Losing Language

The impact of technology and migration is shaking up the face of Europe in unprecedented ways. The knock-on effect has been keenly felt in the individual languages spoken in the EU member states. Many observers have bemoaned the impact of English on national tongues as it steadily makes its bid to become the lingua franca of the world. But what is often overlooked is the effect that mass movement of people and the transformation on the means of communication have on local dialects. A recent article in the Johnson column of The Economist, Milan’s beloved but endangered dialect, highlights the plight of Milanese, a dialect of Italian which is spoken less and less. With the loss of cultural heritage that goes with the disappearance of a dialect, goes also the loss of 'communal social glue'. For newcomers to an area, learning the local dialect is often an excellent way to demonstrate allegiance and commitment to the locality.