Chapter 10 Sociolinguistic norms on the usage of Italian within refugee centres in Italy
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Luca Iezzi
Abstract
This chapter sets out to analyse in what way migrants from Pakistan settled in refugee centres in Italy utilise the Italian language with other refugees and asylum seekers. A specific refugee centre in southern Italy (called CAS, centro di accoglienza straordinaria, literally ‘extraordinary reception centre’), which accommodates 9 refugees coming from Pakistan, will be taken into consideration. Given the specificity of the setting (Gentileschi 2009; IDOS 2017; Iodice and Margelletti 2017) and the sociolinguistic context where the migrants find themselves in (Berruto 2007), this contribution investigates what sociolinguistic norms the above-mentioned migrants are following as far as the host language is concerned. Taking into consideration a functional perspective, that focuses on the choice of the Italian language as lingua franca within the centre (Blom and Gumperz 1972; Cardona 2006), authentic practices from recorded conversations will be looked at. Examples from excerpts of various conversations within the CAS with other refugees will be provided in order to reflect upon the nature of sociolinguistic norms, and to see what conscious and unconscious strategies migrants settled in refugee centres use to convey meanings.
Abstract
This chapter sets out to analyse in what way migrants from Pakistan settled in refugee centres in Italy utilise the Italian language with other refugees and asylum seekers. A specific refugee centre in southern Italy (called CAS, centro di accoglienza straordinaria, literally ‘extraordinary reception centre’), which accommodates 9 refugees coming from Pakistan, will be taken into consideration. Given the specificity of the setting (Gentileschi 2009; IDOS 2017; Iodice and Margelletti 2017) and the sociolinguistic context where the migrants find themselves in (Berruto 2007), this contribution investigates what sociolinguistic norms the above-mentioned migrants are following as far as the host language is concerned. Taking into consideration a functional perspective, that focuses on the choice of the Italian language as lingua franca within the centre (Blom and Gumperz 1972; Cardona 2006), authentic practices from recorded conversations will be looked at. Examples from excerpts of various conversations within the CAS with other refugees will be provided in order to reflect upon the nature of sociolinguistic norms, and to see what conscious and unconscious strategies migrants settled in refugee centres use to convey meanings.
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
