> Leo Caesius wrote:
>
> > So, while Italian is by no means an international auxiliary
language,
> > it has its uses and has left its imprint. Even if we were not to judge
> > Italian on its many aesthetic and cultural qualities, there would be no
> > shortage of reasons for which Italian will continue to thrive
>
> No, there's no doubt about that. But I wouldn't be so sure about the
> "dialects", what are actually distinct languages like Neapolitan or
Venetian.
> I wouldn't be surprised if these languages died out in the next century or
so.
This is sad, but true.
Luca