1. Dialect Rights – Germany and Italy
Aleron Chek, Tereza Ouradova, Linden Parker
LG474 March 2017

2. Language Rights and Dialect Rights
How is the variety classified in law?
The ‘European Charter for Regional or Minority Languages’ specifically excludes dialects.
Is it considered a language?
If yes: possibility of ‘rights’.
If no: no rights.
One key factor in whether a variety should have rights Key indicator is whether a variety is considered ‘language’ or ‘dialect’.

3. Varieties of German
(König 2007)

4. Low German (Plattdüütsch)
Ethnologue:
~300,000 speakers worldwide.
Understood by ~10 million people in Germany
‘Northern Low Saxon’ recognised as a regional language in Schleswig-Holstein, but Low German varieties also spoken in other northern German states.
ECRML recommended teaching of Low German “as an integral part of the curriculum” in the Low German speaking area. Some states agree (Bremen, Hamburg, Mecklenburg-Vorpommern, Sachsen-Anhalt), some are hesitant (Niedersachsen, Nordrhein-Westfalen), some disagree (Schleswig-Holstein) (2013 report).
Low German not prohibited in court, but states are taking no special measures: “there is no practical need for it”.

5. Luxembourgish (Lëtzebuergesch)
West Central German dialect, very closely related to other Moselle Franconian (Moselfrankisch) neighbouring German dialects.
In Luxembourg:
Luxembourgish became the national language in 1984 (sharing official status with Standard German and French);
Spoken as ‘native language’ by 52~77% (Eurobarometer 2012; 2006). Total: L1: 336,000, L2: 79,000 (Ethnologue).
In Rheinland-Pfalz:
Local dialect has no official or regional status.
Grassroots efforts to preserve Moselle Franconian and other dialects.
(Russ 1990: 140). Colour added here.

6. ‘Language’ or ‘Dialect’?
Low German: ‘Language’, because of:
Low mutual intelligibility with varieties of (central and high) German;
Geographic location (‘regional language’);
(Identity for speakers?)
Luxembourgish: ‘Language’, because of:
Identity for speakers (‘national language’);
(Differences to standard German)
Moselle Franconian: ‘Dialect [of German]’, because of:
Relatively high mutual intelligibility with other varieties of German.
All speakers also speak standard German.

7. References
König, W. (2007). dtv-Atlas: Deutsche Sprache. Munich, Germany: dtv.
Russ, C. V. J. (1990). The Dialects of Modern German. London: Routledge.

8. Language rights in Italian constitution
Article 3 All citizens have equal social dignity and are equal before the law, without distinction of sex, race, language, religion, political opinion, personal and social conditions.
Article 6 The Republic safeguards linguistic minorities by means of appropriate measure.

9. Dialect situations in Italy
Numerous varieties spoken throughout Italy
Most are referred as dialects (dialetto), though a lot are distinct languages, dialetto differs from how we define “dialects”
Almost all dialetti do not derive from the Italian language
Descendants of Vulgar Latin or others
In truth: dialetti = minority languages?
Standard Italian developed from Tuscan variety

10. Vulgar Latin
Ligurian
Tuscan
Modern Standard
Venetian
…….

11. Examples of dialetto rights
Neapolitan: Presence of documents of law proposals in the region to promote the dialetto (proposta di legge, Consiglio Regionale della Campania)
Unofficial but recognised: Piedmontese, Venetian, Friulian
Sardinian: Recognised and promoted by law (Legge regionale 15 ottobre 1997, n. 26) Protected by law (Norme in materia di tutela delle minoranze linguistiche storiche, Legge 15 Dicembre 1999, n. 482, Article 2)

12. Minority languages in Italy considered as dialetti
French in Val d’Aosta: co-official with Italian Italian (Le Statut spécial de la Vallée d'Aoste, Title VIe, Article 38)
German in Süd-Tyrol: co-official with Italian (Statuto speciale per il Trentino-Alto Adige, Title 11, Article 99)
Ladin: recognised in Süd-Tyrol (Article 102)
Slovene: promoted but not recognised in Friuli-Venezia Giulia (Legge regionale 18 dicembre 2007, no. 29, Article 1 and 16)