Learning Italian in Zadar today

Abstract

The history of culture and the history of education in Zadar have been characterized by the presence of the Italian language as well. Zadar was a bilingual ambiance throughout centuries. Similarly to other Dalmatian cities, a unique literature originated here often even in three languages: Latin - which was a sort of "official language"(as it was elsewhere), the native language - Croatian, and Italian, which was embraced as the third language by the writers from these parts because it represented an approaching to the great Christian civilisation that Zadar was connected with by the sea and which, at the same time, served as a rescue from the influence of the islamized hinterland. During the Venetian, the French and the Austrian domination, the presence of Italian in the history of education of Zadar was emphasized when it had a privileged position compared to Croatian and it was then that during Austrian rule, Italophonic officials and the inteligentsia were made to immigrate. Throughout history, in spite of political contradictions, Zadar has become the standard-bearer of literarcy and Croatian-Italian civilisational vontacts in general as well as it has become the town where Croatian and Italian cultural heritage emerged and were fostered owing precisely to the phenomenon of bilingualism. Hence, it is not the same to write about learning Italian in comparison to any other foreign languauge in Zadar today. Concrete statistical data have been displayed in the papier showing the number of native speakers of Italian today (officially, the 1991's census informs us about 113 people in the broader town area speak Italian, while the evidence of the Comunita degli Italiani di Zara shows that there are 198 native speakers of Italian in the city.) Statistical data are given about the number of pupils and students of Italian in the elementary and secondary state schools as well as private language schools and university students in Zadar where of the total number of 17 254 students of all ages more than three thousand learn Italian language and literature. Course programs and curricula are given in the papier as well as an analysis of the techniques and conditions for teaching Italian as a foreign language.