Abstract
This chapter explores the relationship between Australia and Italy in the twenty-first century, focusing on the role played by language. The chapter first looks at the influence of the Italian language in the Australian society, in conjunction with migration history. Second, the current status of the Italian language in Australia is described. Third, the chapter examines Italians studying the English language in Australia, exploring how those students engage with Australian culture and considering migrants’ emotional relationship with the dominant language. Fourth, it concludes by presenting the findings of a research conducted on adult learners of Italian as a second language in Sydney. They indicate that the appeal of Italian in Australia is intertwined with the socio-cultural values that are associated with the Italian language. Consequently, the widespread interest of Australians in the study of Italian represents the profound influence that the Italian migration has exerted on contemporary Australian society.
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Notes
- 1.
The foreign language context refers to contexts in which the target language is accessible in language learning settings only, while the second language context refers to environments where the target language is spoken outside the classroom setting.
- 2.
This was a custom spread among wealthy European young men in the seventeenth century, who travelled to Italy to admire first-hand the beauties of classical antiquity and the Renaissance and to complete their education before taking up their roles as members of the ruling classes Towner, J. (1985). The Grand Tour: a key phase in the history of tourism. Annals of tourism research, 12(3), 297–333.
- 3.
The Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR) describes foreign language proficiency at six levels: A1 and A2, B1 and B2, C1 and C2. It also defines three ‘plus’ levels (A2+, B1+, B2+).
(Council of Europe. Common European Framework of Reference for Languages (CEFR). https://www.coe.int/en/web/common-european-framework-reference-languages).
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Palmieri, C. (2023). Connecting Australia and Italy Through Language. In: Abbondanza, G., Battiston, S. (eds) Italy and Australia. Palgrave Macmillan, Singapore. https://doi.org/10.1007/978-981-99-3216-0_6
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