I dialetti italiani
Italian dialects
When one thinks thinks about Italian, one usually imagines one single language. But the reality is far more richer.
In Italy there exist dozens of dialects, each one with its own history and a grammar of its own.
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The Venetian dialect, the Neapolitan dialect and the Sicilian dialect, for example, are so different that two speakers native often don't understand each other.
This diversity comes from from the history of the country: for centuries, Italy was divided into many states independent.
Each city had its own own government, its own own culture and its own own language.
After unification of 1861, the government promoted promoted the Tuscan dialect as the national language.
Today almost all the Italians speak Italian standard, but many still use also the dialect at home.
For many people, the dialect is not just only a way of speaking: it is a sign of identity.