(ANSA) - UDINE, FEBRUARY 07 - From today, Facebook also 'speaks' Friulian: the language can in fact be set in the social media interface.
The initiative, presented today in Udine, was born from the collaboration between the Friuli Venezia Giulia Region, the Regional Agency for the Friulian language (Arlef), Insielspa and the giant Meta Platforms, and is part of the "General language policy plan for the Friulian language 2021-2025". launched by the Region to promote the diffusion of Friulian in the experience of using the main technological platforms.
"Having achieved the objective of landing Friulian on Facebook is part of the many initiatives carried out in this legislature for the widespread use of 'marilenghe', to be spoken not only in the family but in all contexts", said the regional councilor for minority languages , Pierpaolo Roberti.
"Defending minority languages as if they were something to be kept in a museum is wrong - remarked the councilor for information systems, Sebastiano Callari - the language remains alive if it is used and must involve the new generations. Young people spend a lot of time on social networks and Facebook therefore becomes one tool to be used to strengthen the sense of identity of Friulians from all over the world".
For Diego Antonini, sole director of Insiel, the project, "is only a first step which will be followed by further initiatives, including the Italian-Friulian online translator".
According to the president of Arlef, Eros Cisilino, starting today "a further tool to encourage the use of the Friulian language in everyday life" is made available to everyone.
For now, the Friulian version can only be selected on the web version of Facebook, in the future it will also be available in the app.
(HANDLE).
