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The paper reports the results of a study that investigates changes in the self-reported frequency of use of the Fiuman dialect, a regional minority Romance language of the Croatian city of Rijeka and its surroundings, with respect to hearing, speaking, reading and writing in the present and the past. The data were collected via a questionnaire containing closed- and open-ended questions administered to 244 Fiuman speakers, aged 14–89 years. The results show a decrease in the spoken use of Fiuman today in comparison to the past, but also an increase in its written use, among younger speakers. The participants list numerous reasons for the decrease in use, the main ones relating to a reduction in the number of Fiuman speakers and the demographic changes in the city. The increase in use relates primarily to communication on social networks, in text messaging and via e-mail, and communication at work. The results suggest that in the case of Fiuman, there is a risk of language shift, as the frequency of hearing Fiuman and speaking in it seems to have decreased in the past decades and given that younger speakers tend to use it less often than older ones. However, there is also room for language maintenance, primarily related to modern technology and the new media, due to which Fiuman is increasingly used in writing, especially among younger speakers. However, the writing trend, which could potentially create a means of language maintenance, should be complemented by other forms and domains of use. At the moment, the use of Fiuman in public domains is primarily related to informal communication among Fiuman speakers at work in the Italian minority institutions. For the maintenance of a minority language, the use in a broad range of domains and with a broad range of speakers is crucial. Relevance of the study to the needs of the general public, policy makers or professionals The study results suggest that language shift, which might have already started among younger Fiuman speakers, can be reversed if additional efforts are invested in language maintenance, e.g. by exploiting the potential of modern technology and the new media. Based on this, language policies for Fiuman maintenance can be developed. |
