Il processo di cambiamento dell'indebolimento consonantico a Cortona: studio sociolinguistico

Abstract

The work is a quantitative study of Labovian matrix which focuses on a predetermined series of linguistic variables having different realizations in Cortona, a city in eastern Tuscany. The linguistic elements which have been observed are strictly phonetic ; our special concern is the possible realizations of voiceless occlusives /k/, /t/, /p/ in an intervocalic context. We can see the introduction and the spread of Florentine-Sienese spirantization in a variety in which it is traditionally absent, and the correlated loss of local sonorization. In observing these phenomena and in analyzing the peculiarities of the Cortona dialect, a framework of co-relational and comparative sociolinguistics was adopted in order to verify the relationship between linguistic phenomena and social factors. The conclusion reached at the end of this study is that the Cortona dialect today is clearly influenced by the main varieties of Tuscan dialect and that the recent linguistic shift has a very strong connection with extralinguistic judgements expressed by speakers. This study also points out that the replacement of local traditional pronunciation in favour of innovative forms possessing Tuscan characteristics always has a precise social meaning and is, in fact, linked to the speakers' age, social class and gender