English as a Lingua Franca in the Context of Migration: An Italian Perspective

Descriptive research on English as a Lingua Franca has been under way for more than a decade now, to the point where the acronym ELF refers not only to situations in which speakers of different first languages use English as their main communicative medium of choice, but also to a new research paradigm in various disciplines documenting a set of shared and stable features and processes. ELF is, in fact, essentially defined and characterised by its variability, flexibility, and linguistic creativity (Guido & Seidlhofer 2014; Seidlhofer 2011). In this paper, we approach the study of ELF as a socio-cultural, political and pragmatic phenomenon by looking at how it manifests itself linguistically in a specific group of speakers: migrant people who have recently crossed the Mediterranean and are enrolled in the national SPRAR project (Sistema di Protezione per Richiedenti Asilo e Rifugiati). The examples of language contacts between ELF and IFL (Italian as a Foreign Language) here discussed will illustrate how linguistic creativity manifests itself in ELF not only in the way “the virtual language of English” (Widdowson 1997: 138–140) is flexibly and creatively adapted and used, but also in the way in which non-English speech can be also integrated into ELF discourse. In the context of multicultural classrooms like those observed in this study, where such factors as integration, tolerance, respect and conflict are at issue every day, the use of ELF becomes more and more controversial. Indeed, it requires a multidisciplinary approach that considers the teaching/learning environment from a variety of perspectives, from the linguistic to the anthropological, from the pedagogical to the sociological ones.Ninejsze studium przedstawia socjo-kulturowe praktyki zastosowania języka angielskiego jako jezyka kontaktowego na przykładzie specyficznej grupy kontaktowej: migrantów, którzy przepłynęłi Morze Sródziemne i zarejestrowani zostali w programie SPRAR (Sistema di Protezione per Richiedenti Asilo e Rifugiati), w ramach którego pobierają naukę języka włoskiego. W artykule przedstawiono wyniki badań (obserwacji zajęć i wywiadów z nauczycielami) na temat przenikania się języków: włoskiego, angielskiego i języków używanych przez uchodźców, z punktu widzenia kreatywności, elastyczności i przeskakiwania z kodu na kod w toku lekcji na początkowym etapie kursu językowego. Zaobserwowano formy językowe, które, choć błędne z punktu widzenia poprawności, stosowane są w konkretnych celach. Zilustrowano przykłady użycia hybryd języka angielskiego w sytuacji pedagogicznej, jako języka kontaktowego w trans-języcznej grupie, a także w narracjach osobistych, lub w odniesieniu do jego funkcji pragmatycznych: umacniania kontaktów i integracji grupy, okazywania zaufania, tolerancji i szacunku. Badanie przekracza granice dyscyplinarne, ponieważ integruje perspektywy spojrzenia lingwistycznego, antropologicznego, pedagogicznego i społecznego na zachowania językowe, aby dokładniej określić rolę i funkcję języka angielskiego w nowej sytuacji komunikacyjnej

English as a Lingua Franca in the Context of Migration: An Italian Perspective

Descriptive research on English as a Lingua Franca has been under way for more than a decade now, to the point where the acronym ELF refers not only to situations in which speakers of different first languages use English as their main communicative medium of choice, but also to a new research paradigm in various disciplines documenting a set of shared and stable features and processes. ELF is, in fact, essentially defined and characterised by its variability, flexibility, and linguistic creativity (Guido & Seidlhofer 2014; Seidlhofer 2011). In this paper, we approach the study of ELF as a socio-cultural, political and pragmatic phenomenon by looking at how it manifests itself linguistically in a specific group of speakers: migrant people who have recently crossed the Mediterranean and are enrolled in the national SPRAR project (Sistema di Protezione per Richiedenti Asilo e Rifugiati). The examples of language contacts between ELF and IFL (Italian as a Foreign Language) here discussed will illustrate how linguistic creativity manifests itself in ELF not only in the way "the virtual language of English" (Widdowson 1997: 138–140) is flexibly and creatively adapted and used, but also in the way in which non-English speech can be also integrated into ELF discourse. In the context of multicultural classrooms like those observed in this study, where such factors as integration, tolerance, respect and conflict are at issue every day, the use of ELF becomes more and more controversial. Indeed, it requires a multidisciplinary approach that considers the teaching/learning environment from a variety of perspectives, from the linguistic to the anthropological, from the pedagogical to the sociological ones

Traduzione è accessibilità. Tradurre le immagini in suono e il suono in segno

Questo numero speciale di Lingue & Linguaggi raccoglie gli interventi di studiose e studiosi, professionisti e studenti, che hanno preso parte alle attività incluse nel progetto Traduzione audiovisiva, saperi interdisciplinari e nuove professionalità, portato avanti presso il Dipartimento di Scienze della Formazione, Psicologia e Comunicazione dell’Università degli Studi di Bari grazie al cofinanziamento del Fondo di Sviluppo e Coesione 2007/2013-APQ Ricerca Regione Puglia Programma regionale a sostegno della specializzazione intelligente e della sostenibilità sociale e ambientale-Future in Research. Il numero è suddiviso in due parti, saggi e testimonianze. I saggi si dividono a loro volta in due tipologie: alcuni di essi hanno come scopo la descrizione dello stato dell’arte in determinati ambiti di intervento legati al tema della traduzione audiovisiva e dell’accessibilità dei prodotti audiovisivi per persone cieche, ipovedenti, sorde e ipoudenti e si concentrano su determinate figure professionali; altri rappresentano casi studio specifici e testimoniano le numerose possibilità di ricerca nell’ambito della traduzione audiovisiva e dell’accessibilità. Le testimonianze raccolgono le voci di coloro i quali hanno preso parte al progetto in maniera attiva o hanno contribuito alla diffusione della cultura dell’accessibilità nei suoi diversi ambiti d’intervento e fruizione

Introduzione: Traduzione è accessibilità

Introduction to the volum