A STRONG INFLUENCE ON THE NATURE OF ITALIAN INSTRUCTION TODAY IN THE UNITED STATES IS THE FACT THAT ITALO-AMERICANS SHOW LESS ORGANIZED INTEREST IN THEIR LANGUAGE THAN DO OTHER ETHNIC GROUPS, AS EVIDENCED BY COMPARING NEWSPAPER PUBLICATIONS IN DIFFERENT MOTHER TONGUES, RADIO LANGUAGE PROGRAMS, AND LANGUAGE MAINTENANCE ASSOCIATIONS WHERE, IN EACH CASE, OTHER LANGUAGES OUTDISTANCE PROPORTIONATELY THE SAME ACTIVITIES IN ITALIAN. MORE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS OF ITALIAN THAN THOSE OF OTHER MAJOR COMMONLY TAUGHT LANGUAGES ARE "APPROPRIATE ETHNICS" (ONE WHOSE PARENT(S) OR GRANDPARENT(S) ARE OR WERE NATIVE SPEAKERS OF THE LANGUAGE UNDER CONSIDERATION), WHO ASSOCIATE THE LANGUAGE WITH PEOPLE, FOOD, AND DAILY LIFE RATHER THAN WITH MORE ELEVATED LINGUISTIC OR LITERARY CONCEPTS. THE FUTURE OF ITALIAN SEEMS TO BE ONLY GREATER DE-ETHNIZATION, LESS FAMILIARITY ON THE PART OF THE INDIVIDUAL WITH HIS REGIONAL ITALIAN, AND FEWER STUDENTS OF THE LANGUAGE AS THEIR "ITALIANNESS" RECEDES FURTHER INTO THE BACKGROUND BECAUSE OF A HIGHER SOCIO-ECONOMIC LEVEL AND A MORE URBAN-AMERICAN WAY OF LIFE. THIS SPEECH WAS DELIVERED AT THE ANNUAL CONFERENCE OF THE AMERICAN ASSOCIATION OF TEACHERS OF ITALIAN, CHICAGO, DECEMBER 27-29, 1965. THIS ARTICLE APPEARED IN THE "FLORIDA FL REPORTER," VOLUME 4, NUMBER 3, SPRING 1966. (SS)