Sardinia, the second largest of Italy’s islands, represents an interesting example of multilingualism enacted locally via complex linguistic repertoires. These include Italian, regional and local varieties of Sardinian (an... [ view full abstract ]
Sardinia, the second largest of Italy’s islands, represents an interesting example of multilingualism enacted locally via complex linguistic repertoires. These include Italian, regional and local varieties of Sardinian (an officially recognised minority language), and varieties such as Catalan and Tabarchino, which represent minorities within a minority. In addition, migrant languages brought to the island by multiple ethnolinguistic groups have further enhanced the high degree of linguistic variety in recent decades.
The paper is part of a wider project on Sardinia which aims to engage with performative aspects of identity repertoires (Blommaert 2005) as they are played out against predetermined identities and institutionally-induced systems of identification. A tradition of language activism that dates back to the 1970s has contributed to the internalisation of conflicting discourses of entitlement and linguistic citizenship, and to the articulation of critical stances towards minoritisation practices as encouraged by institutional actors.
In this particular discussion, the above themes will emerge from the analysis of data sets gathered via multimethodological surveys including questionnaires, group discussions and the linguistic landscape, and analysed within a framework of interdiscursivity (Fairclough 2003). A range of semiotic practices will therefore be cross-referenced to unveil the complexities of local constructions of identity and their interconnections with the historical and social context (Wodak & Meyer 2009).
References
Blommaert, J (2005) Discourse. A Critical Introduction. Cambridge: Cambridge University Press.
Fairclough, N (2003) Analysing Discourse - Textual Research for Social Research. London: Routledge.
Wodak, R & Meyer, M (eds) Methods of Critical Discourse Analysis, 2nd ed. Los Angeles: Sage.
