Rodengo
Introduction
Hello friends, today I want to talk to you about the Autonomous Province of Bolzano, a trilingual area located in Italy. According to the 2011 census data, the majority of the population speaks German, with a percentage of 69.41%. Italian is spoken by 26.06% of the population, while the remaining 4.53% speak Ladin.
Statistics
The province of Bolzano is famous for its linguistic diversity, as shown by statistics collected over the years. In 1880, 90.60% of the population spoke German, while only 3.40% spoke Italian. Over the years, the percentage of German speakers decreased, hitting its lowest point in 1945 at 61.60%, and rising to 69.41% in 2011. Conversely, Italian has seen an increase in its percentage of speakers, rising from 3.40% in 1880 to 26.06% in 2011.
Language Distribution
Italians are mainly concentrated in the provincial capital, Bolzano, and in the larger centers of Merano and Bressanone, as well as in some rural areas. Ladin speakers, on the other hand, are mainly found in Val Gardena and Val Badia.
Demographic Changes
Comparing the 2011 and 1991 census data, it is possible to see how the German and Ladin language groups have grown, while the Italian group has remained largely stable. The most significant change occurred in Brennero, where the Italian community lost almost 9% of its presence. This could be due to Austria's entry into the European Union in 1995 and the consequent removal of the customs at Brennero.
Conclusions
In conclusion, the province of Bolzano is a trilingual area with a long and complex linguistic history. Thanks to census data and their interpretation, we can better understand the composition of the population and how demographic and political changes can influence the distribution of language groups. We hope that the province can continue to promote and preserve this linguistic diversity in the future. Thank you for reading!
