The objective of the course is to present a profile of the sociolinguistic situation in Italy today, but with the necessary reference to the pre and post unification periods. The main theoretical notions relevant to linguistics and sociolinguistics (language, norms, language use and users, dialects, the different types of linguistic variations and so on) will be discussed. The final aim is to illustrate the characteristics of standard Italian, its regional variations and today’s dialects by considering their use by speakers in the different communicative situations. Other topics include jargon, contemporary adolescent talk, the Italian spoken by foreigners both in and outside of Italy, the Italian used in the mass media, in advertising, in politics and in other sectors. (1 unit)

Required Texts: Gaetano Berruto,Sociolinguistica dell’italiano contemporaneo.
Roma:Carocc,Edizione: 2012.
ISBN: 9788843063499
T. De Mauro, Linguistica elementare. Roma Bari: Laterza (1998),