Reflections on the Study of Italian as an L2 within the Context of Chinese Universities. A Comment on Italian Language Learning in Chinese Universities

• Main Author: Feng Ye
• Format: Article
• Language: English
• Published: Firenze University Press 2019-08-01
• Series: Quaderni di Linguistica e Studi Orientali
• Subjects: Chinese learners; Chinese universities; Interlingua; L2 Italian
• Online Access: https://oaj.fupress.net/index.php/bsfm-qulso/article/view/1915

The following research aims at investigating the teaching and learn-ing of Italian language in Chinese universities. Starting with the difficulties that Chinese-speaking students face when learning Ital-ian verbal morphology, it will focus on the influence of their moth-er tongue on the acquisition process. Their apparent difficulty in reaching a good knowledge of Italian language will be investigated in relation to the typological distance between the two languages and their morphosyntactic properties. It will highlight how the in-teraction of two strongly different language systems influences L2 acquisition (Bettoni 2001, GiacaleoneRamat 2003; Banfi 2003). A diagnostic evaluationwill show the sources of difficulties in the learning of Italian verbal morphology and it will highlight how it is necessary, in a learn-ing context traditionally focused on grammar and translation, to pay more attention to pragmatic competence and communication.