Tratti di interlingua comuni : analisi di produzioni scritte di italiano L2 di apprendenti maltesi e della provincia di Bolzano

Abstract

Learner language varieties are characterised by common features, which are often found in learners of an L2 in distant and different contexts. This is the case of students of Italian L2 in Malta and in Alto Adige (Bolzano province), two contexts characterised by bilingualism where advanced L2 learners often resort to communication strategies when they write and speak in Italian. In some cases their linguistic and grammatical knowledge is superior to their pragmatic competence, thereby leading to the use of words and to the formulation of sentences which may be unsuitable within the context in which they are used. In this paper we present findings based on utterances purposely extracted from examination scripts. Attention is focussed on traits in which spoken forms are transposed into the written variety, on contact with the context language/s and on select morphosyntactic structures. Findings indicate that advanced learners of Italian L2, both in Malta and in Alto Adige, resort to their interlanguage skills to express complex notions and that this may also help them further develop their linguistic competences.