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Mr. L: Mr. Victor Losa
Mr. R: Mr. Sabatino Roncucci
Mr. R:
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This was the authorities. Now, how about the ordinary citizens? Were they, say, behind the
(soldiers?)
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Mr. L:
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No, no. They came in my store and gave me their business just the
same.
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Mr. R:
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Well, that's a good ... on Canadian citizens.,,,,(garbled)
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Mr. L:
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Thank you very much...a characteristic of the Anglo-Saxon temperament.
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Mr. R:
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They are not hot like we Italians.
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Mr. L:
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No, no, they are not hot-tempered. .They are not fanatic. They are cool and
collected.
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Mr. R:
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They use reason.
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Mr. L:
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Yes.
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Mr. R:
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That's good. So, I would like to ask you another few questions of, let's say, a cultural nature. Between the two wars were there any cultural activities originated by the Italians for the
Italians?
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Mr. L:
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No, no. Because, before the war, we didn't have enough Italians to warrant to have a society like the 'Dante Alighieri'. And then I don't think they were organized as such as they are now. Then, they were not so well
attached.
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Mr. R:
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They didn't have many ties among themselves?
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Mr. L:
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No, no.
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Mr. R:
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Everyone for himself.
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Mr. L:
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More or less. Oh, they were friendly, everything else, but they were not so eager to join a club
or...
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Mr. R:
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So you would say that Italian gatherings in those days never went beyond the
living rooms.
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Mr. L:
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Yes. You know, in Calgary they had more doings, because they had more Italians
there.
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Mr. R:
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I see, it was an older community there, yes.
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Mr. L:
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Yes, older and more larger community
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Mr. R:
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So, when you say there were about 500 Italians in Edmonton, it means that there were probably, you know, I believe 100, 105 families,
really.
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Mr. L:
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A little more that that, perhaps. But, you see, it was the capital city, and that is why the office remains
here.
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Mr. R:
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Yes, it's not because it had more population of Italians, but because it was the capital
city.
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Mr. L:
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Right.
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Mr. R:
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Now, another thing, the . of Italians ... you know, were born in Canada after ...the second World War. To your knowledge, were they learning Italian at all or were they abandoning it, you know, in Canada. Abandoning the Italian language, I
mean.
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Mr. L:
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Oh no, they were not. They were not. But they were not speaking that good. They did not know how to speak that
perfect.
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Mr. R:
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So, in other words, they mostly picked up the dialect, more or
less.
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Mr. L:
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Only dialect! That is the curse of our nation. .... speak the dialect, which I
hate!
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