Sardinian mailing list, Nanni Falconi, who is very dedicated to the
Sardinian language issue. I think he illustrates the question veryclearly.
I can't help thinking how many language and dialect names could be
mentioned alongside the ones of this letter...
My own somewhat poor English translation follows.Sa-Limba, 26th November 1999:
(Reference to message archive on
http://www.spinfo.uni-koeln.de/mensch/sa-Limba.html)
Sardinian Logudorese (the Roberto Bolognesi ortography):
>        caros amigos   Stasero n'ant faeddadu puru in sostelegiornales
>Italianos de sa resessida de sa votathione de sa legge de sas linguas
>minores. N'ant faeddadu in unu modu comente a narrer chi non  fit
>impurtante. Ma impurtante l'est si no atteru ca pro sa prima borta insa
>storia de su stadu Italianu si ponet subra su pabiru chi in Italiac'at
>linguas e nathiones diversas. Itte cambiat? Deo penso chi non cambiet
>nudda si sos popolos chi  impreant custas linguas non leant coraggiu ea
>sas paraulas scrittas in cussa  legge non bi faghent sighire unu
>pensamentu nou. Est a narrer chi si sa legge  narat chi podimusimpreare
>sa lingua nostra puru in cuddos logos ue fintzas a  como solu salingua
>Italiana si podiat impreare, la depimus impreare. Oe fia  iscurtendesos
>interventos de sos cunsiljeris sardos chi sunt cuntierrende  safiducia a
>sa giunta. Mi fia dumandende cando amus a intendere carchi  cunsiljeri
>faeddende in sardu, e naru in calesisiat faeddada, mancari siat Galluresa
>o Catalana pro non narrer Logudoresu o Campidanesa.    Ja at a bennersa
>di.   sos saludos a tottu   nanni falconi  <English:
> Dear friends. Tonight they even talked about it on the news. Italians
>about the passing of the vote on the law about minor languages. Theyspoke
>about it as if it was nothing important. But it is important, if notfor
>anything else (om ikke andet), then because it is the first time inthe
>history of the Italian State that it is put down on paper that inItaly,
>there are different languages and nations. What will change? I thinkthat
>nothing is going to change if the peoples that are using theselanguages
>do not find the courage to let a new way of thinking follow up on the
>words of this law. That is to say, if the law says that we can use our
>language even in places where, until now, only the Italian languagecould
>be used, we should use it. Today I was listening to the statements ofthe
>Sardinian politicians that are very confident. I asked myself when wewill
>hear a local politician speaking in Sardinian, and I mean whithin any
>dialect group, be it the Gallurese, the Catalan, not to mention the
>Logudorese or the Campidanese. That day still has to come. Greetingsto
>all,  Nanni Falconi <
(Note: faeddada= dialect or "dialect group", depending on wether the
reference is to a town or to a whole dialect area.)Further references:
Nanni Falconi's home: http://web.tiscalinet.it/LimbaSarda
Aim and research regarding the Sardinian mailing list:
http://www.uni-koeln.de/RRZK/kompass/82/wmwork/www/K82_13.html#HEADING35
Well, I hope this can be of use for something.
I take a look at the message archive at Lowlands-L once in a while,having
only a 80 mb hard-drive, this is the only way I can keep on "lurking".Thanks,
Lone Olesen

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