WALSERSPRACHE - The four main objectives of the Alpine Space ...

Virgil or Homer, nor Dante or Shakespeare could do. That is why we
believe in acquiring the skills to read Homer and Virgil, Dante and
Shakespeare in their original languages, but still opt not to forget the
names of the flowers in our valleys. We still believe our children are entitled
to remember them once they take to the paths of this wide world.
That is why we convened in Aosta, the small, beautiful capital of the
Autonomous Region of the Aosta Valley, and for two days pooled our
information and knowledge together, setting academicians, simple social
organisers and volunteers side by side, because the picture we wanted to
draw had to include scientific updates and practical news from workers
on the field. The final framework may appear to be somewhat eclectic,
but it approaches as much as could be our appointed goal.
The speakers fall into two different groups as far as national languages
go: Austrians and Swiss on the northern, German-speaking slope of the
Alps; Valdôtain and Piedmontese on the southern, Italian-speaking (but
also French- and Piedmontese-speaking) slope. Whilst the speakers from
the Vallais’ original Walser homeland, in Switzerland, draw the fine line
between Wallisertitsch and Walsertitsch, pointing out theirs is a problem
reversed, with too many highlanders speaking their native dialect and too
few the national language, the truth is that neither side is above the reach
of assimilation, though times may vary. Not surprisingly the texts of their
reports fall into either one, or the other, of their two respective national
languages, with the exception of one essay in French, that being an official
language in the Aosta Valley and in Switzerland (and its author a
French Canadian).
The same speakers fall into three sharply different groups as far as
their background goes. Peter Zürrer and Elisabetta Fazzini supplied much
needed scientific expertise (and relevant, annotated bibliographies) from
their respective points of view, but in a narrow sense they can be seen
as the “academicians” of the group. Prof. Elisabetta Fazzini, along with a
pupil of hers, Costanza Cigni, gave the Walser world the first-ever comparative
dictionary of Titsch. Besides being the editor of volumes containing
essays and studies on the language of the Walsers, she is regarded as
one of the most devoted scholars to the cause of this language’s conservation
and proper scientific description. Prof. Peter Zürrer, who spent
years studying the language of the Walsers in the Aosta Valley, is the
supervisor and co-author of one of the most used dictionaries of Titsch
and the author of authoritative articles and books. One of these is being
currently translated into Italian. He is among the best known scholars of
Walser language and civilisation.
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