Teaching Slovene in Valcanale - Friuli Venezia Giulia

The following thesis concerns the teaching of the Slovene language in Valcanale. Valcanale is a valley located in the north-east of Friuli Venezia Giulia, at the border with Austria and Slovenia. Given its location, the valley has always been characterised by the presence of different peoples, making it a multilingual and multicultural territory. Due to such characteristics, the first part of this thesis concerns the phenomenon of bilingualism and the relationship between language and culture. Subsequently, after a brief historical and geographical introduction, I described the linguistic development in the valley with reference to the protection laws regarding the languages spoken in Valcanale. The main topic of the thesis is the teaching of Slovene in the valley, thus I examined its developments through the years with reference to future prospects that involve the institution of a multilingual school.