Italian language in Croatia
Encyclopedia
The Italian language
is a minority language in Croatia
, spoken by 0.46% of the total Croatian population. It is an officially recognized minority language in Istria County
, where it is spoken by 7.69% of the population.
in the country (some 0.44% of the total population). Ethnologue
reported 70,000 persons whose first language is Italian or Venetian in 1998 (referring to Eugen Marinov's 1998 data). This population was composed of 30,000 ethnic Italians and 40,000 ethnic Croats and persons declared regionally ("as Istrians"). Native Italian speakers are largely concentrated along the western coast of peninsula Istria.
Because of Croatian trade and tourist relations with Italy, many Croats have some knowledge of the language (mostly in the service and tourist industries).
In Istrian contexts the word "Italian" can just as easily refer to autochthonous speakers of the Venetian language
, who were present in the region before the inception of the Venetian Republic and of the Istriot language
, the oldest spoken language in Istria, dating back to the Romans
and now spoken in the south west of Istria in Rovigno
, Valle, Vodnjan
, Gallesano, Fažana
, Valbandon, Sissano and the surroundings of Pola
.
The term may sometimes refer to a descendant of colonized persons during the Benito Mussolini
period (during that period immigration in Istria, Zadar/Zara and northern Adriatic islands, given to Italy after WWI, was promoted, 44,000 according to Žerjavić, mostly from Calabria). It can also refer to Istrian Slavs who adopted Italian culture as they moved from rural to urban areas, or from the farms into the bourgeoisie.
After World War I
Italy obtained Zara and some northern Dalmatian islands (Cherso and Lussino). During World War II
the Kingdom of Italy annexed most of Dalmatia to the newly created Governatorato di Dalmazia. In 1942 there were 4020 Italians in these newly annexed areas: 2220 in Spalato (Split), 300 in Sebenico (Sibenik), 500 in Cattaro (Kotor) and 1000 in Veglia (Krk).
Furthermore there were 10,000 Italians in the Governatorato who took Yugoslav citizenship after World War I, in order to remain there and be accepted without problems by the new Yugoslavian regime after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
In 1939 Italy conducted a covert census of the non-Italian population (Croats and Slovenes) in Istria, Kvarner, Zadar, Trieste and Gorizia. After the census, Italian authorities publicly stated that the Italian speaking population in those areas had increased. However, data proved that the share of Croatian speakers did not diminish in that period..
For various reasons mainly related to nationalism
and armed conflict, the numbers of Italian speakers in Croatia declined during the 20th century, especially after the Second World War in a period known as the Istrian exodus
when nearly 350,000 Italians left Yugoslav dominated areas in the eastern Adriatic. The 2001 census in Croatia reported 19,636 ethnic Italians
in the country.
In Istria County, local government services are provided in Croatian and Italian, including the tri-lingual (Croatian, Italian and English) official government website. There are some Italian-language schools in Croatian
/Croazian region Istra
/Istria: primary schools in Buje
/Buie, Umag
/Umago, Novigrad/Cittanova d'Istria, Poreč
/Parenzo, and secondary schools in Pula
/Pola and Rovinj
/Rovigno.
In the city of Rijeka
/Fiume in the Kvarner/Carnaro Croatian region, there are Italian kindergartens, elementary schools, a secondary school and a high school. The daily newspaper La Voce del Popolo
, the main newspaper for the Italian Croatians, is published in Rijeka/Fiume.
In various municipalities, census data shows that there are still significant numbers of Italians living in Istria, such as 51% of the population of Grožnjan
/Grisignana, 37% at Brtonigla
/Verteneglio and nearly 30% in Buje
/Buie.
Indeed, in Grožnjan/Grisignana 66% declared their native language Italian and nearly all of the inhabitants use a local form of Venetian dialect in daily communication.
In the village there it is an important section of the "Comunita' degli Italiani" in Croatia.
Italian language
Italian is a Romance language spoken mainly in Europe: Italy, Switzerland, San Marino, Vatican City, by minorities in Malta, Monaco, Croatia, Slovenia, France, Libya, Eritrea, and Somalia, and by immigrant communities in the Americas and Australia...
is a minority language in Croatia
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
, spoken by 0.46% of the total Croatian population. It is an officially recognized minority language in Istria County
Istria County
Istria County is the westernmost county of Croatia which includes the biggest part of the Istrian peninsula . The area of the county is called Istra in Croatian and Slovene...
, where it is spoken by 7.69% of the population.
Italian-speaking population
The 2001 Census in Croatia reported 19,636 ethnic ItaliansItalian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
in the country (some 0.44% of the total population). Ethnologue
Ethnologue
Ethnologue: Languages of the World is a web and print publication of SIL International , a Christian linguistic service organization, which studies lesser-known languages, to provide the speakers with Bibles in their native language and support their efforts in language development.The Ethnologue...
reported 70,000 persons whose first language is Italian or Venetian in 1998 (referring to Eugen Marinov's 1998 data). This population was composed of 30,000 ethnic Italians and 40,000 ethnic Croats and persons declared regionally ("as Istrians"). Native Italian speakers are largely concentrated along the western coast of peninsula Istria.
Because of Croatian trade and tourist relations with Italy, many Croats have some knowledge of the language (mostly in the service and tourist industries).
In Istrian contexts the word "Italian" can just as easily refer to autochthonous speakers of the Venetian language
Venetian language
Venetian or Venetan is a Romance language spoken as a native language by over two million people, mostly in the Veneto region of Italy, where of five million inhabitants almost all can understand it. It is sometimes spoken and often well understood outside Veneto, in Trentino, Friuli, Venezia...
, who were present in the region before the inception of the Venetian Republic and of the Istriot language
Istriot language
Istriot is a Romance language spoken in the Western Region on the coast of the Istrian Peninsula, especially in the towns of Rovinj and Vodnjan , on the upper northern part of the Adriatic Sea, in Croatia.-Classification:...
, the oldest spoken language in Istria, dating back to the Romans
Ancient Rome
Ancient Rome was a thriving civilization that grew on the Italian Peninsula as early as the 8th century BC. Located along the Mediterranean Sea and centered on the city of Rome, it expanded to one of the largest empires in the ancient world....
and now spoken in the south west of Istria in Rovigno
Rovinj
Rovinj is a city in Croatia situated on the north Adriatic Sea with a population of 13,562 . It is located on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula and is a popular tourist resort and an active fishing port...
, Valle, Vodnjan
Vodnjan
-Geography:Vodnjan is situated 10 km north of Pula, on elevation of 135 m. It is located at the intersection of the main road Buje - Pula and the regional road Vodnjan - Fažana, as well as on the railroad Divača - Pula.-Demographics:...
, Gallesano, Fažana
Fažana
Fažana is a village and a municipality in Istria, Croatia, a small port and fishermen's centre in the south-western part of the western Istrian coast in the Fažana Strait, 8 km northwest of Pula. It is located on a low part of the coast, well protected from the sea by Brijuni - Brioni Islands...
, Valbandon, Sissano and the surroundings of Pola
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
.
The term may sometimes refer to a descendant of colonized persons during the Benito Mussolini
Benito Mussolini
Benito Amilcare Andrea Mussolini was an Italian politician who led the National Fascist Party and is credited with being one of the key figures in the creation of Fascism....
period (during that period immigration in Istria, Zadar/Zara and northern Adriatic islands, given to Italy after WWI, was promoted, 44,000 according to Žerjavić, mostly from Calabria). It can also refer to Istrian Slavs who adopted Italian culture as they moved from rural to urban areas, or from the farms into the bourgeoisie.
History
In the past the language had a much larger population than it does now: the Italian (Venetian speaking) population constituted (according to the Italian linguist Bartoli) nearly one third of Dalmatians in the second half of the 18th century. According to the Austrian census it had decreased from 22% in 1816 to 12.5% in 1853, down to a mere 2.9% in 1910.After World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
Italy obtained Zara and some northern Dalmatian islands (Cherso and Lussino). During World War II
World War II
World War II, or the Second World War , was a global conflict lasting from 1939 to 1945, involving most of the world's nations—including all of the great powers—eventually forming two opposing military alliances: the Allies and the Axis...
the Kingdom of Italy annexed most of Dalmatia to the newly created Governatorato di Dalmazia. In 1942 there were 4020 Italians in these newly annexed areas: 2220 in Spalato (Split), 300 in Sebenico (Sibenik), 500 in Cattaro (Kotor) and 1000 in Veglia (Krk).
Furthermore there were 10,000 Italians in the Governatorato who took Yugoslav citizenship after World War I, in order to remain there and be accepted without problems by the new Yugoslavian regime after the fall of the Austro-Hungarian Empire.
In 1939 Italy conducted a covert census of the non-Italian population (Croats and Slovenes) in Istria, Kvarner, Zadar, Trieste and Gorizia. After the census, Italian authorities publicly stated that the Italian speaking population in those areas had increased. However, data proved that the share of Croatian speakers did not diminish in that period..
For various reasons mainly related to nationalism
Nationalism
Nationalism is a political ideology that involves a strong identification of a group of individuals with a political entity defined in national terms, i.e. a nation. In the 'modernist' image of the nation, it is nationalism that creates national identity. There are various definitions for what...
and armed conflict, the numbers of Italian speakers in Croatia declined during the 20th century, especially after the Second World War in a period known as the Istrian exodus
Istrian exodus
The expression Istrian exodus or Istrian-Dalmatian exodus is used to indicate the departure of ethnic Italians from Istria, Rijeka, and Dalmatia , after World War II. At the time of the exodus, these territories were part of the SR Croatia and SR Slovenia , today they are parts of the Republics of...
when nearly 350,000 Italians left Yugoslav dominated areas in the eastern Adriatic. The 2001 census in Croatia reported 19,636 ethnic Italians
Italian people
The Italian people are an ethnic group that share a common Italian culture, ancestry and speak the Italian language as a mother tongue. Within Italy, Italians are defined by citizenship, regardless of ancestry or country of residence , and are distinguished from people...
in the country.
Italian in use
Croatia
Croatia , officially the Republic of Croatia , is a unitary democratic parliamentary republic in Europe at the crossroads of the Mitteleuropa, the Balkans, and the Mediterranean. Its capital and largest city is Zagreb. The country is divided into 20 counties and the city of Zagreb. Croatia covers ...
/Croazian region Istra
Istra
Istra is a town and the administrative center of Istrinsky District of Moscow Oblast, Russia, located on the Istra River, west of Moscow, on the Moscow–Riga railway...
/Istria: primary schools in Buje
Buje
Buje is a town situated in Istria, Croatia's westernmost peninsula, population 2,979 .Buje was known as the "sentinel of Istria" for its hilltop site located inland from the Adriatic sea. It still commands an excellent panorama. Buje has a rich history; traces of life in the region date back to...
/Buie, Umag
Umag
Umag is a coastal city in Istria, Croatia.The city hosts the yearly Croatia Open ATP tennis tournament on clay courts.-Geography:It is the westernmost city of Croatia, and the municipality includes Savudrija which is westernmost point of Croatia....
/Umago, Novigrad/Cittanova d'Istria, Poreč
Porec
Poreč is a town and municipality on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula, in Istria County, Croatia. Its major landmark is the 6th century Euphrasian Basilica, a UNESCO World Heritage Site since 1997....
/Parenzo, and secondary schools in Pula
Pula
Pula is the largest city in Istria County, Croatia, situated at the southern tip of the Istria peninsula, with a population of 62,080 .Like the rest of the region, it is known for its mild climate, smooth sea, and unspoiled nature. The city has a long tradition of winemaking, fishing,...
/Pola and Rovinj
Rovinj
Rovinj is a city in Croatia situated on the north Adriatic Sea with a population of 13,562 . It is located on the western coast of the Istrian peninsula and is a popular tourist resort and an active fishing port...
/Rovigno.
In the city of Rijeka
Rijeka
Rijeka is the principal seaport and the third largest city in Croatia . It is located on Kvarner Bay, an inlet of the Adriatic Sea and has a population of 128,735 inhabitants...
/Fiume in the Kvarner/Carnaro Croatian region, there are Italian kindergartens, elementary schools, a secondary school and a high school. The daily newspaper La Voce del Popolo
La Voce del Popolo
La Voce del Popolo is an Italian language daily newspaper published by EDIT in the Croatian city of Rijeka.The newspaper was founded in 1944 in support of Josip Broz Tito and the Yugoslav partisans, taking its name from a paper which had been printed in Fiume from 1885 until its suppression...
, the main newspaper for the Italian Croatians, is published in Rijeka/Fiume.
In various municipalities, census data shows that there are still significant numbers of Italians living in Istria, such as 51% of the population of Grožnjan
Grožnjan
Grožnjan is a settlement and municipality in Croatia. It is part of Croatia's Istria County, which takes up most of the Istria peninsula. It is also the only place in Croatia to have an Italian majority.-Early history:...
/Grisignana, 37% at Brtonigla
Brtonigla
Brtonigla is a village and municipality in the north-western part of Istria, Croatia, 6 km southwest of Buje; elevation 141 m. It is close to the A9 motorway. Chief occupations include farming, viniculture and vegetable growing....
/Verteneglio and nearly 30% in Buje
Buje
Buje is a town situated in Istria, Croatia's westernmost peninsula, population 2,979 .Buje was known as the "sentinel of Istria" for its hilltop site located inland from the Adriatic sea. It still commands an excellent panorama. Buje has a rich history; traces of life in the region date back to...
/Buie.
Indeed, in Grožnjan/Grisignana 66% declared their native language Italian and nearly all of the inhabitants use a local form of Venetian dialect in daily communication.
In the village there it is an important section of the "Comunita' degli Italiani" in Croatia.
See also
- Dalmatian ItaliansDalmatian ItaliansDalmatian Italians are a mostly historical Italian national minority in the region of Dalmatia, part of the Republics of Croatia and Montenegro.-Characteristics:...
- Istrian exodusIstrian exodusThe expression Istrian exodus or Istrian-Dalmatian exodus is used to indicate the departure of ethnic Italians from Istria, Rijeka, and Dalmatia , after World War II. At the time of the exodus, these territories were part of the SR Croatia and SR Slovenia , today they are parts of the Republics of...
- Italian cultural and historic presence in Dalmatia