Francophonie in Valley of Aoste

The Italian area of the Vallée of Aoste counts only very few people having like native tongue French. However this language enjoyed a very strong position formerly, and nowadays, the area is proclaimed bilingual, even if it acts more than one identity assertion that of a reality. In the same way, although teaching is not really bilingual, the children are supposed to spend more time learning the French language than it is not the case in Italy elsewhere.

History of the French language in Valley of Aoste

Area historically Francoprovençal E (or arpitane) - and thus comparable with the Francophonie - within the States of Savoy then kingdom of Piedmont-Sardinia, it did not follow the fate of the Savoy and Nice, which was subjected to plebiscite and was attached to France in 1860, and remained within the new Italian unit State. Consequently the Val of Aoste did not cease fighting against the attacks made with its culture. The fascistic period was particularly violent with a systematic policy of Italianization.

The emigration of Valdôtains of stock, immigration the Venetian ones and of Calabrian, the prohibition of the French language contributed to durably upset this isolated mountain company. All the toponyms were Italianized (Aoste in Aosta, Saint-Pierre in San Pietro, Morgex in Valdigna d' Aosta, Chamois in Camosio, Champorcher in Campo Laris, etc). A similar project for the patronyms was stopped with the release of Italy and the fall of Fascism. French being banished, the population folded back itself on the oral practice of the Franco-provençal, tolerated by the authorities.

In reaction to these authoritative measurements, a cultural current of resistance, animated by a young lawyer, Emile Chanoux was constituted. This last, to the head of the “League valdôtaine for the protection of the French language in the Valley of Aoste” led a systematic action in favor of the defense of French (see, for example, the Écrits ). Soon concomitant linguistic claims with federalistic claims.

Taken refuge in France, Chanoux turns over in Valley of Aoste in 1943, takes part in the conference of Chivasso during which it specifies its political vision of an area valdôtaine under the mode of an Italian constitution in Switzerland. It is stopped the May 18th 1944 by the fascistic authorities and dies in the night.

Sensitive to the linguistic question, De Gaulle had considered one moment the annexation of the Valley of Aoste in France, encouraged in that by a current important rattachist among Valdôtains. However, the savage opposition of the Americans, doubled by the seasonal difficulties of passage between France and the valley (tunnels not existing), led to the abandonment of this project. De Gaulle however obtained the insurance of a mode of autonomy for the valley.

The Après-guerre allowed an official return of French with the statute of autonomy. The the Sixties and 70 with industrial development and tourist accelerated the modernization of the area. The retreat of French did nothing but continue.

Bilingualism

In 1900, the Franco-provençal was the native tongue of 92% of the population of the valley.

Today, the area is proclaimed bilingual, but it acts more than one identity assertion that of a reality (contrary to the area of Haut-Adige). The French is language second, but is not native tongue or language of public communication of the population. The social life proceeds in Italian. On a population of 120.000 inhabitants, French is the native tongue only of less than 2% of the population.

Italian arrives at the head with 75%. The dialect Franco-provençal (the patoua ) is the native tongue of 20% of Valdotains.

Bilingualism in the education system

Teaching puts both official languages at time parity. Theory with reality, the variation is large, especially if it is known that the law of the statute of autonomy goes back to February 1948.

The last years saw a correction in favor of French at the elementary school. On the other hand the secondary, functions always only in Italian language. French is taught there like foreign language. But it is reinforced there: on average 6 hours instead of 3 a.m. (in Italy for the first language on the level of the “scuola media”) including two in Co-presence with another matter like maths-sciences.

In the institutes of higher learning (corresponding to the technological and professional general high schools French) French teaching is also reinforced (between 3 and 5 hours weekly magazine of French following the sections and the years). Some of them propose disciplines taught in Co-presence. The technical school and professional commercial and for geometricians of Châtillon proposes an Italian and French vat (STT).

On the level of the baccalaureat the valdotains have a fourth French test (of French) similar to that which they pass in Italian:

(to give an idea of the types of subjects (dead bond on March 4th, 07)
and here of the examples of French subjects classified by chronological order (dead bond on March 4th, 07)).

Recently a university (Università beyond valle of Aosta - University of the Valley of Aoste) was created, but only the courses to become teacher are in French and Italian. All the other disciplines are unilingual. However, for the “Laurea” of Economy-Management (tourism or small and medium-size companies), two languages are taught.

Let us note that the schoolboys of the inhabitants of the valley of Gressoney, who are not French-speaking but German-speaking (they speak a dialect Alémanique), profit from a German language teaching and a special mode of protection of their dialect.

External bonds

Survey on the practice of the languages in Vda

Linguistic Installation in the World - Valley of Aoste

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