If
Dante Alighieri, Giovanni Boccaccio and Francesco Petrarca were alive today,
there is a good chance that they would be in the thick of the digital
revolution, tweeting, posting and uploading videos on YouTube.
The
Accademia della Crusca, the centuries-old institution for study and research of
the Italian language, must think so, too, for it plans to launch platforms for
social networks like Facebook and YouTube.
Explains
president of Accademia della Crusca, Nicoletta Maraschio, ‘The platforms of
social networking cannot be held responsible for the deterioration of our
language. Like radio and television, these are phenomenon that help change and
innovate language, and they should be considered and studied.’
A
new website complete with a Facebook page and channel on YouTube, the Accademia
della Crusca is embracing the digital age. The YouTube channel will broadcast
videos of lectures, debates and speeches focusing on the Italian language,
while officials are also considering a presence on Twitter.
Maraschio
made the announcement during a conference highlighting events to celebrate the
Accademia’s 400th anniversary this year.
For
more information, see www.accademiadellacrusca.it