Language in Italy vs. Language in America
by: Nicole Pampena
For us Americans, having a conversation in Italy was often like a sandwich. They began with “Ciao,” ended with “Grazie,” and everything in between was English, give or take the occasional “si” or “prego.”
We tried. We really gave an honest effort. However, three language lessons from our fellow student, Amadea Baldoni, covering the most basic foundations to interaction hardly measure up to years of education and practice. However, it was a useful starting point nonetheless, one that could have been built upon through weekend lessons at the Italian Sons and Daughters of America on Wood Street or through resources, especially Mango, available in the university library.
Yet even then we likely would have run into trouble. Even our main tour guide Matteo Troiani, who studied linguistics during university and knows a total of seven languages (three of those fluently), told us about how vastly different each Italian dialect can be and how the language in some regions “doesn’t even sound like Italian” to him. I found that to be true in an additional honor project I completed for this course.
Throughout the entire two-week trip, I encountered only two Italians who were unable to communicate with us in English. One was a store vendor, where basically vocabulary such as “vino” and “rosso/bianco” saved us as I second guessed my ability to recall if word for bottle is “bottiglia” and if I was confusing “How much does it cost?” with Spanish instead. The other was a bus driver, who was taking a smoke break before beginning his route from Milan’s business district to the area near our hostel. “Non parlo Inglese,” he told us as a few more raindrops spit down from the graying sky. We fortunately saw others get on the bus a few seconds after, assuring us that it was OK to board.
Otherwise, every other Italian we came across spoke English to some degree; however, most were fluent. Our gracious hosts at media visits spoke it smoother than some Americans. Waiters and shop owners flipped a switch and spoke it with ease as soon as they realized we were tourists. While these were all people either in hospitality or providing a service, the bottom line is they knew, and knew well.
According to an article published in 2015 by the Pew Research Center, the compulsory age to begin studying a foreign language in Italy is 6, adding a second language to the curriculum upon the completion of the student’s education. The article also cites data from 2009-2010 stating that “English is the most-studied foreign language across almost all European countries and at all education levels.” Fully 73% of primary students in Europe and more than nine-in-ten secondary students were learning English at school in 2009-10.”
The United States, however, does not legally require the study of foreign language through primary and secondary education. According to a 2017 article from The News Observer (Raleigh, N.C.), two reports from the American Academy of Arts & Sciences and American Councils for International Education demonstrated a decrease in even offering foreign language in American elementary and middle schools. Between 1997-2008, instruction in public elementary schools faced a 6 percent drop and now sits at 25 percent, while middle school instruction dropped from 75 percent to 58 percent.
However, even then, a trend at my own high school was completing three years of foreign language to make for a more impressive transcript in the eyes of college Admissions reviewers. Bearing personal witness, my Spanish classes went from having 20-25 students in Pre-AP Spanish 3 to only six of us, including myself, by the time we reached AP Spanish senior year.
America is a melting pot, as it has been since its founding. According to an article published in 2015 by The New York Post, the United States has the second highest number of Spanish speakers in the world — surpassing Spain and trailing behind Mexico. Those of us without direct foreign heritage who did not grow up with two cultures often reference our ancestry: “I’m half Italian,” “I’m part Russian,” “My grandfather immigrated here from Germany.” We all know a few swear words taught by our parents or grandparents in the native tongue of our origins.
And yet, Pew reports only a quarter of Americans knowing a second language, cutting it back further with only 43 percent knowing said language “very well.”
“Ciao” and “grazie” may not be a lot, but they’re a starting point. They’re a sign that we’re trying and grasping for something in an education system that has partially failed us on a world stage. It’s never too late to begin learning, and coming from a native language that shares Latin roots with many others, as Matteo said, “You know more than you think.”