The Venetian Language: An Intangible Cultural Heritage to Safeguard. What Response from International Law?; [La lingua veneta: un patrimonio culturale immateriale da salvaguardare. Quale risposta dal diritto internazionale?]

This article deals with safeguarding and promoting languages as intangible cultural heritage, specifically considering Venetian. This language is widely spoken in north-eastern Italy, but it is not officially recognised as a regional or minority language, and neither as a national cultural heritage. Since international law can protect languages as intangible cultural heritage irrespective of their legal status, the purpose of the article is to ascertain whether it provides appropriate safeguards for Venetian. The article consequently focuses on relevant international conventions on cultural heritage to which Italy is a party, and on European Union law on the preservation of cultural and linguistic diversity.