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Franco-provençal in Italy
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| Franco-provençal in Italy | |
1. Introduction
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2. The language in the country
2.1. General information on the language community
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2.2. Geographical and language background
Franco-Provençal is spoken in three areas of Italy: the Valle d'Aosta (surface area of 3260 2), some alpine valleys in the Province of Turin in Piedmont (Val Sangone, Valle di Susa, Valle Cenischia, Valle di Viù, Valle di Ala, Val Grande, Valle di Locana, Valle di Piantonetto, Val Soana) and two Communes in the Province of Foggia in Apulia: the Communes of Celle San Vito and Faeto. According to information based on studies conducted after the 1981 census, it is the Valle d'Aosta that has the largest number of speakers of Franco-Provençal, numbering approximately 68 000, followed by the Province of Turin, with some 22speakers. According to the most recent estimate, there are currently some 50people with some knowledge of the language, 20of whom still use it on a daily basis. Finally, in Apulia, there are approximately 1400 speakers of Franco-Provençal. It is also in the Valle d'Aosta, where it is most widely spoken, that Franco-Provençal enjoys some institutional support, thanks to the Region's Autonomous Statute. Italian-French bilingualism is given preference for the region's administrative functions, in the media and in schools. French is traditionally spoken by about a thousand people belonging to the bourgeoisie.
2.3. General history and history of the language
Franco-Provençal, also known as patois or nosta moda, is a Gallo-Roman variety of neo-Latin, which can be traced back as far as the 13th century. It is spoken alongside other languages, such as Italian and French in the Valle d'Aosta, in addition to the spoken Germanic language of the Swiss-Valais type (with approximately 1000 speakers in Gressoney-La-Trinité, Gressoney-Saint-Jean and Issime), or alongside Italian and Piedmontese in the Province of Turin. We shall concentrate on the Franco-Provençal spoken in these two regions, since it would be impossible to look at the situation in Apulia as systematically.
The common linguistic history of the two regions can be traced back to the time of the Romanization of Celtic Italy. At this time, the Celtic population spoke the same language, despite the administrative division of the area into different provinciae. Frontier changes led to different language developments as in, for example, the villages of Bardonecchia and Modane - the former, which is now Italian, belonged to France until 1713 (Treaty of Utrecht), whereas the latter, which is now French, belonged to the Duchy of Savoy until it was handed to France in 1861.
The region as a whole had a population of some 187in 1971, in approximately 127 Communes; the Valle d'Aosta had a population of 108and the Province of Turin had a population of 78 907. The region had an active population of 71 461, of whom 10were employed in the agriculture, while 60people were employed in industry and the service sector, i.e. six times more than in agriculture. The population of the Valle d'Aosta grew from 94in 1951 to approximately 115in 1991, whereas the population of the Province of Turin declined from 86to 78over the same period.
In the Province of Turin, 16 of the 53 Communes have a population density of fewer than 25 people per square kilometre. The number of Communes with a population of fewer than 500 has doubled over the past few years, a fact that can be explained by the closure of several factories. Population density has fallen in 38 of the 53 Communes, with an extreme drop in Ingria, where population figures have plummeted by 71.16%. By contrast, the population of the Valle d'Aosta is constantly increasing, especially in villages close to industrial and commercial centres. The growth of the population of villages at an altitude of more than 1200is chiefly due to the development of tourism. Some 30% of the population of the Valle d'Aosta was born outside the area, and this immigration can also be attributed to the establishment of new industries. The language of newcomers is usually Italian. However, apart from these demographic and linguistic explanations linked, among other things, to population movements, the differences between the two regions are mainly attributable to the Autonomous Statute covering the Valle d'Aosta. Although speakers of Franco-Provençal are in the majority in the Valle d'Aosta, they account for only 30% of the population of the Province of Turin.
The different ways in which the Valle d'Aosta and the Province of Turin have developed can be explained by recent history: right up until the Second World War, there were very few differences between the two regions which both suffered from similar agricultural and economic problems. After the Second World War, the Valle d'Aosta secured its autonomy, which meant that the promotion of tourism, commerce and industry could be managed locally. In Piedmont, on the other hand, difficulties persisted, and this was reflected in cultural and economic poverty.
The dispersal of the language community is causing the language to die out both in terms of its use and its functions. The community is, however, defending its interests with the help of various unofficial groups set up on a voluntary basis, including the Centre d'études franco-provençales René Willien (René Willien Centre for Franco-Provençal Studies) and the Associazione di studi e di ricerche francoprovenzali (Association for Franco-Provençal Studies and Research). Some initiatives, such as the creation of several theatre groups staging plays in dialect, inspired by the "Charaban d'Aoste", the creation of several libraries and the annual "Concours Cerlogne", are really helping to increase the sense of pride of the people of the Valle d'Aosta. All these activities take place by private initiative and receive no support from the European Union.
The French language exists in various forms in the Valle d'Aosta and in Piedmont, in the valleys of Germanasca, Chisone and Pellice, but it is thought to be in decline. In Piedmont, the version spoken is related to Swiss French; it is heavily marked by archaic features and has some unique lexical and phonetic features shaped by the area's geographical isolation. It is strongly influenced by the local dialect and Italian. French has survived in these areas partly for religious reasons: French has been the official language of the Church since the 17th century. It is for this reason that French is chiefly spoken nowadays by older people. 10-12% of the total population of 42speak French.
Unlike Franco-Provençal, the status of French is protected in the Valle d'Aosta by Articles 38, 39 and 40 of the Special Statute in particular. Article 38 places French and Italian on an equal footing, except in the judicial domain. Article 39 sets out a division of hours for bilingual teaching in Italian and French, details of which are given in Article 40. According to this article, teaching in French must be in keeping with local needs. As this law does not fully specify how bilingual teaching is to be organized, only some subjects are taught in French and the hours set aside for language teaching are not used for teaching in the language.
2.4. Legal status and official policies
Franco-Provençal is relatively well protected under the 1979 Autonomous Statute for the Valle d'Aosta, whereas it enjoys no protection in the Province of Turin.
The population is generally of the opinion that the Government is aware, to a certain extent, that Franco-Provençal contributes to the cultural richness of the country, but that it intentionally does not exert any influence by offering political support or making technical compromises such as the division of administrative units. In general, people feel that the State is not providing any support and is not offering any encouragement. The Valle d'Aosta regional authorities, after an initial period during which the orientation was virtually exclusively towards French, are now encouraging a degree of awareness of the individuality and unique linguistic features of Franco-Provençal.
In recent years, the Italian Parliament has debated the adoption of a law to protect minority languages, the Legge per la tutela delle minoranze linguistiche in Italia (Law to protect minority languages in Italy). This bill was shelved, however, because of the dissolution of Parliament.
3. The use of the language in various fields
3.1. Education
Franco-Provençal is already part of the school curriculum in the Valle d'Aosta, but the same cannot be said of the other valleys. From the point of view of the teaching of culture and the history of language, some subjects may be covered at school if a teacher so desires, but only as a supplement to existing school curricula. No inspectorate is responsible for the Franco-Provençal language.
Franco-Provençal does not feature in pre-school education. It is, however, offered as an option in hundreds of primary schools. Like other dialects, Franco-Provençal is not a full part of primary education, although school projects are carried out on cultural traditions (viticulture, traditional cuisine and placenames).
Franco-Provençal does not feature at all in secondary education and its use in schools is in decline.
There are no universities in the Franco-Provençal linguistic area.
There is no Franco-Provençal language teaching for adults.
Teachers know the language and culture only if they come from the linguistic area themselves or have a personal interest. In the Valle d'Aosta, training schemes are offered each year by the Assessorato Regionale alla Cultura e all'Educazione.
3.2. Judicial authorities
The texts of laws are occasionally available in Franco-Provençal. Franco-Provençal is never used before the courts. Interpreters are sometimes available, however, and evidence in Franco-Provençal is accepted, provided that it is accompanied by a translation.
3.3. Public authorities and services
Franco-Provençal is not used by central government. Nor is it used by the Piedmont regional authorities. It is used unofficially, however, in the Valle d'Aosta in dealings between regional authority offices and the public. In local authority offices, Franco-Provençal is used only for informal conversations.
The authorities are not interested in introducing the use of Franco-Provençal into services to the public. When people make requests in Franco-Provençal, they often remain unanswered. Also, when Franco-Provençal is used in public services, it often gives rise to misunderstandings. Our correspondent says that the authorities' support of Franco-Provençal is, to all intents and purposes, non-existent. Documents and forms are rarely produced in two languages. What is more, they are often incomprehensible even to Italian-speakers, because they are written in "bureaucratese".
There are bilingual signs in Italian and French in hospitals; in all the other services, however, it is Italian monolingualism that prevails, be it the telephone directory, the telephone or electricity bill or post office or police station notices.
In public and semi-public services, very little use is made of Franco-Provençal in dealings between institutions and the public. This is partly explained by the large number of foreigners and tourists, with whom it is impossible to use Franco-Provençal. Although it is possible to use Franco-Provençal in the Valle d'Aosta without being looked down upon, the most common alternative is still to use French. In Piedmont, on the other hand, dependence on the Italian Government leaves no possible option other than to use Italian.
Placenames are not used correctly in official usage. In the case of people's names, the authorities are to a certain extent open to the use of given names, though less willingly so in the case of Franco-Provençal names.
Notices and signs are in Italian only in Piedmont, whereas, in the Valle d'Aosta, there are bilingual signs in Italian and French, whether in Commune council offices, on road signs, on public noticeboards or in tourist-oriented businesses. Products are usually labelled in Italian, though the use of Franco-Provençal is not banned as such. Italian/French bilingualism is developing at the expense of Franco-Provençal. The media are exerting pressure on the population by setting State values against local values and modern values, such as success, wealth and individualism, against more traditional values.
3.4. Mass media and information technology
The use of Franco-Provençal is not authorized in the media, apart from its use on the radio and on television.
Daily newspapers
There are no daily newspapers in Franco-Provençal.
Periodicals
The main periodicals are Le peuple Valdôtain, La ville d'Aosta and Rassemblement valdôtain and are the organs of local political groups. A quarterly called La Vallado sometimes contains articles on Franco-Provençal.
Radio
The Italian radio station RAI broadcasts for about 15 minutes a day, but the language used is closer to French than Franco-Provençal. Generally speaking, programmes in Franco-Provençal are broadcast sporadically on the public channels, while private stations are not interested in doing the same, for purely economic reasons, given the limited audience.
Television
The television station RAI 3 broadcasts for about 15 minutes a day, but the language used is closer to French than Franco-Provençal. There does not currently seem to be any trend towards greater integration of Franco-Provençal. The 15 minutes of broadcasting in Franco-Provençal by RAI 3 does not pose any comprehension problems from the point of view of language.
Computers
Franco-Provençal cannot be input into a computer, because the keyboards available make no provision for the local varieties of phonemes.
3.5. The Arts
The Centre d'études franco-provençales (Centre for Franco-Provençal Studies) has published a few dozen anthologies of poetry in Franco-Provençal, plus some prose works, following research in schools. There is also a grammar and a dictionary: Cerlogne's Première grammaire des patois valdôtains (First grammar of Valle d'Aosta patois), which was published in 1907, and his Dictionnaire de JBC, plus Chenal and Vautherin's major Vocabulaire des patois valdôtains (Vocabulary of Valle d'Aosta patois), of 1962-1982, and their Vocabulaire bilingue français-patois (Bilingual vocabulary of French and patois) of 1984.
There are no Franco-Provençal folk or modern music groups. Nor are there any films that could be described as Franco-Provençal. On the other hand, there is a growing number of theatre groups producing plays in Franco-Provençal, the most well-known being Charaban d'Aoste.
In the Valle d'Aosta, the Concours Cerlogne is considered to be a cultural event. It is a type of school competition that is organized in the region once a year. It includes an exhibition of the school projects that pupils have carried out during the year on the local environment, technologies and culture. Other activities are also coordinated by the Centre d'études franco-provençales, which was set up more than 20 years ago and which has premises in Saint-Nicholas and Aosta. Generally speaking, people are showing a growing interest in these cultural activities and the use of patois tends to increase markedly in connection with participation in these events. Village fêtes are opportunities for encountering fellow patois-speakers.
The situation is completely different in the other valleys. The few surveys that have been conducted on Franco-Provençal culture and speakers have been the result of personal interest but have not been very successful because no scientific and technical support has been forthcoming. Since Gallo-Roman areas are often administered together with Piedmontese language areas, there is less sensitivity to linguistic and cultural differences.
In the area of cultural policy, events receive very little support because there are few people in Government who are aware of ancient traditions and customs.
In the Valle d'Aosta, the regional government is active in research and has taken on the task of establishing and managing the Bureau régional pour la linguistique et l'ethnographie (Regional language and ethnography office). In Piedmont, mention might be made of the funding of scientific research in connection with the Atlante linguistico ed etnografico del Piemonte Occidentale (ALEPO - Linguistic and ethnographic atlas of West Piedmont). .
3.6. The business world
It is not necessary to know Franco-Provençal to get a job. Franco-Provençal is not used in advertising. In tourism, it is associated with authenticity and local character.
3.7. Family and social use of the language
Franco-Provençal is not used at all between parents and their children, though it was still being used in rural areas in the 1950s. In the late 1940s, patois was still being learned within the family; between the 1940s and 1960s, it was replaced by Piedmontese or Gallo-Italic; since the 1960s, it has been replaced by Italian alone.
Courting couples speak to each other in Italian. Mixed marriages account for approximately 50% of all marriages.
There no longer appear to be any gender-based differences in the use of Franco-Provençal. In the past, however, and more specifically in the 1950s, young women tended to use patois, while young men made more use of Piedmontese because of their occupational activities.
Attitudes towards speakers of Franco-Provençal are still somewhat contemptuous and Franco-Provençal-speakers are often thought to be old-fashioned.
Some 25% of Franco-Provençal-speakers are regular church-goers. However, only about 1% of priests are able to speak the language and it is extremely rare for mass to be celebrated in Franco-Provençal. No religious works are available in Franco-Provençal.
Most speakers think their language will have virtually disappeared over the next generation. Knowledge of their language seems to them to be of little use for the future, an opinion that is shared by both speakers and non-speakers alike. Linguistic awareness is so little developed in some cases that some Franco-Provençal-speakers think they are speaking Piedmontese.
Young people use Franco-Provençal very little, because they are in a minority in relation to more fashionable languages. In some rural areas, however, young people between the ages of 15 and 20 have learned the language so that they can use it as a secret code.
3.8. Transnational exchanges
The fêtes du patois in Savoy and Switzerland are opportunities for Franco-Provençal-speakers to meet. State activities in the area of language exchanges do not give rise to any consensus decision. Such decisions come from local authorities rather than the Government.
4. Conclusion
Franco-Provençal does not enjoy any status that might guarantee its protection in Italy. First, a distinction needs to be drawn between the situation of the language in Piedmont, where institutions are answerable to central government and where Franco-Provençal is, to all intents and purposes, ignored, and its situation in the Valle d'Aosta, where regional institutions have special powers to protect the minority language. Paradoxically, the Special Statute covering the Valle d'Aosta, which permits Italian-French bilingualism, by giving preference to the standard form of French, leaves room for Franco-Provençal only in unofficial use and informal initiatives. Although Italian-French bilingualism has increased a little, this has happened at the expense of bilingualism with Franco-Provençal.
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