S2E11: South Tyrolean
South Tyrol is an autonomous, majority German-speaking region in Italy bordering Austria and Switzerland. It's one of the few places outside of Germany, Austria and Switzerland where German is an official language, alongside Italian and Ladin. But while these three languages are all recognised today, it was a difficult road to get here - the people of South Tyrol suffered some dark chapters which had awful consequences for families and communities, throwing their identity as South Tyroleans into question.
In this episode I talk to Richard Bonomo, a South Tyrolean living in Vienna, about the history and language(s) of South Tyrol. We talk about the attempt to eradicate the German language and culture from this region, as well as the resulting "Option" which essentially tore the region apart. We also talk about some features of the languages spoken in South Tyrol, specifically German.
Outro music: No Fear by Euphoniques
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About this episode's guest
Richard Bonomo is a law associate based in Vienna. He is originally from South Tyrol and moved to Vienna in 2016. He also studied cultural and social anthropology.
Email: r.bonomo@weber.co.at
Photo © Richard Bonomo
This episode was first released on 07.06.2022.
YOTE theme music by Vincent Tone (PremiumBeat.com)