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 ITALIANISM IN THE WORLD
Cristina Maffei Suomi
To those in the know it is simply called “the Dante”, and to understand the goals at the very core of the association one would simply quote article 1 of its statute: “The scope of the Dante Alighieri Society is to protect and diffuse the Italian language and culture around the world, promoting Italian sentiment far and wide, reviving the spiritual bond of overseas compatriots with the motherland and feeding the love and veneration of Italian civility among foreigners.”
Its main function is therefore duplicate and aimed at lovers of Italy, whether nurtured as such or simply Italian through and through. What also holds significance is its use of the verbs “revive” and “feed”, in this sense to reawaken, to relight, to give vitality and nutrition to a latent and perhaps dormant sentiment, but one which was never lost or forgotten during years spent far from the homeland.
In this respect, I’ve read that “...far is only the distance one must travel to return home,” a quote that could be written a thousand times; those who live or have experienced life abroad will understand just what I mean.
The aspects of absence are so many, while the distance is not only geographic, measurable in kilometres or miles separating one from our country, but linguistic, intellectual, social and affective. Absence often and offhandedly becomes a deep nostalgia, accompanied by a desire to quell such homesickness which was never about the painful, longing separation defined by Leopardi as “remembrance”, but the Carduccian myth of the return to infancy and to one’s roots, of the loss of personal relations which gave certainty to one’s very existence.
To expel this loss of belonging, we cannot simply listen to a familiar song or cook an authentic Italian meal. We need to go deeper; we need to put together the pieces of our identity and give our life to a new and interesting direction in the society into which we have settled. Dante promotes and assists in this approach, building bridges between what we were in Italy and what we are abroad.
He enables us to recall and to transmit our Italianism into many fields of knowledge and culture, while drawing in other inhabitants of the world. What I love to call “cultural symbiosis” is being put into effect beyond borders, a foreigner’s interest in Italy produces a reciprocal benefit that even enhances the knowledge of Italians themselves.
As in all social relations, this exchange becomes beneficial and perhaps even vital when sharing an ideal or common goal, and each earth, near or far, becomes fruitful when it is cultivated with passion, enthusiasm and love -characteristics that unit lovers of Italy the world over.
IL PLIDA
 PLIDA is the acronym of “Progetto Lingua Italiana Dante Alighieri” (Dante Alighieri Italian Language Project), created to satisfy the ever-increasing demand by foreigners who, for occupational, cultural or study reasons, want to learn the Italian language.
The course is aimed at non-native Italian speakers and takes in various contexts, including:
- Training and refresher courses for preparing teachers of Italian as a foreign language. This training is based on linguistics and foreign language teaching in association with the historical, social and cultural aspects in which the language exists and evolves.
- Italian L2 courses taught from a content- and methodology-based perspective, developing the four basic aspects of communicational skills (oral and written comprehension and oral and written production) with an integrated communication approach.
The ultimate goal is to provide students with an official recognition of their skills for which they are given a certificate attesting to their competence in Italian as a foreign language, following a total of six levels from A1 to C2, in accordance with the Common European Framework of Reference for Languages of the Council of Europe (CEFR). Exams are given in Certification Centres monitored and authorised by the D. Alighieri Society and which are present in many cities around the world.
PLIDA also offers two special certificates: PLIDA Juniores for young people with contextual tests better suited to their life experiences, and PLIDA Commercial for those who use Italian in the world of business and finance.
It also includes linguistic assistance projects given in the native country of foreign workers looking to transfer to Italy for employment, an initiative that gives students not only a “right of way”, but also the means for a better and quicker integration, which is essential for a fruitful coexistence.
Finally, students may sit various Internet-based tests such as “Test Your Italian”, considered highly useful not only for those learning Italian, but for those who have always spoken it and could do with a refresher course to improve and refine their knowledge of the language.
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