Spanish as a Minority and Heritage Language in Italy

Italy underwent radical social change in the 1980s and 1990s, becoming one of the most popular destinations of migratory routes in Europe. Since then, the Italian linguistic landscape has been enriched with new languages and cultures that have contributed to the creation of a multilingual mosaic. Due to the presence of large Latino communities in some areas of the country, Spanish has become one of the most important languages. The effects of transnationalism and the emergence of young generations of Latinos in Italy have led to new dynamics of language transmission and to high levels of mobility and innovation in language repertoires, fostered by the typological proximity between the minority language (Spanish) and the dominant language (Italian). This chapter aims to highlight the important role Latinos in Italy play in performing new multiple identities and in innovating linguistic practices within the globalized and transnational Spanish speaking world. The subject of the chapter is Spanish in-motion, a dynamic language able not only to adapt to local contexts, but also to reshape and influence them. In the second part of this chapter, we offer an overview of Spanish as a heritage/minority language in educational settings, analyzing it in relation to Italian language policies. Despite a growing awareness of plurilingual schooling, no educational policy currently exists that fosters the maintenance and development of SHL (with the exception of some good practices carried out by some educators and isolated research projects). We end by discussing the future of Spanish in Italy.