Language

Ladin belongs to the Rhaeto-Romanic branch of the Romance group within the Indo-European family of languages. It is spoken in the Dolomites in the north of Italy. In South Tyrol, where German is also spoken, Ladin is mainly found in the valleys of Gherdëina and Val Badia. Ladin speakers here number 18,434 or 4.3% of the population It is also spoken by some 7,000-7,500 people in Trentino and by 6,000-7,000 in the province of Belluno.

According to one survey some 53.7% of Ladin speakers are able to write the language, and a further 23.1% 'with difficulty'. Of those speaking other mother tongues in the Ladin speaking valleys, 93.8% of those with Italian as their mother tongue are able to understand Ladin, 56.3% are able to speak it and 6.3% can write it. Of those with German as their mother tongue, 87.5% can understand and speak Ladin and 37.5% can write it.

Regional statutes in Trentino grant the Ladins certain linguistic rights which are not fully realised in practice. In South Tyrol Ladin does not have full linguistic equality with German and Italian. However, South Tyrol's special statute of autonomy gives the Ladins the right to use their language with public official bodies situated in the Ladin speaking valleys, with regional official bodies which deal exclusively or mainly with the interests of the Ladins, and also they may speak in their own language in court.

In the Ladin schools in South Tyrol, instruction is divided equally between Italian and German, with the exception of the first two primary school classes, which are taught either through Ladin and German or through Ladin and Italian. Nursery schools use Ladin. In compulsory schooling, Ladin is taught as a subject. The relevant local variant of Ladin is used both in the nurseries and in the schools.