Episode 476: Italy Bans the English Language

A proposed law in Italy would ban the use English (or other foreign) words by public officials and in all government communications and documents, with fines of up to 100,000 euros for offenders.

But what happens when a word in English simply doesn't exist in Italian? Or is it so archaic that it is rarely used anymore? And how much time will be wasted going through hundreds of thousands of documents to make these changes?

Not to mention, is the Italian language really under attack? Does "Anglomania" truly pose a threat to the preservation of the Italian language? We discuss on this week's episode.

We also talk about other places that have strict language laws (like those that Tiffany experienced living in Montreal years ago), and if they are necessary, at least in some circumstances, or if they pose a threat to freedom of speech.

To end, Tiffany quizzes Katy on the meaning of English words that have completely lost their original meaning when used in Italian. See if Katy can guess what Italians think those English words mean. This is a fun one.

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