User:Reanna.shah/sandbox

    There are a few items that I would like to add to the article Italian Language. One thing I want to add is more in the Renaissance section. I think it is important to discuss the spread of the Italian language, but also say how the protestant reformation, which occurred simultaneous to the renaissance, allowed for the spread of other languages, such as German. I think it is important to note that because the Renaissance not only promoted the spread of the Italian language, but also led to the spread of other languages as people started breaking away form the Roman Catholic Church. 
    Another thing I would add is more information about the advancement of technology. I think it is important to note that through various technological advancements, people are able to learn the Italian language much easier. For example, from the app Duolingo, I could learn Italian just through my wireless device.

Possible references and sources:

The role of technology http://ro.uow.edu.au/cgi/viewcontent.cgi?article=1013&context=etc08 Modern Language Journal -- Technology in Language Use, Language Teaching, and Language Learning -- http://onlinelibrary.wiley.com/doi/10.1111/modl.12302/epdf?r3_referer=wol&tracking_action=preview_click&show_checkout=1&purchase_referrer=onlinelibrary.wiley.com&purchase_site_license=LICENSE_DENIED_NO_CUSTOMER ICT and Language Learning: From Print to the Mobile Phone by M. Kenning -- https://books.google.com/books?id=TNOHDAAAQBAJ&printsec=frontcover#v=onepage&q&f=false https://www.theguardian.com/teacher-network/teacher-blog/2014/may/12/technology-language-teaching-learning-pedagogy

Renaissance and Protestant Reformation A History of Western Society (AP European History Textbook by McKay) https://www.khanacademy.org/humanities/world-history/renaissance-and-reformation/protestant-reformation/a/an-introduction-to-the-protestant-reformation

Renaissance

     The Renaissance era was known as the time of "rebirth." The long-exsisting beliefs from the Roman Catholic Church were being understood from new perspectives; humanists, individuals who placed emphasis on the human body and its full potential, began to shift focus from the church to themselves.  Humanists were forming new beliefs in various forms: social, political, and intellectual. The ideals of the Renaissance were shown throughout the Protestant Reformation, which took place simultaneously to the Renaissance. The Protestant Reformation began with Martin Luther disagreeing with the selling of indulgences from Johann Tetzel and his eventual break-off from the Roman Catholic Church in the Diet of Worms. After Luther was excommunicated from the Roman Catholic Church, he founded a sect of Catholicism, called Lutheranism. Luther believed in faith alone and scripture alone, so he decided to translate the Bible into many other languages which would allow for people from all over Europe to read the Bible. Previously, the Bible was only written in Latin, but after the Bible was translated, it could be understood in many other languages, including Italian. The Italian language was able to spread even more with the help of Luther and the invention of the printing press by Johannes Gutenberg. The printing press facilitated the spread of Italian because it was able to rapidly produce texts, such as the Bible, and cut the costs of books which allowed for more people to have access to the translated Bible and new pieces of literature.  The Roman Catholic Church was losing its control over the population, as it was not open to change, and there was an increasing number of reformers with differing beliefs. 

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Technology

(maybe under education)

Gutenberg Printing Press

     The continual advancements in technology plays a crucial role in the diffusion of languages. Due to the fact that the Internet is widely accessible to many people across the world, educational institutions implemented the use of technology throughout its teachings. Technology allows for globalization to occur; people are able to communicate with each other from all parts of the globe and spread their languages and ideas. Speakers of a variety of languages from all over the world use technological devices, such as computers and smartphones, are able to write to each other and share their cultures. 
     The use of technology also has a major impact on the teachings of languages. Educational institutions have incorporated technology to facilitate students' learning in foreign languages. Prior to the breakthrough of technology, teachers would primarily use chalkboards and students had to learn the vocabulary and grammar through old-fashioned textbooks. Now, the implementation of technological devices allows for teachers to create presentations and incorporate helpful videos to teach the information and students have access to a plethora of information and the ability to analyze their own speech when they are learning a new language. For example, students in the United States can become pen-pals with students who speak Italian, and they can communicate with each other via online through emails or Skype. In addition, students have the chance to communicate directly with their teacher at any time of the day if they need help with a specific topic.  On the other hand, technology can have a negative influence in the learning environment. Instead of students using the Internet on technological devices as a learning tool, they can use the Internet to do things that are not strictly related to the task at hand. In addition, if the students and/or teacher do not know how to use the piece of technology, the time it takes to learn how to use the piece of technology could have been utilized in other areas pertaining to the actual study of the language. 
    The Italian language spread with the increasing advancements in technology. From the late 1400s, which marked the invention of the printing press, the Italian language was able to grow rapidly. During 1450 to 1500, Italian cities adopted the most number of printing presses in all of Europe, reaching a total of 56. The large number of printing presses indicate that Italy was able to produce more pieces of literature at a lower cost, and because the dominant language in Italy was Italian, the Italian language spread. 
    In the 21st century, the Italian language is growing with the help of technology. There are many ways for one to learn how to speak, read, and write other languages from their technological devices. For example, the free website and application Duolingo has 22.3 million learners of Italian for English speakers.  This is one example that shows how technology allows for the continual spread of the Italian Language, as there are millions of follows currently learning the Italian language. 
    On the other hand, although technology has allowed for the Italian language to spread rapidly, there has been a continual decrease in the number of Italian speakers in the United States. According to the U.S. Census Bureau, the number of Italian speakers in 1980 was 1,614,344. In 1990, the number of Italian speakers in the United States dropped to 1,308,648. In 2000, the number of speakers decreased to 1,008,370, and finally, in 2010, the number of Italian speakers plummeted to 725,223. The percent change from 1980-2010 was a negative 55.2.  Although technology is advancing, the number of speakers in the United States is continuing on this downward trend.