Italian

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Italian Language of Italy, where it is spoken by most of its 57 million inhabitants, and of the canton of Ticino, Switzerland. It is one of the Romance languages descended from spoken Latin, and so belongs ultimately to the Italic group of Indo-European languages. There are many Italian dialects, and the official language is based on those of central Italy, particularly Tuscan. During the 20th century, broadcasting and the cinema standardized the language greatly, but most Italians continue to use a regional dialect for everyday communication.

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