Italian in Switzerland: the dynamics of pluricentrism
-
Elena Maria Pandolfi
Abstract
This chapter deals with features of the Swiss variety of Italian that provide evidence of the development of a new, partially autonomous Swiss standard and thus justifying the hypothesis of assuming Italian as a pluricentric language with two centers of codification, Italy and Switzerland. For this purpose, the dynamics of Swiss multilingualism and its influence on standardization of normativization of Italian in Switzerland are examined. These processes are illustrated by presenting some phenomena affecting the Italian language system as it manifests itself in the territory of the Confederation. Some of the observed features are shared with similar phenomena in Italian of Italy, while others derive from the peculiar situation of Italian in Switzerland, which is one of the official languages of the Confederation, along with German and French, nevertheless in a minority position. Outlining the different manifestations of Italian within the territory of the Confederation, the main focus is placed on Italian as a mother tongue. In particular, some aspects of its differentiation from Italian in Italy in the lexicon, morpho-syntax and pragmatics are highlighted. Such features, combined with political and administrative peculiarities, induce us to consider Swiss Italian as partially autonomous with respect to Italian of Italy, foreshadowing a slightly different normativization with the formation of a Swiss national standard, at present, however, still at a “rudimentary” stage (cf. Ammon 1989).
Abstract
This chapter deals with features of the Swiss variety of Italian that provide evidence of the development of a new, partially autonomous Swiss standard and thus justifying the hypothesis of assuming Italian as a pluricentric language with two centers of codification, Italy and Switzerland. For this purpose, the dynamics of Swiss multilingualism and its influence on standardization of normativization of Italian in Switzerland are examined. These processes are illustrated by presenting some phenomena affecting the Italian language system as it manifests itself in the territory of the Confederation. Some of the observed features are shared with similar phenomena in Italian of Italy, while others derive from the peculiar situation of Italian in Switzerland, which is one of the official languages of the Confederation, along with German and French, nevertheless in a minority position. Outlining the different manifestations of Italian within the territory of the Confederation, the main focus is placed on Italian as a mother tongue. In particular, some aspects of its differentiation from Italian in Italy in the lexicon, morpho-syntax and pragmatics are highlighted. Such features, combined with political and administrative peculiarities, induce us to consider Swiss Italian as partially autonomous with respect to Italian of Italy, foreshadowing a slightly different normativization with the formation of a Swiss national standard, at present, however, still at a “rudimentary” stage (cf. Ammon 1989).
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Preface VII
- List of Contributors IX
- List of Figures XIII
- List of Tables XV
-
Introduction
- On the development of a new standard norm in Italian 3
-
Part I: Restandardization tendencies
- What is changing in Italian today? Phenomena of restandardization in syntax and morphology: an overview 31
- Changes from below, changes from above: relative constructions in contemporary Italian 61
- Everyone has an accent. Standard Italian and regional pronunciation 89
- Evaluating regional variation in Italian: towards a change in standard language ideology? 118
-
Part II: Regional standards
- How standard regional Italians set in: the case of standard Piedmontese Italian 145
- Italian in Bozen/Bolzano: the formation of a ‘new dialect’ 176
- Tuscan between standard and vernacular: a sociophonetic perspective 213
- Contact between Italian and dialect in Sicily: the case of phrasal verb constructions 242
-
Part III: Crossing the borders
- Anglicisms in Italian. Typologies of language contact phenomena with particular reference to word-formation processes 269
- English loans in written Italian: a regional perspective 293
- Italian in Switzerland: the dynamics of pluricentrism 321
-
Epilogue
- The neo-standard of Italy and elsewhere in Europe 365
- Index 375
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Preface VII
- List of Contributors IX
- List of Figures XIII
- List of Tables XV
-
Introduction
- On the development of a new standard norm in Italian 3
-
Part I: Restandardization tendencies
- What is changing in Italian today? Phenomena of restandardization in syntax and morphology: an overview 31
- Changes from below, changes from above: relative constructions in contemporary Italian 61
- Everyone has an accent. Standard Italian and regional pronunciation 89
- Evaluating regional variation in Italian: towards a change in standard language ideology? 118
-
Part II: Regional standards
- How standard regional Italians set in: the case of standard Piedmontese Italian 145
- Italian in Bozen/Bolzano: the formation of a ‘new dialect’ 176
- Tuscan between standard and vernacular: a sociophonetic perspective 213
- Contact between Italian and dialect in Sicily: the case of phrasal verb constructions 242
-
Part III: Crossing the borders
- Anglicisms in Italian. Typologies of language contact phenomena with particular reference to word-formation processes 269
- English loans in written Italian: a regional perspective 293
- Italian in Switzerland: the dynamics of pluricentrism 321
-
Epilogue
- The neo-standard of Italy and elsewhere in Europe 365
- Index 375
