The first edition of the GENERAL STATES: Local languages, a heritage to be valued.
23-24 September 2022.
The States General of Local Languages, so named to better capture the proactive purpose of the conference, were an opportunity to bring the most important and authoritative voices on the subject of minority and regional languages ​​around the same table. The aim was above all to broaden the spectrum of participation in the debate, so as to involve the parties from as many sectors as possible. Only in this way can common approaches and solutions with the greatest potential to be welcomed and implemented be outlined.
Keynote: Intangible Cultural Heritage and Local Languages.
Dr. Leandro Ventura
Leandro Ventura, director of the Central Institute for Intangible Heritage (ICPI) of the Ministry of Culture, in his opening speech illustrated the various projects sponsored by ICPI for the valorization of languages ​​and local economies.
The condition of local languages ​​in Italy today.
D.ssa Claudia Soria
Dr. Soria, researcher at the "Antonio Zampolli" Institute of Computational Linguistics of the National Research Council, in her opening speech highlighted the problems and opportunities of the revitalization initiatives of local, regional and minority languages. In particular, it proposed 4 actions: on transmission, on school, on status and on information.
Literature in local language: the state of things and the way forward.
Annalisa Teodorani e Gabriele Desiderio
Annalisa Teodorani, poetess in the Romagna language, told her vision of a poem in the local language, illustrating her deep bond with the territory and the evocative and "direct" role that the Romagna has in its creative expression. Gabriele Desiderio, coordinator of UNESCO projects and reports of UNPLI (National Union of Pro Loco of Italy), then highlighted the work that UNPLI carries out in safeguarding the local linguistic heritage, with a special mention of the "Save your local language".
Young people and local languages: the state of affairs and new technologies.
Mariona Miret Giribet e Fulvio Romanin
Fulvio Romanin, CEO of Ensoul, a web development agency specializing in web applications and webvr (virtual reality via web browser) has given us a stimulating perspective on local languages ​​that sees them in close contact with technological evolution. Mariona Miret Gibiret, linguistic revitalizer, member of the international mission of the Chambra d'Oc and translator, then resumed the discussion in a broader key, recounting her work as a revitalizer on various fronts.
Political reforms, the steps to take and those to work on.
prof. Giovanni Agresti, Luigi Zanin e Ivan Orsini
Education and local languages: the obstacles and the opportunities.
prof. Francesco Avolio e prof.ssa Dalila Manca
Francesco Avolio, associate professor at the University of L'Aquila and author of several essays and articles on the languages ​​of Italy, intervened with a brief but extremely useful history of Italian thought relating to the teaching of local languages. Dalila Manca, teacher of English language and culture at IIS Marconi Lussu, popularizer of the Sardinian language on social media, student of the LM course in literature with curriculum in Languages ​​and culture of Sardinia then underlined the importance of activism and education in native language.
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Giovanni Agresti, professor of language sciences at the University of Bordeaux Montaigne, gave the audience an excellent overview that took stock of the political-legal framework of local languages ​​in Italy and abroad. Luigi Zanin, director of the international relations office of the Veneto Region, and Ivan Orsini, Emilia-Romagna Region, Cultural Heritage Sector, later recounted the related actions undertaken at the regional level for the protection and dissemination of local and minority languages.
The international example: what lessons?
Ana Sole Mena
Ana Sole Mena, Policy Officer for Multilingualism at the European Commission, DG EAC offered a comprehensive overview of the European-level initiatives and opportunities available to those committed to the preservation and dissemination of linguistic heritage.
Art as a vehicle for the diffusion of local languages.
Dj Tubet e Filippo Giovanelli
The conference concluded with artistic interventions by Dj Tubet, rapper and producer from Friuli, and Filippo Giovanelli, street artist and director of the "Mural Vernacolo" project, who demonstrated how creative expression can unite communities and promote a new local identity.