Revisiting attitudes toward English in present‐day Italy

Abstract

English is the most popular foreign language in present‐day Italy. Most Italians believe that it is useful in the job market and a symbol of modernity, professionalism and technological advancement. Italy has been in contact with English‐speaking countries for centuries, but only after the end of World War II have the English language and Anglo‐American culture influenced Italian society in a visible way. English has transferred many loanwords into Italian, especially in the specialized terminologies of ICT, economy and finance. English buzzwords, slogans or pseudo‐English neologisms are ubiquitous in the Italian linguistic landscape. Starting from a picture of the current situation, this paper tries to outline the status of English today, considering the growing pressures of internationalization in business, education and media communication. Favourable attitudes are widespread in the younger generations, while more conservative views on the hegemony of English in Italy are held by some linguists, institutions and nationalist opinion‐makers.