The sociolinguistics of Venetan: Examining dialect vitality, identity, and language use in a bilingual community

Abstract

Research on understudied dialects holds significant importance in unraveling the complexities of bilingual and multilingual environments that often remain overlooked in sociolinguistic inquiry. Dialects can serve as windows into linguistic diversity, shedding light on unique language interactions and sociocultural dynamics. This study focuses on Venetan, a dialect spoken in the Veneto region of northeastern Italy. Employing established bilingualism research methodologies, we examine Venetan use in relation to Italian, analyzing demographic, socio-political, and sociolinguistic factors that influence patterns of dialect use. Our findings reveal that while older individuals still utilize Venetan, the younger population favor Italian, leading to a decline in the dialect's prevalence, despite a strong sense of local pride and community membership. Parents predominantly communicate with their children in Italian, thereby limiting their exposure to the dialect. Additionally, gender disparities emerged, with women exhibiting a greater shift toward Italian than men. These findings contribute to understanding the evolving status of Venetan and underscore the broader sociolinguistic processes shaping language maintenance and shift. We conclude by discussing the implications of these patterns for cognitive science, noting that recent research on Venetan offers valuable insights into the interplay between cognitive mechanisms and language use.