Mr. L: Mr. Victor Losa Mr. R: Mr. Sabatino Roncucci
Mr. R:
Did you have any problem or trouble with other dialects?
Mr. L:
Oh yes, there were some I could not understand.
Mr. R:
You couldn't, eh?
Mr. L:
Yes, like the Fruilani.
Mr. R:
The Fruilani? The Fruilani is actually one of the Romance languages - not Romance - is an opposite of Latin in some special
ways.
Mr. L:
Yes, but there are many dialects that are very, very, very hard to understand. However, they let them, and I understand that during the Fascists, they were trying to abolish
them.
Mr. R:
Yes, they were trying to, more or less, play them down in a
way.
Mr. L:
But now, they are bringing them out again and they are. (societing)?..them
again.
Mr. R:
Tell me another thing. Did the Italians, between the two wars, I mean, did they show any preference, in essence, for one political party or the
other?
Mr. L:
None whatsoever.
Mr. R:
So actually...
Mr. L:
They minded their own business, they just wanted to live in peace, and they were not against the country that
...
Mr. R:
Tell, me, now, in relation to other ethnic groups, for instance the Ukrainians, the Germans. In your mind, how did the Italians fare? Economically, I
mean.
Mr. L:
Well, economically, we are not that bad. But , as far as organizations, no, not as well as Ukrainians, and as the Germans, and as the Norwegians, for instance - the Scandinavians. The Scandinavians, they have a beautiful hall, and they are all organized under one roof. All the Scandinavian nations. So are the Germans, and so are the Ukrainians. But that is another
thing.
Mr. R:
No, I meant as a...I meant, economically in those days, were they making an economic advance. Were they able to buy their own
home.
Mr. L:
Always. Always did that. Tried to buy their own home. They always did. Yes, but, of course, their education was not as good as many other nationalities, and therefore we had very few professionals. It's just now that we see more professionals, but at that time there were only miners and common
laborers.
Mr. R:
So that you don't expect too much.
Mr. L:
No, no, no.
Mr. R:
All right, another final question here. So you have been here just about for 50 years, more than 50 years. Have you been back to
Italy?