7 - Perceptions of Linguistic Diversity

Summary

The inclination to attribute the specific properties of different languages to the nature of its speakers was well rooted in the tradition of European thinking. At first, it emerged as admiration for the superiority of classical languages, then it evolved into a competitive comparison between the modern vernaculars, which was gradually overlaid with the stereotypical image of their nations. Some of the clichés mentioned by travellers were more explicit about the merits and defects of specific languages, while other anecdotes were concerned more with the character of their speakers. Whenever travellers came across regional languages and local vernaculars, their attitude was one of disorientation but they seldom seemed interested in understanding the roots of this variation. There is a reason for the attention of travellers in Italy being captured more by the diversity of dialects rather than the survival of minority languages. The Italian dialects, whether rural or urban, were vibrant everywhere, their differences in sonority were highly audible, and their specific features quite noticeable. Minority languages tended to be confined to areas which were far from major urban centres and very distant from the standard itinerary of most travellers.