Writing systems for Italian regional languages

Coluzzi, Paolo; Brasca, Lissander; Miola, Emanuele

doi:10.1080/01434632.2018.1531875

Cited by 3 publications

(1 citation statement)

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“…Even though a unified orthography is available now (Scriver Lombard), various orthographies are being used to write the different Lombard varieties, and sometimes even the same variety. Some of these orthographies have been in use for a long time, to write mainly poetry, but also other genres (Coluzzi, Brasca & Miola, 2019).…”

Section: Milanmentioning

confidence: 99%

Signs in the linguistic landscape as markers of an ethnic group’s identity and ownership

Coluzzi¹

2020

Southeast Asia: A Multidisciplinary Journal

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Whereas the geography of a certain area is certainly linked in many ways to the ethnic group occupying it (or who used to occupy it), the link between the land and the language/s spoken (or that used to be spoken) can only become visible through the linguistic landscape, which not only asserts identity and ownership but can also help to reinforce prestige and vitality of the languages employed. The problem is that if the local heritage language is a minority or regional one, only in few cases can it be used to affirm the identity and ownership of its speakers. There are two sine qua non conditions for the local language to appear in the linguistic landscape: 1) The language must have gone beyond the 'threshold of literacy', i.e. it must have developed as a written language, with its own orthography and literature; 2) The language must be allowed to be used in the linguistic landscape and/or enjoy a degree of official recognition. This article presents five case studies on the presence of local minority/regional languages in the linguistic landscape based on the author’s research: two in Italy (Udine and Milan) and two in Southeast Asia (Kuala Lumpur and Bandar Seri Begawan, the capitals of Malaysia and Brunei Darussalam respectively). The very interesting situation in Macao will also be touched on, where the colonial language, Portuguese, has been given prominence in the linguistic landscape in spite of the fact that only a tiny percentage of the population can speak it. In this case, Portuguese is portrayed as a kind of heritage language (as well as an international language) that does not need to be mastered as its main function is symbolic, i.e. to help Macao retain its special status as a Special Administration Region of China.

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Section: Milanmentioning

confidence: 99%