Are you an Italian learner? Then, let me paint a very common scene you’ve probably gone through: you briefly mentioning you’re learning Italian to someone just for them to say “But isn’t it useless? They speak it in Italy!”
Spoiler: it’s not.
I mean, Italian is spoken far beyond Italy’s borders. It’s the official language in three other countries, it’s recognized as a minority language in many more, and spoken by communities all around the globe. From the obvious Switzerland to Argentina, Malta and the US, Italian has found a home in some pretty unexpected places. And today, around 85 million people speak Italian worldwide (either natively or a second language). So, if you’re wondering where Italian is spoken and how far it can actually take you, you might be surprised by the answer!
This is the obvious answer: Italian is the official language in Italy. Here, it’s spoken by about 58 million people as their mother tongue. Plus many millions more that speak it as their second language!
Does that mean everyone speaks the very same? Unfortunately not. Italian people in different regions speak different dialects, you just have to travel a few hundred kilometers in any direction to notice the difference right away! And some of them, like Sicilian or Venetian, are so distinct that Italians from other parts of the country joke they need subtitles to understand what people are saying (and they really do need them).
Cross Italy’s northern border to Switzerland, and you’ll still hear Italian around you. That’s because Italian is one of Switzerland’s four national languages together with German, French, and Romansh. And, to give you some numbers, it is the everyday language for about 600,000 Swiss people.
Most Italian speakers live in Canton Ticino and the southern part of Graubünden. But pay attention, because the version of Italian spoken in Switzerland is a bit… different. Because of the country’s multilingual environment, Italian evolved into a regional variation that’s sometimes different from the standard (just to give an example, they say “natel” to say “cell phone”, which is unheard in standard Italian). So, Swiss people understand Italian with no problems, but sometimes Italians cannot understand the words they use!
Now on to a country within Italy’s borders: San Marino. Despite its size, San Marino has a strong sense of independence but, when it comes to the national language, they have always relied on our beloved Italian. After all, it's a micro-state that has always been surrounded by Italy!
That’s why almost all of San Marino’s 34,000 residents speak Italian as their first language. And Italian is the language of government, schools, and daily life too. They might print their own stamps and mint their own coins, but linguistically speaking, it does feel more like an extension of central Italy.
Lastly, there’s the Vatican City. It’s true that Latin is still the traditional language of the Church, but when it comes to the language you hear in offices when handling day-to-day affairs, that’s Italian. Even the visiting clergy, who come from all over the world, more often than not switches to Italian while they’re there!
Isn’t it interesting to think that, even in the world’s smallest country, Italian plays such a big role in connecting people from every continent?
Italian may be the official language of Italy and some neighboring countries, but its influence doesn’t stop at official borders. There are many countries and regions where the Italian language is recognized as a minority or regional language!
If you travel along the Adriatic coast, especially in Istria and Dalmatia, you’ll still hear Italian in everyday life. These regions were indeed once under Venetian (or, more generally, Italian) rule. And the legacy is hard to miss, from language to architecture. In Istria, Italian has even reached co-official status in certain towns. This means there are bilingual road signs and schools, and that you can hear people switching between Croatian and Italian with ease.
To give you some numbers once again, today there are several thousands people across Croatia and Slovenia that can speak Italian. Though many more can understand it!
Italian is not an official language in Malta anymore, that’s true, but it did leave a mark on the island. Up until 1934, Italian was indeed recognized as the main language but, even after English and Maltese took over as official languages, it never really disappeared. It just changed its role.
Thanks to Italian television and music, Maltese people grow up understanding the language. And even today, roughly two thirds of the population still understand Italian, which makes Malta one of the most Italian-fluent countries outside Italy.
Even in France, the Italian language has not completely disappeared. For example, in Corsica, the local dialect is so close to Tuscan Italian that speakers can understand each other with almost no troubles. And that’s not surprising at all; both dialects share their roots and centuries of cultural proximity.
And even in the French Riviera, especially in cities like Nice and Menton, Italian influence runs deep. That’s because these areas were one part of Italy (right before becoming French in the 19th century) and many families still maintain Italian traditions and speech. You might not hear fluent Italian in every corner, that’s true, but they will understand you just fine.
Lastly, there’s Monaco. In the principality French is (again) the official language but Italian is still well known by many people. Even those that are part of the royal family!
That’s for one very simple reason: almost one fifth of Monaco’s residents are of Italian origin. So you’ll hear Italian being spoken informally, especially in daily interactions between people with Italian heritage. It’s sometimes confusing, especially with Italian and French being so similar, but it’s part of what gives Monaco its cosmopolitan charm.
The story of where Italian is spoken today wouldn’t be complete without mentioning the Italian diaspora, that is the millions of Italians who packed their bags and crossed the oceans between the end of 1800s and the beginning of 1900s. They built new lives in many countries, carrying their traditions and language with them. And today, even if it isn’t always spoken fluently, it still lives on.
Between 1880 and 1920, millions of Italians moved to the United States. And their influence is still felt today. Indeed, Italian never disappeared entirely and, today, more than 17 million Americans claim Italian ancestry, even though only a few of them speak the language at home.
Let’s take the example of New York, Chicago, Boston, or Philadelphia. Italian is directly woven in the culture, from festivals held in Little Italies to language programs that promise younger people to help them reconnect with their roots. In most of these cities, Italian used to be the second most spoken language. And even if English eventually took over, Italian never vanished in thin air.
If there’s a country outside Europe where Italian really took root (other than the US of course), it’s Argentina. Why? Well, 60% of citizens have Italian ancestry! And that’s why everything feels a little Italian in the country, especially in cities like Buenos Aires, where most people are of Italian descent.
Even the local Spanish variety, the Rioplatense Spanish, sounds different from other forms of Spanish because it borrows heavily from Italian. And while only one million people still speak Italian, at least to some degree, countless more understand it thanks to family ties and cultural influence!
The Italian language also found a strong foothold in Brazil, especially in the south of the country. In fact, in the late 19th century, thousands of Italians settled in São Paulo and Rio Grande do Sul, bringing their language and traditions with them. And some of these communities preserved their dialects so well that they even gave birth to a new one: Talian, which is a mix of Venetian Italian and Brazilian Portuguese.
Going back to traditional Italian, even nowadays, about half a million people in Brazil speak or understand Italian, especially if they come from smaller towns. And more than the language, Italian festivals and cultural centers help keep even the culture alive in everyday life!
Last but not least, Canada and Australia too became home to thriving Italian communities after World War II. In Toronto and Montreal, and just as much in Melbourne and Sydney, Italian culture is everywhere.
While many younger generations now speak mostly English (and French too in Canada), Italian remains a strong part of their heritage. And community schools, language programs, and Italian cultural centers do their best to keep the connection alive!
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