- Author:
Silvia Corino Rovano
- E-mail:
silviamargherita.corinorovano@unito.it
- Institution:
Università degli Studi di Torino
- Year of publication:
2018
- Source:
Show
- Pages:
51-69
- DOI Address:
https://doi.org/10.15804/IW.2018.09.03
- PDF:
iw/09_1/iw9103.pdf
The “Golden Rules ” of GDLI: When Style Sheet Becomes Grammar
All dictionary editors have editorial rules. In fact, every collaborator must follow the style foreseen by the publication. To this end, every person who intends to participate in the editorial work is usually provided with a more or less consistent style sheet that contains the rules for writing the lemmas.
The editors of the GDLI were also provided with this type of material. Each collaborator, in fact, received a thin booklet entitled “Auree norme”, or “Golden rules”, that he had to follow. However, upon a careful examination of this precious file, the indications provided by the GDLI appear richer and more articulated than the usual set of editorial norms. In fact, they do not only contain a set of formal and typographical rules, but they have a much wider perspective: the editor is faced with a series of indications concerning spelling and grammar. The present research aims to identify the norms of grammatical interest and some elements of morphology and syntax that emerged during the discussion of the editing process of these dictionaries.
- Author:
Enrico Serena
- E-mail:
enrico.serena@ruhr-uni-bochum.de
- Institution:
Ruhr-Universität Bochum
- Year of publication:
2018
- Source:
Show
- Pages:
247-269
- DOI Address:
https://doi.org/10.15804/IW.2018.09.13
- PDF:
iw/09_1/iw9113.pdf
Models of Grammatical Description in Italian Textbooks for German-Speaking Learners
This paper investigates the conceptual and terminological framework employed in the grammatical sections of Italian textbooks for German-speaking adult learners. The paper especially aims to establish what relationship these sections have with the framework of traditional grammar (TG) and models of grammatical description in modern linguistics (ML). The analysis takes the following variables into account: 1) treatment of parts of speech, paying particular attention to manners of presentation and criteria of definition; 2) presence or absence of explicit or implicit references to the concept of “phrase”; 3) treatment of the syntactic functions of subject, direct and indirect objects, and complements; and 4) employed terminology. The analysis leads to several conclusions. First, the most remarkable differences in the treatment of parts of speech from textbook to textbook concern articles and transversal classes such as demonstratives, indefinites, and possessives. Additionally, when parts of speech are explicitly defined, the definitions do not follow homogeneous criteria. Furthermore, references to the concept of “phrase”, fundamental in ML and unknown or ignored in TG, are only implicit. Moreover, though the functions of subject, object, and complements are mentioned often, they are never explicitly defined. Finally, terminological choices are somewhat eclectic, as they include terms from international metalinguistic terminology as well as technical vocabulary from the German and Italian school traditions.
- Author:
Camilla Spaliviero
- E-mail:
camilla.spaliviero@unive.it
- Institution:
Università Ca’ Foscari Venezia
- ORCID:
https://orcid.org/0000-0001-8070-5745
- Year of publication:
2018
- Source:
Show
- Pages:
255-275
- DOI Address:
https://doi.org/10.15804/IW.2018.09.26
- PDF:
iw/09_2/iw9213.pdf
Teaching Italian grammar as a foreign language: a didactic resource
Teaching Italian grammar involves several critical aspects, amongst which is a recurring lack of motivation in students. Therefore, combining the teaching of grammar with the use of potentially appealing resources for students is a challenge for the teacher of Italian as a foreign language (FL). With regards to this, songs represent an important didactic resource; in fact, they can motivate students’ learning, are texts full of linguistic and cultural references (such as the variety of sociolinguistic registers or rhetorical figures), and foster the memorisation of lexical and grammatical structures thanks to their intrinsic characteristics (like rhythm and melody). In order to take advantage of the potentialities of songs, the teacher of Italian as a FL should acquire both appropriate methodological competences and a broad collection of didactic techniques to present the various grammatical topics.
The essay is divided into four sections: the first attempts to explore the teaching of Italian grammar from a humanistic perspective; the second is devoted to the presentation of the critical aspects that characterise it, together with the introduction of some possible solutions, such as the use of songs, which is debated in the third section. Finally, the fourth and last part is concerned with some didactic considerations about how and when to use songs for grammatical purposes.