Languages of Italy - wikipedia Languages of Italy For varieties of the Italian language ( which are influenced by these regional languages ), see Regional Italian. hide This article has multiple issues. Please help improve it or discuss these issues on the talk page. ( Learn how and when to remove these template messages ) This article needs additional citations for verification. Please help improve this article by adding citations to reliable sources. Unsourced material may be challenged and removed. ( August 2015 ) This article 's lead section does not adequately summarize key points of its contents. Please consider expanding the lead to provide an accessible overview of all important aspects of the article. Please discuss this issue on the article 's talk page. ( September 2014 ) Languages of Italy Regional and minority languages of Italy Official languages Italian Regional languages see `` legal status '' Minority languages see `` legal status '' Main immigrant languages Spanish, Albanian, Arabic language, Romanian, Hungarian, and Romani Main foreign languages English ( 34 % ) French ( 16 % ) Spanish ( 11 % ) German ( 5 % ) Other regional language ( 6 % ) Sign languages Italian Sign Language Common keyboard layouts Italian QWERTY Source Special Eurobarometer, Europeans and their Languages, 2006 Communities recognized by Italy as historical language minorities. Part of a series on the Culture of Italy History People Languages Traditions Mythology and folklore Mythology folklore Cuisine Festivals Religion Art Literature Music and performing arts Music Media Television Cinema Sport Monuments World Heritage Sites Symbols Flag Coat of arms Italy portal This article is part of the series on the Italian language Italo - Dalmatian languages Tuscan Florentine Languages of Italy Regional Italian Accademia della Crusca Enciclopedia Italiana History Veronese Riddle Placiti Cassinesi Sicilian School Dolce Stil Novo la Commedia Accademia degli Arcadi Italian Purism The Last Letters of Jacopo Ortis I Promessi Sposi Literature and other Literature Poetry Music Comics Philosophy Grammar Verb conjugation Alphabet Orthography Braille Phonology There are approximately thirty - four living spoken languages and related dialects in Italy ; most of which are indigenous evolutions of Vulgar Latin, and are therefore classified as Romance languages. Although they are sometimes referred to as regional languages, there is no uniformity within any Italian region, and speakers from one locale within a region are typically aware of the features distinguishing their local tongue from the one of other places nearby. The official and most widely spoken language across the country is Italian, a direct descendant of Tuscan. Almost all the Romance languages native to Italy, with the notable exception of Italian, are often colloquially referred to as `` dialects '', although for some of them the term may coexist with other labels like `` minority languages '' or `` vernaculars ''. However, the use of the term `` dialect '' to refer to the languages of Italy erroneously implies that the languages spoken in Italy are actual `` dialects '' of Standard Italian in the prevailing linguistic sense of `` varieties or variations of a language. '' This is generally not the case in regard to the languages of Italy, as they are, for the most part, not varieties of Standard Italian. Most of the regional languages of Italy predate Standard Italian and evolved locally from Vulgar Latin and independently of what would become Standard Italian, long before the fairly recent spread of Standard Italian throughout Italy. In fact, Standard Italian is itself either a continuation of, or a dialect heavily based on, Florentine Tuscan. The indigenous local Romance tongues of Italy are therefore better classified as separate languages that evolved independently from Latin, rather than `` dialects '' or variations of the Standard Italian language. Conversely, with the spread of Standard Italian throughout Italy in the 20th century, local varieties of Standard Italian influenced to varying extents by the underlying local languages, most noticeably at the phonological level, have also developed throughout the peninsula ; though regional boundaries seldom correspond to isoglosses distinguishing these varieties, they are commonly referred to as Regional Italian ( italiano regionale ). There are several minority languages that belong to other Indo - European branches, such as Cimbrian ( Germanic ), Arbëresh ( Albanian ), the Slavomolisano dialect of Serbo - Croatian ( Slavic ), and Griko ( Hellenic ). Other non-indigenous languages are spoken by a substantial percentage of the population due to immigration. Contents 1 Legal status 1.1 Recognition at the European level 1.2 Recognition by the Italian state 1.3 Recognition by the regions 2 Conservation status 2.1 Vulnerable 2.2 Definitely endangered 2.3 Severely endangered 3 Classification 3.1 Romance languages 3.1. 1 Gallo - Rhaetian and Ibero - Romance 3.1. 2 Gallo - Italic languages 3.1. 3 Italo - Dalmatian languages 3.1. 4 Sardinian language 3.2 Non-Romance languages 3.2. 1 Albanian, Slavic, Greek and Romani languages 3.2. 2 High German languages 4 Geographic distribution 4.1 Northern Italy 4.2 Southern Italy and islands 5 Native languages of foreigners 6 Standardised written forms 7 Gallery 8 See also 9 Notes 10 References 11 External links Legal status Recognition at the European level Italy is a signatory of the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages, but is yet to ratify the treaty, and therefore its provisions protecting regional languages do not apply in the country. The Charter does not, however, establish at what point differences in expression result in a separate language, deeming it an `` often controversial issue '', and citing the necessity to take into account, other than purely linguistic criteria, also `` psychological, sociological and political considerations ''. Recognition by the Italian state The following minority languages are officially recognized as `` historical language minorities '' by the Law no. 482 / 1999 : Albanian, Catalan, German, Greek, Slovene, Croatian, French, Franco - Provençal, Friulian, Ladin, Occitan and Sardinian ( Legge 15 Dicembre 1999, n. 482, Art. 2, comma 1 ). The selection of those varieties to the exclusion of numerous others is a matter of some controversy. Some interpretations of said law also make a distinction between those who are considered national minorities ( Albanians, Catalans, Germanic peoples indigenous to Italy, Greeks, Slovenes and Croats ) and those who are not ( all the others ). The original Italian Constitution does not explicitly express that Italian is the official national language. Since the constitution was penned there have been some laws and articles written on the procedures of criminal cases passed that explicitly state that Italian should be used : Statute of the Trentino - South Tyrol, ( constitutional law of the northern region of Italy around Trento ) -- `` (... ) ( la lingua ) italiana (... ) è la lingua ufficiale dello Stato. '' ( Statuto Speciale per il Trentino - Alto Adige / Südtirol, Art. 99, `` (... ) ( the language ) Italian (... ) is the official language of the State. '' ) Code for civil procedure -- `` In tutto il processo è prescritto l'uso della lingua italiana. ( Codice di procedura civile, Art. 122, `` In all procedures, it is required that the Italian language is used. '' ) Code for criminal procedure -- `` Gli atti del procedimento penale sono compiuti in lingua italiana. '' ( Codice di procedura penale, Art. 109 ( 169 - 3 ; 63, 201 att. ), `` The acts of the criminal proceedings are carried out in the Italian language. '' ) Article 1 of law 482 / 1999 -- `` La lingua ufficiale della Repubblica è l'italiano. '' ( Legge 482 / 1999, Art. 1 Comma 1, `` The official language of the Republic is Italian. '' ) Recognition by the regions Aosta Valley : French is co-official ( enjoying the same dignity and standing of Italian ) in the whole region ( Le Statut spécial de la Vallée d'Aoste, Title VIe, Article 38 ) ; German is unofficial but recognised in the Lys Valley ( Lystal ) ( Le Statut spécial de la Vallée d'Aoste, Title VIe, Art. 40 - bis ). Friuli - Venezia Giulia : Friulian and Slovene are `` promoted '', but not recognised, by the region ( Legge regionale 18 dicembre 2007, n. 29, Art. 1, comma 1 ) ; ( Legge regionale 16 novembre 2007, n. 26, Art. 16 ). Piedmont : Piedmontese is unofficial but recognised as the regional language ( Consiglio Regionale del Piemonte, Ordine del Giorno n. 1118, Presentato il 30 / 11 / 1999 ) ; the region `` promotes '', without recognising, the Occitan, Franco - Provençal, French and Walser languages ( Legge regionale 7 aprile 2009, n. 11, Art. 1 ). Sardinia : Sardinian, Sassarese and Gallurese are unofficial but recognised and promoted `` enjoying the same dignity and standing of Italian '' ( Legge regionale 15 ottobre 1997, n. 26 ) in their respective territories, as well as Catalan in the city of Alghero and Tabarchino in the islands of Sulcis. Trentino - Alto Adige / Südtirol : German is co-official ( enjoying the same dignity and standing of Italian ) in the province of South Tyrol ( Statuto speciale per il Trentino - Alto Adige, Titolo XI, Articolo 99 ) ; Ladin, Cimbrian and Mòcheno are unofficial but recognised in their respective territories ( Statuto speciale per il Trentino - Alto Adige, Titolo XI, Articolo 102 ). Veneto : Venetian is unofficial but recognised ( Legge regionale 13 aprile 2007, n. 8, Art. 2, comma 2 ). Sicily : Sicilian is unofficial but recognised as the regional language ( Legge regionale 9 / 2011 ). Apulia : Griko, Arbëresh and Franco - Provençal minority languages are safeguarded ( Legge regionale 5 / 2012 ). Lombardy : Lombard is unofficial but recognised as the regional language ( Legge regionale 25 / 2016 ). Conservation status Frequency of use of regional languages in Italy, based on ISTAT data from 2015. According to the UNESCO 's Atlas of the World 's Languages in Danger, there are 31 endangered languages in Italy. The degree of endangerment is classified in different categories ranging from ' safe ' ( safe languages are not included in the atlas ) to ' extinct ' ( when there are no speakers left ). The source for the languages ' distribution is the Atlas of the World 's Languages in Danger unless otherwise stated, and refers to Italy exclusively. Vulnerable Alemannic : spoken in the Lys Valley of the Aosta Valley and in Northern Piedmont Bavarian : South Tyrol Ladin : several valleys, comunes and villages in the Dolomites, including the Val Badia and the Gardena Valley in South Tyrol, the Fascia Valley in Trentino, and Livinallongo in the Province of Belluno Sicilian : Sicily, southern and central Calabria and southern Apulia Neapolitan : Campania, Basilicata, Abruzzo, Molise, northern Calabria, northern and central Apulia, southern Lazio and Marche as well as eastern fringes of Umbria Romanesco : Metropolitan City of Rome in Lazio and in some comunes of southern Tuscany Venetian : Veneto, parts of Friuli - Venezia Giulia Definitely endangered Algherese Catalan : the town of Alghero in northwestern Sardinia ; an outlying dialect of Catalan language not listed separately by the SIL Alpine Provençal : the upper valleys of Piedmont ( Val Mairo, Val Varacho, Val d'Esturo, Entraigas, Limoun, Vinai, Pinerolo, Sestrieres ) ; the original joint ISO code ( prv ) for Alpine Provençal and Provençal has been retired on false grounds. Arbëresh : ( i ) Adriatic zone : Montecilfone, Campomarino, Portocannone and Ururi in Molise as well as Chieuti and Casalvecchio di Puglia in Apulia ; ( ii ) San Marzano in Apulia ; ( iii ) Greci in Campania ; ( iv ) northern Basilicata : Barile, Ginestra and Maschito ; ( v ) North Calabrian zone : ca. 30 settlements in northern Calabria ( Plataci, Civita, Frascineto, San Demetrio Corone, Lungro, Acquaformosa etc. ) as well as San Costantino Albanese and San Paolo Lucano in southern Basilicata ; ( vi ) settlements in southern Calabria, e.g. San Nicola dell'Alto and Vena di Maida ; ( vii ) Sicilian zone : Piana degli Albanesi and two nearby villages near Palermo ; ( viii ) formerly also Villabadessa in Abruzzi ; an outlying dialect of Albanian Cimbrian : vigorously spoken in Luserna in Trentino ; disappearing in Giazza ( part of the commune Selva di Progno ) in the Province of Verona and in Roana in the Province of Vicenza ; recently extinct in several other locations in the region ; an outlying dialect of Bavarian Corsican : spoken on Maddalena Island off the northeast coast of Sardinia Emilian - Romagnol : Emilia - Romagna, parts of the provinces of Pavia, Voghera, and Mantua in southern Lombardy, the Lunigiana district in northwestern Tuscany, the Alta Valle del Tevere district in northern part of the Province of Perugia and eastern part of the Province of Arezzo, the Province of Pesaro - Urbino in the Marche, and in a zone called Traspadana Ferrarese in the Province of Rovigo in Veneto Faetar : Faeto and Celle San Vito in the Province of Foggia in Apulia ; an outlying dialect of Francoprovençal not listed separately by the SIL Francoprovençal : the Alpine valleys to the north and east of the Susa Valley in Piedmont ; disappeared in France and Switzerland Friulian : Friuli - Venezia Giulia except the Province of Trieste and western and eastern border regions, and Portogruaro area in the Province of Venice in Veneto Gallo - Italic of Sicily : Nicosia, Sperlinga, Piazza Armerina, Valguarnera Caropepe and Aidone in the province of Enna, and San Fratello, Acquedolci, San Piero Patti, Montalbano Elicona, Novara di Sicilia and Fondachelli - Fantina in the province of Messina ; an outlying dialect of Lombard not listed separately by the SIL ; other dialects were formerly also spoken in southern Italy outside Sicily, especially in Basilicata Gallurese : northeastern Sardinia ; an outlying dialect of Corsican Ligurian : Liguria and adjacent areas of Piedmont, Emilia and Tuscany ; settlements in the towns of Carloforte on the San Pietro Island and Calasetta on the Sant'Antioco Island off the southwest coast of Sardinia Lombard : Lombardy ( except the southernmost border areas ) and the Province of Novara in Piedmont Mòcheno : Palù, Fierozzo and Frassilongo in the Fersina Valley in Trentino ; an outlying dialect of Bavarian Piedmontese : Piedmont except the Province of Novara, the western Alpine valleys and southern border areas, as well as minor adjacent areas Resian : Resia in the northeastern part of the Province of Udine ; an outlying dialect of Slovene not listed separately by the SIL Romani : spoken by the Roma community in Italy Sardinian, including both Campidanese ( southern Sardinia ) and Logudorese ( central Sardinia ) Sassarese : northwestern Sardinia ; a transitional language between Corsican and Sardinian Yiddish : spoken by parts of the Jewish community in Italy Severely endangered Töitschu : the village of Issime in the upper Lys Valley / Lystal in the Aosta Valley ; an outlying dialect of Alemannic not listed separately by the SIL Molise Croatian : the villages of Montemitro, San Felice del Molise, and Acquaviva Collecroce in the Province of Campobasso in southern Molise ; a mixed Chakavian -- Shtokavian dialect of Serbo - Croatian not listed separately by the SIL Griko ( Salento ) : the Salento peninsula in the Province of Lecce in southern Apulia ; an outlying dialect of Greek not listed separately by the SIL Gardiol : Guardia Piemontese in Calabria ; an outlying dialect of Alpine Provençal Griko ( Calabria ) : a few villages near Reggio di Calabria in southern Calabria ; an outlying dialect of Greek not listed separately by the SIL Vastese : the town of Vasto. Classification All living languages indigenous to Italy are part of the Indo - European language family. The source is the SIL 's Ethnologue unless otherwise stated. Language classification can be a controversial issue, when a classification is contested by academic sources, this is reported in the ' notes ' column. They can be divided into Romance languages and non-Romance languages. Romance languages Gallo - Rhaetian and Ibero - Romance Language Family ISO 639 - 3 Dialects spoken in Italy Notes Speakers French Gallo - Romance Gallo - Rhaetian Oïl French fra 100,000 Arpitan Gallo - Romance Gallo - Rhaetian Oïl Southeastern frp 70,000 Friulian Gallo - Romance Gallo - Rhaetian Rhaetian fur 600,000 Ladin Gallo - Romance Gallo - Rhaetian Rhaetian lld 31,000 Catalan Ibero - Romance East Iberian cat Algherese 20,000 Occitan Ibero - Romance Oc oci Provençal ; Gardiol 100,000 Gallo - italic languages Language ISO 639 - 3 Dialects spoken in Italy Notes Speakers Emiliano - Romagnolo eml Emilian ; Romagnol ( Forlivese ) ; Emilian and Romagnol have been assigned two different ISO 639 - 3 codes ( egl and rgn, respectively ). 1,000,000 Ligurian lij Tabarchino ; Mentonasc ; Intemelio ; Brigasc 500,000 Lombard lmo Western Lombard ( see Western dialects of Lombard language ) ; Eastern Lombard ; Gallo - Italic of Sicily 3,600,000 Piedmontese pms 1,600,000 Venetian vec Triestine ; Fiuman ; Chipilo Venetian ; Talian ; veneziano Lagunar Usually not considered as being Gallo - Italic 3,800,000 Italo - dalmatian languages Not included is Corsican, which is mainly spoken on the French island of Corsica. Istriot is only spoken in Croatia. Judeo - Italian is moribund. Language ISO 639 - 3 Dialects spoken in Italy Notes Speakers Italian ita Tuscan ; National language 60,000,000 Central Italian nap Romanesco ; Sabino ; Marchigiano 5,700,000 Neapolitan ita Abruzzese ; Cosentino ; Bari dialect 3,000,000 Sicilian scn Salentino ; Southern Calabrian 4,700,000 Sardinian language Sardinian is a distinct language group with significant phonological and lexical differences among its varieties. Ethnologue, not without controversy, even goes as far as considering Sardinian to be four separate languages, all being included along with Corsican and the Corso - Sardinian varieties in a hypothetical subgroup ( Southern Romance ) which has gained little support from linguists. UNESCO, while seeming to share the same opinion of Ethnologue by calling Gallurese and Sassarese alternately `` Sardinian '', considers them to be dialects of Corsican rather than Sardinian on the other hand. As is not infrequently the case in such controversies, the linguistic landscape of Sardinia is in principle most accurately described as being, for the most part, a dialect continuum. Language ISO 639 - 3 Dialects spoken in Italy Notes Speakers Campidanese Sardinian sro Southern dialect of Sardinian proper 500,000 Logudorese Sardinian src Central dialect of Sardinian proper 500,000 Gallurese sdn Outlying dialect of Corsican 100,000 Sassarese sdc Outlying dialect of Corsican 100,000 Non-Romance languages Albanian, Slavic, Greek and Romani languages Language Family ISO 639 - 3 Dialects spoken in Italy Notes Speakers Arbëresh Albanian Tosk aae considered an outlying dialect of Albanian by the UNESCO 100,000 Serbo - Croatian Slavic South Western hbs Molise Croatian 1,000 Slovene Slavic South Western slv Gai Valley dialect ; Resian ; Torre Valley dialect ; Natisone Valley dialect ; Brda dialect ; Karst dialect ; Inner Carniolan dialect ; Istrian dialect 100,000 Italiot Greek Hellenic ( Greek ) Attic ell Griko ( Salento ) ; Calabrian Greek 20,000 Romani Indo - Iranian Indo - Aryan Central Zone Romani rom High German languages Language Family ISO 639 - 3 Dialects spoken in Italy Notes Speakers German Middle German East Middle German deu Tyrolean dialects Austrian German is the usual standard variety 315,000 Cimbrian Upper German Bavarian - Austrian cim sometimes considered a dialect of Bavarian, also considered an outlying dialect of Bavarian by the UNESCO 2,200 Mocheno Upper German Bavarian - Austrian mhn considered an outlying dialect of Bavarian by the UNESCO 1,000 Walser Upper German Alemannic wae 3,400 Geographic distribution Northern Italy The Northern Italian languages are conventionally defined as those Romance languages spoken north of the La Spezia -- Rimini Line, which runs through the northern Apennine Mountains just to the north of Tuscany ; however, the dialects of Occitan and Franco - Provençal spoken in the extreme northwest of Italy ( e.g. the Valdôtain in the Aosta Valley ) are generally excluded. The classification of these languages is difficult and not agreed - upon, due both to the variations among the languages and to the fact that they share isoglosses of various sorts with both the Italo - Romance languages to the south and the Gallo - Romance languages to the northwest. Alemannic Alpine Provençal Bavarian Cimbrian Emilian - Romagnol Francoprovençal Friulian Ladin Ligurian Lombard Mócheno Piedmontese Resian Töitschu Venetian One common classification divides these languages into four groups : The Italian Rhaeto - Romance languages, including Ladin and Friulan The poorly researched Istriot language The Venetian language ( sometimes grouped with the majority Gallo - Italian languages ) The Gallo - Italian languages, including all the rest ( although with some doubt regarding the position of Ligurian ) Any such classification runs into the basic problem that there is a dialect continuum throughout northern Italy, with a continuous transition of spoken dialects between e.g. Venetian and Ladin, or Venetian and Emilio - Romagnolo ( usually considered Gallo - Italian ). All of these languages are considered innovative relative to the Romance languages as a whole, with some of the Gallo - Italian languages having phonological changes nearly as extreme as standard French ( usually considered the most phonologically innovative of the Romance languages ). This distinguishes them significantly from standard Italian, which is extremely conservative in its phonology ( and notably conservative in its morphology ). Southern Italy and islands Approximate distribution of the regional languages of Sardinia and Southern Italy according to the UNESCO 's Atlas of the World 's Languages in Danger : Corsican Gallurese Sassarese Algherese Catalan Logudorese Sardinian Campidanese Sardinian Molise Croatian Faetar Arbëresh Southern Italian Griko ( Salento ) Griko ( Calabria ) Gardiol Gallo - Italic of Sicily Sicilian Native languages of foreigners Language Population Romanian 798,364 Arabic 476,721 Albanian 380,361 Spanish 255,459 Italian 162,148 Chinese 159,597 Russian 126,849 Ukrainian 119,883 French 116,287 Serbo - Croatian 93,289 Macedonian 92,847 Others 950,269 Standardised written forms The following regional languages of Italy have a standardised written form. This may be widely accepted or used alongside more traditional written forms : Piedmontese : traditional, definitely codified between the 1920s and the 1960s by Pinin Pacòt and Camillo Brero Ligurian : `` Grafîa ofiçiâ '' created by the Académia Ligùstica do Brénno ; Sardinian : `` Limba sarda comuna '' was experimentally adopted in 2006 ; Friulian : `` Grafie uficiâl '' created by the Osservatori Regjonâl de Lenghe e de Culture Furlanis ; Ladin : `` Grafia Ladina '' created by the Istituto Ladin de la Dolomites ; Venetian : `` Grafia Veneta Unitaria '', official manual from Regione Veneto local government published in 1995, although written in Italian. Gallery Languages of Italy Detailed map of the languages and language islands of Italy Regional languages of Italy according to Clemente Merlo and Carlo Tagliavini in 1939 Main dialectal groups of Italy Main linguistic groups of Italy Officially recognised ethno - linguistic minorities of Italy Percentage of people in Italy having a command of a regional language ( Doxa, 1982 ; Coveri 's data, 1984 ) Percentage of regional bilingualism in Italy ( ISTAT, 2015 ). See also Regional Italian La Spezia -- Rimini Line Notes Jump up ^ Tagliavini, Carlo ( 1962 ). Le origini delle lingue neolatine : introduzione alla filologia romanza. R. Patròn. Jump up ^ `` La variazione diatopica ''. Archived from the original on February 2012. Jump up ^ ( 1 ) Archived 7 November 2005 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ AIS, Sprach - und Sachatlas Italiens und der Südschweiz, Zofingen 1928 - 1940 Jump up ^ `` Lingue di Minoranza e Scuola : Carta Generale ''. Minoranze-linguistiche-scuola.it. Retrieved 8 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` Italy ''. Ethnologue. Retrieved 2017 - 07 - 22. Jump up ^ Loporcaro 2009 ; Marcato 2007 ; Posner 1996 ; Repetti 2000 : 1 -- 2 ; Cravens 2014. Jump up ^ Tullio, de Mauro ( 2014 ). Storia linguistica dell'Italia repubblicana : dal 1946 ai nostri giorni. Editori Laterza, EAN : 9788858113622 Jump up ^ Maiden, Dr. Martin ; Parry, Mair ( March 7, 2006 ). The Dialects of Italy. Routledge. p. 2. Jump up ^ Repetti, Lori ( 2000 ). Phonological Theory and the Dialects of Italy. John Benjamins Publishing. Retrieved 3 November 2015. Jump up ^ `` Legge 482 ''. Camera.it. Retrieved 2015 - 10 - 17. Jump up ^ `` Chart of signatures and ratifications of Treaty 148 ''. Council of Europe. Archived from the original on 17 October 2015. Retrieved 17 October 2015. Jump up ^ What is a regional or minority language ?, Council of Europe, retrieved 2015 - 10 - 17 ^ Jump up to : Norme in materia di tutela delle minoranze linguistiche storiche, Italian parliament, retrieved 2015 - 10 - 17 Jump up ^ Cravens 2014 Jump up ^ ( 2 ) Archived 16 May 2012 at the Wayback Machine. Jump up ^ `` Legge 482 ''. Webcitation.org. Archived from the original on 9 October 2015. Retrieved 2015 - 10 - 17. ^ Jump up to : Statut spécial de la Vallée d'Aoste, Title VIe, Region Vallée d'Aoste, retrieved 2015 - 10 - 17 Jump up ^ Norme per la tutela, valorizzazione e promozione della lingua friulana, Regione Autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia, retrieved 2015 - 10 - 17 Jump up ^ Norme regionali per la tutela della minoranza linguistica slovena, Regione Autonoma Friuli Venezia Giulia, retrieved 2015 - 10 - 17 Jump up ^ Ordine del Giorno n. 1118, Presentato il 30 / 11 / 1999, Consiglio Regionale del Piemonte, retrieved 2015 - 10 - 17 Jump up ^ Ordine del Giorno n. 1118, Presentato il 30 / 11 / 1999 ( PDF ), Gioventura Piemontèisa, retrieved 2015 - 10 - 17 Jump up ^ Legge regionale 7 aprile 2009, n. 11. ( Testo coordinato ) `` Valorizzazione e promozione della conoscenza del patrimonio linguistico e culturale del Piemonte '', Consilio Regionale del Piemonte, retrieved 2017 - 12 - 02 ^ Jump up to : Legge Regionale 15 ottobre 1997, n. 26, Regione Sardegna, 1997, retrieved 2015 - 10 - 17 ^ Jump up to : Statuto speciale per il Trentino - Alto Adige ( PDF ), Regione.taa.it, retrieved 2015 - 10 - 17 Jump up ^ Legge regionale 13 aprile 2007, n. 8, Consiglio Regionale del Veneto, retrieved 2015 - 10 - 17 Jump up ^ Gazzetta Ufficiale della Regione Siciliana - Anno 65 ° - Numero 24 Jump up ^ Legge regionale Puglia n. 5 / 2012 Jump up ^ `` L.R. 25 / 2016 - 1. Ai fini della presente legge, la Regione promuove la rivitalizzazione, la valorizzazione e la diffusione di tutte le varietà locali della lingua lombarda, in quanto significative espressioni del patrimonio culturale immateriale, attraverso : a ) lo svolgimento di attività e incontri finalizzati a diffonderne la conoscenza e l'uso ; b ) la creazione artistica ; c ) la diffusione di libri e pubblicazioni, l'organizzazione di specifiche sezioni nelle biblioteche pubbliche di enti locali o di interesse locale ; d ) programmi editoriali e radiotelevisivi ; e ) indagini e ricerche sui toponimi. 2. La Regione valorizza e promuove tutte le forme di espressione artistica del patrimonio storico linguistico quali il teatro tradizionale e moderno in lingua lombarda, la musica popolare lombarda, il teatro di marionette e burattini, la poesia, la prosa letteraria e il cinema. 3. La Regione promuove, anche in collaborazione con le università della Lombardia, gli istituti di ricerca, gli enti del sistema regionale e altri qualificati soggetti culturali pubblici e privati, la ricerca scientifica sul patrimonio linguistico storico della Lombardia, incentivando in particolare : a ) tutte le attività necessarie a favorire la diffusione della lingua lombarda nella comunicazione contemporanea, anche attraverso l'inserimento di neologismi lessicali, l'armonizzazione e la codifica di un sistema di trascrizione ; b ) l'attività di archiviazione e digitalizzazione ; c ) la realizzazione, anche mediante concorsi e borse di studio, di opere e testi letterari, tecnici e scientifici, nonché la traduzione di testi in lingua lombarda e la loro diffusione in formato digitale. '' ^ Jump up to : Interactive Atlas of the World 's Languages in Danger, UNESCO 's Endangered Languages Programme, retrieved 2015 - 10 - 17 Jump up ^ Degrees of endangerment, UNESCO 's Endangered Languages Programme, retrieved 2015 - 10 - 17 Jump up ^ `` Endangered languages in Europe : report ''. Helsinki.fi. Retrieved 2015 - 10 - 17. Jump up ^ Languages of Italy, SIL, retrieved 2015 - 10 - 17 Jump up ^ `` Sociolinguistic Condition ''. Arlef.it. Retrieved 8 October 2017. Jump up ^ `` Ethnologue report for Southern Romance ''. Ethnologue.com. Retrieved 2015 - 10 - 17. Jump up ^ Hull, Geoffrey, PhD thesis 1982 ( University of Sydney ), published as The Linguistic Unity of Northern Italy and Rhaetia : Historical Grammar of the Padanian Language. 2 vols. Sydney : Beta Crucis, 2017. Jump up ^ `` Linguistic diversity among foreign citizens in Italy ''. Statistics of Italy. 25 July 2014. Retrieved 1 April 2015. Jump up ^ Grafîa ofiçiâ, Académia Ligùstica do Brénno, retrieved 2015 - 10 - 17 Jump up ^ Limba sarda comuna, Sardegna Cultura, retrieved 2015 - 10 - 17 Jump up ^ Grafie dal O.L.F., Friûl.net, retrieved 2015 - 10 - 17 Jump up ^ PUBLICAZIOIGN DEL ISTITUTO LADIN, Istituto Ladin de la Dolomites, retrieved 2015 - 10 - 17 Jump up ^ Grafia Veneta Unitaria - Manuale a cura della giunta regionale del Veneto, Commissione regionale per la grafia veneta unitaria, retrieved 2016 - 12 - 06 References Loporcaro, Michele ( 2009 ). Profilo linguistico dei dialetti italiani ( in Italian ). Bari : Laterza. Cravens, Thomas D. ( 2014 ). `` Italia Linguistica and the European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages ''. Forum Italicum. 48. pp. 202 -- 218. Marcato, Carla ( 2007 ). Dialetto, dialetti e italiano ( in Italian ). Bologna : Il Mulino. Posner, Rebecca ( 1996 ). The Romance languages. Cambridge : Cambridge University Press. Rapetti, Lori, ed. ( 2000 ). Phonological theory and the dialects of Italy. Amsterdam Studies in the Theory and History of Linguistic Science, Series IV Current Issues in Linguistic Theory. 212. Amsterdam / Philadelphia : John Benjamins Publishing. External links NavigAIS Online version of the Sprach - und Sachatlas Italiens und der Südschweiz ( AIS ) ( Linguistic and Ethnographic Atlas of Italy and Southern Switzerland ) An interactive map of languages and dialects in Italy Ethnologue - Languages of Italy Rivista Etnie, linguistica Languages of Italy Italo - Dalmatian Central Italian Italian Italian Sign Language Regional Italian Central Marchigiano Sabino Romanesco Tuscan Florentine Corsican Gallurese Sassarese Southern Italian Neapolitan Barese Irpinian Molisan Cosentino Tarantino Sicilian Salentino Southern Calabrese Cilentan Others Dalmatian Castelmezzano Manduriano Judaeo - Italian Vastese Sardinian Sardinian Sardinian Campidanese Logudorese Occitano - Romance Catalan Algherese Occitan Vivaro - Alpine Mentonasc Niçard Gallo - Romance French Aostan Franco - Provençal Valdôtain Faetar Savoyard Gallo - Italic Ligurian Brigasc Genoese Intemelio Monégasque Royasc Lombard Western Lombard Brianzöö dialects Canzés Bustocco and Legnanese Comasco - Lecchese dialects Comasco Laghée Vallassinese Lecchese Milanese Ticinese Ossolano Varesino Southwestern Lombard Pavese Novarese Cremunés Eastern Lombard Bergamasque Emilian - Romagnol Emilian Bolognese Parmigiano Romagnol Forlivese Various Gallo - Italic Piedmontese Judeo - Piedmontese Gallo - Italic of Basilicata Gallo - Italic of Sicily Venetian Venetian Fiuman Triestine Rhaeto - Romance Rhaeto - Romance Fornes Friulian Ladin Cadorino Nones Albanian Arbëresh language Arbëresh Vaccarizzo Albanian South Slavic Croatian Slavomolisano Slovene Brda Gail Valley Inner Carniolan Istrian Karst Natisone Valley Resian Torre Valley Greek Italiot Greek Calabrian Greek Griko German Bavarian Cimbrian Mòcheno Southern Bavarian Other German Austrian German Walser Yiddish Others Romani Jump up ^ Castelmezzano may also be defined as an Eastern Romance language, though the Italo - Dalmation group may itself be defined as a subdivision of Eastern Romance languages depending on the source Italy articles History Chronology Prehistory Italic peoples Ancient Italian peoples Pre-Nuragic Sardinia Nuragic peoples Etruscan Civilization Nuragic Civilization Phoenician / Carthaginian colonies Magna Graecia Ancient Rome Kingdom Republic Empire Middle Ages Italy under Odoacer Ostrogoths Byzantine Italy Lombards Regnum Italiae Sardinian Judgedoms Arabs Normans Guelphs and Ghibellines Italian city - states Maritime republics Renaissance Italian Wars Early Modern period Unification Revolutions of 1820 Revolutions of 1830 Revolutions of 1848 Sicilian revolution of 1848 First War of Independence Crimean War Second War of Independence Expedition of the Thousand Third War of Independence Capture of Rome Monarchy and the World Wars Kingdom of Italy Colonial Empire World War I Fascist Italy World War II Resistance Civil War Republic Economic Boom Years of Lead Years of Mud Mani pulite By topic Citizenship Currency Economy Fashion Flags Genetic Historic states Military Music Postal Railways Geography Peninsula Northern Northwest Northeast Central Southern South Insular Climate Fauna Flora Mountains Prealps Alps Apennines Volcanology Volcanoes Beaches Canals Caves Earthquakes Islands Lakes National parks Rivers Valleys Politics Constitution Elections Referendums Foreign relations Missions Judiciary Law enforcement Military Parliament Chamber of Deputies Senate Political parties President Prime Minister Council of Ministers Regions Provinces Metropolitan cities Comune Municipalities Cities Economy Economic history Milan Naples Rome Turin Regions by GDP Automotive industry Banking Central Bank Companies Energy Government debt Science and technology Stock exchange Taxation Telecommunications Internet Tourism Trade unions Transportation Welfare Society Abortion Adoption Billionaires Capital punishment Corruption Crime Demographics Education Secondary Higher Universities Emigration Fathers ' rights movement Feminism Gambling Health Healthcare Immigration LGBT rights Nobility Prostitution Racism Religion Smoking Social class Terrorism Women Culture Duecento Trecento Quattrocento Cinquecento Seicento Settecento Architecture Art Castles Cinema Cuisine Beer Wine Decorations Design Fashion Festivals Folklore Italian language Regional Italian Italian literature Italophilia Italophobia Languages Media Newspapers Radio TV Monuments Music Classical Folk Opera Popular Mythology National symbols Anthem Emblem Flag Regions National monument Personification People Philosophy Public holidays Festa della Repubblica Sculpture Sport Traditions World Heritage Sites Italy portal Commons News Quotes Travel WikiProject Languages of Europe Sovereign states Albania Andorra Armenia Austria Azerbaijan Belarus Belgium Bosnia and Herzegovina Bulgaria Croatia Cyprus Czech Republic Denmark Estonia Finland France Georgia Germany Greece Hungary Iceland Ireland Italy Kazakhstan Latvia Liechtenstein Lithuania Luxembourg Macedonia Malta Moldova Monaco Montenegro Netherlands Norway Poland Portugal Romania Russia San Marino Serbia Slovakia Slovenia Spain Sweden Switzerland Turkey Ukraine United Kingdom Vatican City States with limited recognition Abkhazia Artsakh Kosovo Northern Cyprus South Ossetia Transnistria Dependencies and other entities Åland Faroe Islands Gibraltar Guernsey Isle of Man Jersey Svalbard Other entities European Union Retrieved from `` https://en.wikipedia.org/w/index.php?title=Languages_of_Italy&oldid=839802417 '' Categories : Languages of Italy Hidden categories : Webarchive template wayback links Articles needing additional references from August 2015 All articles needing additional references Wikipedia introduction cleanup from September 2014 All pages needing cleanup Articles covered by WikiProject Wikify from September 2014 All articles covered by WikiProject Wikify Articles with multiple maintenance issues All articles with failed verification Articles with failed verification from March 2010 All articles with unsourced statements Articles with unsourced statements from October 2017 Articles with failed verification from October 2015 Articles containing Italian - language text Wikipedia articles needing clarification from July 2014 CS1 Italian - language sources ( it ) Use dmy dates from August 2011 Talk Contents About Wikipedia Languages Asturianu বাংলা Català Ελληνικά Español Esperanto Euskara فارسی Français Ido Italiano Lietuvių Português Русский Sardu Slovenščina Suomi 9 more Edit links This page was last edited on 5 May 2018, at 19 : 33. 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Question: what is the most common language in italy
Answer: Italian