De Masi, Anna Assunta (2020). Italiano e dialetto fra percezione e produzione nei bambini. Il bilinguismo fallito. Una ricerca in Salento. (Thesis). Universität Bern, Bern

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Abstract

Recent studies have shown that bilingualism might influence cognitive functions other than language. The goal of this study is to detect if these advantages are also for those bilinguals speaking Italian, (national language) and dialect (local language). The research project examines developmental patterns in the narrative skills of Italian children. The research investigates a longitudinal sample of 22 children speaking only Italian (I), and 26 children speaking Italian and dialect (ID). In the first session children are in Grade 1 of two Primary schools in southern Italy; the second session, set one year later, use the same procedure of the first session, but there is an additional questionnaire about the perception of the two languages by the children. The results of this questionnaire show that there are still misconceptions about language diversity: dialect is still considered a stigma. Data are gathered by using a narrative assessment tool: the child tells a story created by ENNI (Edmonton Narrative Norms Instrument), which involves story formulation from visual material only. Afterwards, children participate in comprehension task involving the same pictures to assess Story Grammar knowledge, Complexity Index, First mentions. Results show that ID’s performances are slightly better than those of I’s ones. A part from the presence of more colloquialisms and regionalisms in ID’s productions, the results of both groups are the same:the cognitive level of the children don’t differ regardless the language used. In both groups’ productions is evident the failure of bilingualism of Italian and dialect: the languages used are semi-languages, mixed, lacking their own independence. Italian and dialect seem to oppose and phagocitise each other provoking the failure of bilingualism. Children have learnt a language already mixed instead of two different languages. Dialects have always been considered as not-languages, instead of being preserved, provoking the slow loss of dialects.

Item Type:	Thesis
Dissertation Type:	Single
Date of Defense:	27 February 2020
Subjects:	400 Language > 450 Italian, Romanian & related languages
Institute / Center:	06 Faculty of Humanities > Department of Linguistics and Literary Studies > Institute of Italian Language and Literature
Depositing User:	Hammer Igor
Date Deposited:	16 Mar 2020 14:04
Last Modified:	16 Mar 2020 14:04
URI:	https://boristheses.unibe.ch/id/eprint/1847

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