Italians 'don't love' their language
Italian may be a language of romance, but Italians themselves are not so affectionate about it, according to Claudio Marazzini, the president of the Florence-based Crusca Academy.
Speaking at a conference on safeguarding Italian, Marazzini was cited by Ansa as saying that "Italian is not a language really loved by the Italians".
And this lack of affection towards their own language is paving the way for the increasing use of Anglicisms, he added.
"The reasons why Italy is so disposed to foreign influence is the frequent lack of a good knowledge of its own history and language to the extent that would restore belonging to the national culture," he said.
He added that this lack of knowledge often leads Italians living abroad to become "stateless".
"Apart from for food, and even for that less than before, the Italian citizen is very often a kind of stateless person, even if disadvantaged and not easily integrating abroad," he said.
"With this basis and roots, young people are easily prone to break off from the national reality and cut their bridges, the few that remain."
It is true that Italians have borrowed many words and phrases from English and woven into their language.
We put together a list of some of the most common Anglicisms.
Top 10: English words adopted by Italians
And here are some English words that have crept in, but have been completely reinvented.
Top 15 English words reinvented by Italians
The Crusca Academy was founded in 1582 for the purpose of purifying Tuscan, the literary language of the Italian Renaissance.
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Speaking at a conference on safeguarding Italian, Marazzini was cited by Ansa as saying that "Italian is not a language really loved by the Italians".
And this lack of affection towards their own language is paving the way for the increasing use of Anglicisms, he added.
"The reasons why Italy is so disposed to foreign influence is the frequent lack of a good knowledge of its own history and language to the extent that would restore belonging to the national culture," he said.
He added that this lack of knowledge often leads Italians living abroad to become "stateless".
"Apart from for food, and even for that less than before, the Italian citizen is very often a kind of stateless person, even if disadvantaged and not easily integrating abroad," he said.
"With this basis and roots, young people are easily prone to break off from the national reality and cut their bridges, the few that remain."
It is true that Italians have borrowed many words and phrases from English and woven into their language.
We put together a list of some of the most common Anglicisms.
Top 10: English words adopted by Italians
And here are some English words that have crept in, but have been completely reinvented.
Top 15 English words reinvented by Italians
The Crusca Academy was founded in 1582 for the purpose of purifying Tuscan, the literary language of the Italian Renaissance.
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