Course contents
1. Introduction to the study of second language acquisition
2. The concept of interlanguage and the main theoretical approaches to second language acquisition (SLA)
3. Linguistic and non linguistic factors of SLA and of its variability
4. Strategies and stages of language acquisition
5. Main features of SLA in the classroom
6. Some aspects of Italian as a second language
Reccomended or required readings
Banfi E. (a cura di) L’altra Europa linguistica. Varietà di apprendimento e interlingue nell'Europa contemporanea. Firenze, La Nuova Italia, 1993.
Bettoni C. Imparare un’altra lingua. Bari, Laterza, 2001.
Chini M. Che cos’è la linguistica acquisizionale. Roma, Carocci, 2005.
Consani C. et al. (a c. di) Alloglossie e comunità alloglotte nell’Italia contemporanea. Roma, Bulzoni, 2009.
Giacalone Ramat A. (a c. di) L’apprendimento spontaneo di una seconda lingua. Bologna, Il Mulino, 1986.
Dulay H./Burt M./Krashen S. La seconda lingua. Bologna, Il Mulino, 1985 [orig. ed. Language two, 1982].
Klein W. Second language acquisition. Cambridge, Cambridge University Press, 1986.
Valentini A. Lingue e interlingue dell'immigrazione in Italia, Linguistica e Filologia 21, 2005, 195-208.
For the exam the students (besides their course notes) have to study:
- "Introduzione" of Giacalone Ramat (1986),
- Chini (2005),
- one chap. in Banfi (1993) concerning the language studied (Italian, German, French, English as an L2),
- Valentini (2005),
- one paper in Giacalone Ramat (1986) or in the "parte III" of Consani et al. (2009) or one chap. of Bettoni (2001), of Klein (1986) or of Dulay et al. (1982/1985).
Assessment methods
There will be an oral exam about the contents of the course. The programme of the exam for foreign pupils can be at least partially adapted and some readings in other languages can substitute readings in Italian, with the teacher's agreement.