Heritage languages in migration and Italian «lingua filiale» Some evidence from Friuli Venezia Giulia

Abstract

The presence of students with a migration background in Friulian primary and middle schools is growing and it is characterized by an increasing degree of variability. More specifically, in recent years the incidence of pupils born in Italy to foreign parents has become higher, and this represents a new concern for the local educational institutions. Field data collected by Impact FVG 2018-20 researchers highlight some relevant sociolinguistic traits of this environment and raise new questions. The study of the speakers’ repertoires shows that the traditional L1 and L2 definitions can be applied less precisely than in the past, as new situations and blurred margins of uncertainty appear. This contribution introduces some relevant aspects emerged during the Impact FVG 2018-20 study, which suggest to consider under a new light both the condition of the heritage languages, and the domains in daily communication where Italian is extending its presence. This framework seems to invite schools to diversify their actions and to introduce new inclusive strategies, in order to sustain and promote these languages, which at the moment appear to be often connected to a migratory past, and less directly learnt by these young emerging bilingual speakers.