Chapter 9 Dialect contact and koineization in Italy
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Simone Barco
Abstract
The fact that there are so many languages and dialects in Italy raises the question of whether the study of koineization can be pursued in Italy as in other parts of the world. The coexistence of Italian varieties (the so-called “regional Italians”) with other Romance dialects (the so-called dialetti) makes the Italo-Romance setting particularly intriguing from a language and dialect contact perspective. As it is well known, contact between dialects may occur in different ways: koineization, dialect levelling, geographical diffusion and so on. In particular, the development of new dialects induced by the coexistence of migrants speaking mutually intelligible varieties has been observed in many situations, such as colonial settings or the so-called New Towns. The significant internal migration in Italy fosters the convergence of different dialects, giving rise to noteworthy sociolinguistic phenomena that seems relevant for an analysis in terms of koineization. In this chapter, I will consider how Italian linguistics has dealt with the koineization issues and which scenarios may arise by applying the dialect contact approaches to the Italian context. This will be done through a review of the numerous definitions attributed to the term ‘koine’ in the field of Italian linguistics. By comparing Italian findings with other routes explored by international sociolinguistics, this article will contribute to proposing new perspectives for further investigation. Preliminary data from a new contact variety discovered in the Southern part of Italy will be considered in order to propose a model that allows an accurate observation of Italo-Romance dialect contact. This will allow us to discuss the thorny issue of the applicability of koineization and New Dialect Formation models, with the aim of outlining preparatory guidelines for future research. Indeed, although research on dialect contact has been conducted across various languages, there remains significant potential for the varieties and dialects spoken in Italy to contribute valuable insights to the study of dialect contact. Finally, four potential continua of dialect contact in Italy will be sketched.
Abstract
The fact that there are so many languages and dialects in Italy raises the question of whether the study of koineization can be pursued in Italy as in other parts of the world. The coexistence of Italian varieties (the so-called “regional Italians”) with other Romance dialects (the so-called dialetti) makes the Italo-Romance setting particularly intriguing from a language and dialect contact perspective. As it is well known, contact between dialects may occur in different ways: koineization, dialect levelling, geographical diffusion and so on. In particular, the development of new dialects induced by the coexistence of migrants speaking mutually intelligible varieties has been observed in many situations, such as colonial settings or the so-called New Towns. The significant internal migration in Italy fosters the convergence of different dialects, giving rise to noteworthy sociolinguistic phenomena that seems relevant for an analysis in terms of koineization. In this chapter, I will consider how Italian linguistics has dealt with the koineization issues and which scenarios may arise by applying the dialect contact approaches to the Italian context. This will be done through a review of the numerous definitions attributed to the term ‘koine’ in the field of Italian linguistics. By comparing Italian findings with other routes explored by international sociolinguistics, this article will contribute to proposing new perspectives for further investigation. Preliminary data from a new contact variety discovered in the Southern part of Italy will be considered in order to propose a model that allows an accurate observation of Italo-Romance dialect contact. This will allow us to discuss the thorny issue of the applicability of koineization and New Dialect Formation models, with the aim of outlining preparatory guidelines for future research. Indeed, although research on dialect contact has been conducted across various languages, there remains significant potential for the varieties and dialects spoken in Italy to contribute valuable insights to the study of dialect contact. Finally, four potential continua of dialect contact in Italy will be sketched.
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Chapter 1 Introduction: Contact-related variation and change – crossing the boundaries within and between languages 1
- Chapter 2 Language contact and language attrition: Processes and constellations 39
- Chapter 3 Two modes of contact-induced change in minority languages: Phonology and syntax vs. inflectional morphology 65
- Chapter 4 Variation and change in comparative structures as an interaction of language internal and language external factors: Evidence from Asia Minor Greek 93
- Chapter 5 Linguistic reconstruction and creole emergence: The case of Upper Guinea creoles 119
- Chapter 6 Language contact and expressives in Italian 149
- Chapter 7 Digital code play as a sign of the multicompetent self in the internet discourse of Russian speakers in Italy 169
- Chapter 8 Sociolinguistic typology and language contact in Northern Italy 199
- Chapter 9 Dialect contact and koineization in Italy 225
- Chapter 10 Sociolinguistic norms on the usage of Italian within refugee centres in Italy 255
- Subject index 275
Chapters in this book
- Frontmatter I
- Contents V
- Chapter 1 Introduction: Contact-related variation and change – crossing the boundaries within and between languages 1
- Chapter 2 Language contact and language attrition: Processes and constellations 39
- Chapter 3 Two modes of contact-induced change in minority languages: Phonology and syntax vs. inflectional morphology 65
- Chapter 4 Variation and change in comparative structures as an interaction of language internal and language external factors: Evidence from Asia Minor Greek 93
- Chapter 5 Linguistic reconstruction and creole emergence: The case of Upper Guinea creoles 119
- Chapter 6 Language contact and expressives in Italian 149
- Chapter 7 Digital code play as a sign of the multicompetent self in the internet discourse of Russian speakers in Italy 169
- Chapter 8 Sociolinguistic typology and language contact in Northern Italy 199
- Chapter 9 Dialect contact and koineization in Italy 225
- Chapter 10 Sociolinguistic norms on the usage of Italian within refugee centres in Italy 255
- Subject index 275
