Abstract
This paper deals with qualitative data on language use and self-assessments on language proficiency in multilingual speakers in South Tyrol (Italy). The first aim is to investigate empirically whether there has been a change in young people’s language use within certain domains (family, friends, and school). The second aim describes whether, after years of segregation between the language groups, a change in pupil’s language proficiency could be observed. Moreover, we also examine which extra-linguistic factors may influence their language competences in German, Italian and English. One way to investigate these aspects is through an empirical study on self-reported language use and language proficiency by the speakers themselves. The current survey was conducted in South Tyrol, an official trilingual province in northern Italy. The qualitative analyses are based on biographical interviews provided by 65 high school graduates (mean age: 19.3 years) attending German-language high schools in South Tyrol.
Highlights
1 Introduction South Tyrol is a trilingual province in northern Italy, where three languages are officially recognized: Italian, German, and Ladin
We focus on qualitative data on self-reported language use and self-assessments on language proficiency in multilingual speakers attending German-language1 high schools
For speaker B09, Standard German is a language used in Germany, at school, or in interaction with tourists, while the Bavarian variety is used with family members, friends, and in her spare time
Summary
South Tyrol is a trilingual province in northern Italy, where three languages are officially recognized: Italian, German, and Ladin. Within Italy, the German-language group is a minority, while in South Tyrol itself it forms the overwhelming majority (section 2). Linguistik online 102, 2/20 language use in the following three domains – family, friends, and school – is investigated. Direct contact with the Italian language and its speakers may positively influence subjects’ motivation to learn the language, the heterogeneous geographical distribution of the language groups as well as the parallel existence of linguistically separated institutions, such as schools, cultural associations or sport clubs, often constitute an obstacle to effective/advanced L2 acquisition (section 2)
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