30921 - Teaching of the Italian Language L2 (LM)

Course contents

How do we learn a second language (L2)? How do people construct their own knowledge of a second language and learn tocommunicate in that language? To what extent our native language and/or other languages we speak influence our ongoing learning? Why do we make errors? Why some errors get into “fossilization”? How do we improve our linguistic competence? Which learning strategies do we apply? Which teaching strategies can facilitate language learning? More generally, what does it mean “to know a language?” Answers to these questions will be given as referred specifically to the learning of Italian as a 2nd language.

The general purpose of the course is to provide students with a comprehensive overview of the scientific literature on the learning of Italian and on interaction in Italian as a 2nd language. Drawing on different fields of research, this overview aims at offering a thorough grounding in knowledge to future teachers of Italian L2 (in Italy or abroad). It also addresses those who are training to be professionally engaged in activities related to immigration or in the internationalization of higher education areas and, for these reasons, are interested in knowing how interethnic interactions work.

Specific skills to be developed concern mainly the ability to “read and interpret” the linguistic, communicative and interactional competences of learners of Italian as 2nd language, as well as to identify the related teaching implications.

The course is divided into two parts. The first one focuses on the recent theoretical and practical developments of research on Italian as a 2nd language. We will work on the L2 learner from a cognitive perspective, analyzing his/her written and oral productions. Starting from the key-notion of interlanguage , we will examine the general principles described in second language acquisition studies. Theoretical concepts will be related to practical situations of spontaneous and guided 2nd language learning. Several examples of authentic monological and dialogic interlanguage productions of children, adolescents and adults will be discussed.

The second part of the course will go deeper into the interaction among native (N) and non-native (NN) speakers of Italian , from a social and an intercultural perspective. In order to deal with this theme, first we need to know some methodological issues concerning the analysis of interaction (see texts (a)). Then, we will work on several transcripts of authentic interactions among N and NN speakers (among adults, adults and children; adults and adolescents) of Italian which were audio-recorded in different social contexts (mainly, schools and workplaces) (see texts (b)). The aim is to develop an increasing awareness of the interplay between pragmatic, interactional and linguistic dimensions emerging in conversation, and to examine the pedagogical implications for classroom second language teaching.

Readings/Bibliography

For the program 1st part: one of the following texts:

un testo a scelta tra:

- G. Pallotti, La seconda lingua, Roma, Bompiani, 2000 [1998]

- C. Bettoni, Imparare un'altra lingua, Laterza, 2001

e i seguenti saggi: (and these essays )

C. Andorno, «Saper ‘leggere' le varietà di apprendimento: competenze linguistiche per gli insegnanti di italiano» in Elena Pistolesi (a cura di), Lingua, scuola e società. I nuovi bisogni comunicativi nelle classi multiculturali, Trieste, Istituto Gramsci-Friuli Venezia Giulia, 2007, pp.125-35*.

M.Piantoni, “L'analisi dell'interlingua” in R.Grassi et al. (a cura di), Dagli studi sulle sequenze di acquisizione alla classe di italiano L2, Edizioni Guerra, Perugia, 2008, pp.143-170

G. Bernini, “Sequenze di acquisizione e apprendimento di categorie linguistiche” in R.Grassi et al. (a cura di), Dagli studi sulle sequenze di acquisizione alla classe di italiano L2, Edizioni Guerra, Perugia, 2008, pp.35-54

For the program 2nd part:

(a)

1. C.Bazzanella, «Quando dire è interagire» in C.Bazzanella, Linguistica e pragmatica del linguaggio. Un'introduzione, Roma-Bari, Laterza, 2005: cap. 5, pp.190-214.

2. A.Fasulo, C.Pontecorvo, Come si dice? Linguaggio e apprendimento in famiglia e a scuola, Roma, Carocci, 2000 [1° ristampa]: capp.1,2,3 e par. 6.3 (pagg.131-42).

3. P.Margutti, “Formulare una domanda per ottenere ‘quella' risposta: aspetti linguistici, organizzazione dell'interazione e costruzione di conoscenze in classe' in C.Baraldi (a cura di), Dialogare in classe. La relazione tra insegnanti e studenti, Donzelli, Roma, pp. 29-48.

(b)

1. A.Ciliberti, R.Pugliese, L.Anderson, «La costruzione del non nativo nella classe multilingue» in A.Ciliberti, R.Pugliese, L.Anderson, Le lingue in classe. Discorso, apprendimento, socializzazione, Roma, Carocci, 2003: pp. 109-120.

2. R.Grassi, Parlare all'allievo straniero. Strategie di adattamento linguistico nella classe plurilingue, Perugia, Guerra Edizioni, 2007: cap.1, pagg. 19-92

4. G.Kasper, J.Wagner, “A conversation-analytic approach to second language acquisition in D.Atkinson (ed.) Alternative approaches to second language acquisition, Routledge, 2011, pp. 117-142

Other reference lists will be given during the course.

Teaching methods

Frontal and group lessons; some workshops on the analysis of written productions of learners of Italian (in their interlanguage), and on some units and activities designed to improve learners' written and oral comprehension.

Assessment methods

-students should write a paper (to be sent to rosa.pugliese@unibo.it a week before the exam fixed date) including a brief overview of the themes and an individual analysis of a transcribed sequence of an interaction in Italian L2; details for the paper will be provided during the lessons;

-the oral examination will consist of questions in order to assess the students' knowledge and mastery of the program 1st part.

Office hours

See the website of Rosa Pugliese