October 20th, 2015 – In Turkey, the 15th edition of the Week of the Italian Language in the World is rich in events and initiatives. Organized by the Italian Embassy in Ankara with the patronage of the President of the Republic and in collaboration with the Italian Cultural Institute in Istanbul, the Directorate General of State Opera and Ballet, and the University of Ankara, the XV edition of the initiative – which will close on October 25 – offers an intense cultural program, thanks to the intervention of prominent speakers and musicians. The theme chosen for this year’s week by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs and International Cooperation regards “Italian music, and the musicality of Italian.” Opening the week, today at 11am, is a lecture by Professor Valeria Della Valle of Sapienza University in Rome, entitled “Fascism and the Italian Language”, at the Turkish Hall of the British Association of Ankara (home of the Italian language courses organized by the Italian Institute of Culture in Istanbul in cooperation with the Embassy of Italy and the Turkish British Association). The conference will be followed by the screening of the documentary “Me ne frego! Fascism and the Italian language” by Vanni Gandolfo with Turkish subtitles. Linguist Valeria Della Valle and director Vanni Gandolfo document and tell the story of Fascist Italy, and the political will to create a new and unique language, the new Italian. Another topic covered in the documentary is the introduction of “voi” compared to “lei” as a form of politeness. (Red)
