This article discusses some aspects of spatial conceptualisation in Italian, focusing on deixis and the Italian locative adverbs: the proximal qui and qua (‘here’), and the distal lì and là (‘there’). It examines how deixis is realised through demonstrative adjectives or pronouns and through locative adverbs, highlighting and debating some shared properties and features. It is argued that Italian speakers think of space through two metaphors, which can be defined generally as SPACE IS A POINT and SPACE IS WIDTH. This hypothesis is supported by a set of examples, including a comparison with another Romance language (Spanish) based on data from Fleming and Lloy (2023), that illustrate the variable cognitive understanding of space associated with different adverbs. In conclusion, this work suggests that there is a tendency among Italian speakers to favour the deictic pair in -i to indicate a specific, punctual space, and the deictic pair in -a for a broad, unlimited environment, in line with the two proposed spatial metaphors.

This contribution offers an integrated perspective of the complex mechanisms and neural circuits involved in language perception and processing. Specifically, it analyzes the main event-related potentials (ERPs) associated with language, including the N1 and MMN components involved in phonetic-phonological encoding, the ELAN, LAN, and P600 components active in morpho-syntactic processing, and the N400 component associated with semantic analysis. While the ERP approach provides a valuable means of investigating the timing of linguistic processes, recent studies emphasize the crucial role of neural oscillations – from delta to gamma rhythms – in supporting language comprehension and production. The overall evidence discussed converges towards the hypothesis of a hierarchical and predictive neural architecture, in which different frequencies cooperate in the construction and unification of linguistic processes at the phonological, syntactic, and semantic levels.

This article addresses the issue of specialized administrative language, called bureaucratese. It analyzes the attempts made so far to simplify it, by operating mostly on the lexicon, and challenges the mind/language relationship that is supposed to have generated it. With the help of conceptual elaborations formulated in the field of cognitive semiotics on the theories of translation, adjustment, bricolage and on the inferences that can be activated by terms, we will move from semantics to semiotics, reconnecting to the theory of enunciative praxis as a concatenation of enunciations that leads to weaken the idea of a single subject behind the formation of a public document. This is made possible dismissing the I/You dialectic in favor of a triadic relationship based on ‘illeity’ and on an increasingly consolidated evenemential theory of language.

In this work I propose an experimental analysis of the role of Complementizer Deletion (CD) in embedded stripping in Italian. I follow Wurmbrand (2017), who proposes the existence of a typological bipartition of languages, namely those which only allow embedded stripping in the absence of the complementizer and those which allow embedded stripping without resorting to CD. In this article, I consider the results of a Likert scale on Italian sentences, on 58 subjects, and conclude that the availability of embedded stripping correlates with the absence of the complementizer. Unexpectedly, CD is preferred over complementizer realization even in indicative embedded sentences, which generally do not allow the complementizer to be deleted. In the article I propose an analysis of this phenomenon based on mood, epistemic heads, and Double Access Reading.

Despite having been a classic research topic for over 300 years (Gao and Liu 2020: 136), the fundamental issue of whether numeral classifiers (Cls for short) in Mandarin Chinese belong to a lexical or functional category still remains controversial. To address this issue, this paper presents arguments from diachronic, syntactic, semantic, cognitive, and experimental perspectives. On one hand, Mandarin Chinese Cls exhibit lexical properties, as evidenced by their semantic selection restrictions in relation to nouns. On the other hand, they also display functional properties, supported by arguments such as their grammaticalization, their substitution by the general Cl ge, and their syntactic analogy with auxiliary verbs. Furthermore, Mandarin Chinese Cls are predominantly functional, as demonstrated by three supporting arguments from diachronic, cognitive, and experimental perspectives. Additionally, this paper also addresses the question of whether Individual Cls, compared to other types of Cls, offer a very limited semantic space for the whole nominal phrase.

Minority languages are typically subjected to constant pressure from the dominant language. This situation often leads to a gradual language shift, resulting in the emergence of different types of minority language speakers. This paper focuses on the Sardinian-speaking community and its speakers, who have long been exposed to the influence of Italian, the dominant language on the island. From both linguistic and sociolinguistic perspectives, we will examine the main categories of Sardinian speakers: traditional speakers, heritage speakers, and new speakers. Our aim is to provide new insights for both field linguists and those – teachers and researchers alike – who are interested in the Sardinian linguistic reality for educational purposes.

This study analyses the properties of the m-words tanto and molto in Italian. First, we will provide an overview of the distinct uses and interpretations of these elements in various syntactic and semantic contexts, and we will motivate them by analysing tanto and molto as degree modifiers. In particular, we will suggest that tanto can appear in a wider range of contexts because of its semantics. Then, we will discuss in detail the different positions that these elements can occupy in the clause, and we will avail of Phase Theory to account for the possibility of tanto to appear twice in the same sentence with distinct functions.

From my experience teaching Italian, the encounter between Chinese and Italian proves highly complex due to morphosyntactic and phonological factors. A major difficulty for Chinese learners is understanding Italian sentence structure, which lacks classifiers that in Chinese regulate organization. This and other differences often restrict knowledge of Italian to a basic level. Overcoming it requires long effort, as many studies confirm. Even after years, many Chinese speakers communicate effectively but rely on incorrect linguistic strategies. The teacher’s role is to guide them beyond the basic level and help them acquire linguistic, sociolinguistic, and pragmatic-textual skills.

This study investigates the role of the Chinese particle a as a Topic Marker (TM). Our findings show that TM-a is closely tied to Speaker/Writer Attitude and is context-dependent, typically marking a Topic selected from a broader set of entities. This selection often carries a contrastive-like reading, reinforcing the Producer’s personal involvement. Statistical analysis reveals that Involvement is the strongest predictor, followed by Type and Attitude. Additionally, TM-a appears more frequently in negative statements, suggesting a mitigating function. Unlike Sentence-Final Particle (SFP) a, which softens the entire utterance post-factum, TM-a operates as a preparatory mitigation strategy, setting the interpretive stance before the predication unfolds. Following Pan (2017), who posits that TMs are located in Att° rather than Top°, we argue that TM-a and SFP-a share semantic properties, as they both function as Attitude markers, but differ in mitigation strategy. This analysis aligns with Chu (2009) and Li & Thompson (1981), supporting the hypothesis that TM-a is primarily used to signal personal involvement and soften negative evaluations.