This paper deals with the results of a research, carried out in Bologna University and in two “Saturday Schools” for Russian-Italian bilingual children, forming the second generation of Russian speaking immigrants of the last wave, who were born in Italy or in Russia and came to Italy at a very early age. In these schools the so called “heritage speakers” have the opportunity to maintain and develop their first language, which is risking to disappear under the pressure of Italian dominant language. In the last decade scientific literature for the study of heritage speakers is growing more and more forward-looking, especially in the USA and Israel, where the migration process has developed a stronger social consciousness. Not long ago, the Italian school system was mostly monolingual and teachers took no interest in bilingual children. In most cases, parents in mixed families reported that in rising bilingual children they were unable to find professional assistance at school and in the sanitary system, due to the lack of psycholinguistic knowledge amongst teachers and paediatricians. However, in recent years, the attitude to bilingualism in Italy has begun to change. The transmission of Russian to immigrants’ children in Italy represents a big challenge, especially in mixed families, where communication strategies adopted with children are essential to their linguistic success. In our survey we will try to show that, without the support of a strong community, the prospects for the Russian language in Italy will depend on the parents’ will and school experiences of their children. In this respect Saturday schools undoubtedly play a significant role. The paper analyzes also another small survey obtained in Bologna University among Russian heritage students, to show the importance for them to have an uninterrupted learning of the mother tongue.
Dva pokolenija russkojazychnykh v Italii: uslovija sokhranenija i utraty jazyka
PEROTTO, MONICA
2013
Abstract
This paper deals with the results of a research, carried out in Bologna University and in two “Saturday Schools” for Russian-Italian bilingual children, forming the second generation of Russian speaking immigrants of the last wave, who were born in Italy or in Russia and came to Italy at a very early age. In these schools the so called “heritage speakers” have the opportunity to maintain and develop their first language, which is risking to disappear under the pressure of Italian dominant language. In the last decade scientific literature for the study of heritage speakers is growing more and more forward-looking, especially in the USA and Israel, where the migration process has developed a stronger social consciousness. Not long ago, the Italian school system was mostly monolingual and teachers took no interest in bilingual children. In most cases, parents in mixed families reported that in rising bilingual children they were unable to find professional assistance at school and in the sanitary system, due to the lack of psycholinguistic knowledge amongst teachers and paediatricians. However, in recent years, the attitude to bilingualism in Italy has begun to change. The transmission of Russian to immigrants’ children in Italy represents a big challenge, especially in mixed families, where communication strategies adopted with children are essential to their linguistic success. In our survey we will try to show that, without the support of a strong community, the prospects for the Russian language in Italy will depend on the parents’ will and school experiences of their children. In this respect Saturday schools undoubtedly play a significant role. The paper analyzes also another small survey obtained in Bologna University among Russian heritage students, to show the importance for them to have an uninterrupted learning of the mother tongue.I documenti in IRIS sono protetti da copyright e tutti i diritti sono riservati, salvo diversa indicazione.
