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On the Relation Between Attitudes and Dialect Maintenance (Sicilian and Venetan) in Italy

Besler, Alexandra ; Ferin, Maria ; Kupisch, Tanja LU and Venagli, Ilaria (2024) p.95-126
Abstract
Italian dialects, especially in the south of Italy, have been stigmatised for a long time. Despite more recent revalorization, dialect speakers may still have negative attitudes towards their own variety as a result of internalized prejudices. By comparing Sicilian and Venetan, two of the most spoken dialects in Italy, this study aims to investigate what attitudes dialect speakers have towards their dialects, how these relate to their self-reported language use and how both relate to objective proficiency in the dialect and in standard Italian. We conducted an online survey containing questions on attitudes, dialect use and a build-in yes-no vocabulary task for the dialect and standard Italian that was completed by 56 Sicilian and 135... (More)
Italian dialects, especially in the south of Italy, have been stigmatised for a long time. Despite more recent revalorization, dialect speakers may still have negative attitudes towards their own variety as a result of internalized prejudices. By comparing Sicilian and Venetan, two of the most spoken dialects in Italy, this study aims to investigate what attitudes dialect speakers have towards their dialects, how these relate to their self-reported language use and how both relate to objective proficiency in the dialect and in standard Italian. We conducted an online survey containing questions on attitudes, dialect use and a build-in yes-no vocabulary task for the dialect and standard Italian that was completed by 56 Sicilian and 135 Venetan users. We chose to compare Sicilian and Venetan because these are two dialects that are comparable in speaker numbers but at least traditionally differ in their prestige, with Venetan enjoying more positive attitudes than Sicilian. The results showed overall positive attitudes for both groups and highlighted the dialects’ importance for identity while compromising its perceived value for functional purposes. Moreover, the two groups differed with regard to the interaction between dialect attitudes, use and proficiency. While positive attitudes towards Venetan were linked to its active use, positive attitudes towards Sicilian were expressed by participants with lower proficiencies or who do not use the dialect actively. The revalorization of the dialects in Italy is thus happening under different circumstances, with potential implications for future language use and dialect maintenance. (Less)
Please use this url to cite or link to this publication:
author
; ; and
publishing date
type
Chapter in Book/Report/Conference proceeding
publication status
published
subject
keywords
Bilectalism, Sicilian, Venetan, Attitudes, Use, Proficiency
host publication
Language Attitudes and Bi(dia)lectal Competence
editor
Giusti, Giuliana ; Mura, Piergiorgo and Procentese, Cristina
pages
32 pages
ISBN
978-88-6969-802-6
978-88-6969-803-3
DOI
10.30687/978-88-6969-802-6/005
language
English
LU publication?
no
id
a5a94520-60b7-46eb-9b12-0284a53aa84c
alternative location
https://edizionicafoscari.unive.it/media/pdf/books/978-88-6969-802-6/978-88-6969-802-6-ch-05.pdf
date added to LUP
2024-10-25 14:53:45
date last changed
2025-04-04 15:02:49
@inbook{a5a94520-60b7-46eb-9b12-0284a53aa84c,
  abstract     = {{Italian dialects, especially in the south of Italy, have been stigmatised for a long time. Despite more recent revalorization, dialect speakers may still have negative attitudes towards their own variety as a result of internalized prejudices. By comparing Sicilian and Venetan, two of the most spoken dialects in Italy, this study aims to investigate what attitudes dialect speakers have towards their dialects, how these relate to their self-reported language use and how both relate to objective proficiency in the dialect and in standard Italian. We conducted an online survey containing questions on attitudes, dialect use and a build-in yes-no vocabulary task for the dialect and standard Italian that was completed by 56 Sicilian and 135 Venetan users. We chose to compare Sicilian and Venetan because these are two dialects that are comparable in speaker numbers but at least traditionally differ in their prestige, with Venetan enjoying more positive attitudes than Sicilian. The results showed overall positive attitudes for both groups and highlighted the dialects’ importance for identity while compromising its perceived value for functional purposes. Moreover, the two groups differed with regard to the interaction between dialect attitudes, use and proficiency. While positive attitudes towards Venetan were linked to its active use, positive attitudes towards Sicilian were expressed by participants with lower proficiencies or who do not use the dialect actively. The revalorization of the dialects in Italy is thus happening under different circumstances, with potential implications for future language use and dialect maintenance.}},
  author       = {{Besler, Alexandra and Ferin, Maria and Kupisch, Tanja and Venagli, Ilaria}},
  booktitle    = {{Language Attitudes and Bi(dia)lectal Competence}},
  editor       = {{Giusti, Giuliana and Mura, Piergiorgo and Procentese, Cristina}},
  isbn         = {{978-88-6969-802-6}},
  keywords     = {{Bilectalism; Sicilian; Venetan; Attitudes; Use; Proficiency}},
  language     = {{eng}},
  pages        = {{95--126}},
  title        = {{On the Relation Between Attitudes and Dialect Maintenance (Sicilian and Venetan) in Italy}},
  url          = {{http://dx.doi.org/10.30687/978-88-6969-802-6/005}},
  doi          = {{10.30687/978-88-6969-802-6/005}},
  year         = {{2024}},
}