The Italian linguistic landscape: the cases of Milan and Udine

Abstract

This article looks at the linguistic landscape in two Northern Italian cities: Milan and Udine. Signs in two streets of a similar length were recorded and classified according to the language or languages they were written in. The aim of this study was to investigate the presence in the linguistic landscape of the different languages making up the linguistic repertory of the two cities chosen. The main focus, however, was on the local regional/minority languages (Milanese and Friulian). The ensuing discussion focuses on the role language planning activities may play in forming the linguistic landscape, and the necessity to conduct sound empirical research in order to justify claims about the vitality/visibility of a given language. After an introduction on the state of research on the linguistic landscape in Italy, the article gives some background information on the cities chosen and the languages forming their repertory. After that, the methodology and the results of the research are discussed – most of the signs recorded are in Italian with a moderate presence of other foreign languages, above all English; the local regional/minority languages appear only in one case in Milan and in four cases in Udine.

Keywords:

• linguistic landscape
• minority languages
• Italy
• Friulian
• Milanese
• Western Lombard

Notes

1. In Milanese/Western Lombard the name of the city is the same as in English: Milan, pronounced (Mi’lan).

2. However, another 20.3% declared they occasionally speak Friulian and can understand it (Picco, 2001, pp. 14–15).

3. Obviously, the fact that the only writing in Milanese and half of the writings in Friulian I have found are on small stickers has something to say about the status of these two languages.

4. According to the latest Istat survey (2006), 42.6% of the interviewees (above six years of age) declared they could speak English. However, only 5.2% of the interviewees declared they were fluent in the language (ottima conoscenza), whereas 22.5% declared they could get by (buona conoscenza).

5. As stated at the beginning, my research did not include names of businesses, shops or restaurants. However, neither in Milan nor in Udin/Udine did I find any such names in Milanese or Friulian.