In this article the linguistic features of three Italian Sign Language (Lingua Italiana dei Segni, or LIS) registers are analyzed focusing on iconic phenomena. Previous treatments of iconicity and motivation in spoken and signed language are discussed. Iconicity is defined as a regular mapping between expressive form and meaning that can be active…

Examines Australian Italian and some characteristics that distinguish it from standard Italian, and discusses the problem of which to teach in the schools. (EKN)

Examines reflexivization in Italian and demonstrates that the proposals that (1) reflexive pronouns and their antecedents must be clausemates, and (2) the specified subject and tensed-S conditions, cannot be maintained as universals. (AM)

This article discusses the linguistic background of two Italian children who lived with their parents for an extended period of time in Holland and for a brief time in Puerto Rico and spent vacations in Italy where their relatives spoke the dialects of Veneto and Friuli. (CFM)

Argues that the data used to claim that morphosyntactic development of Italian-speaking children are inconsistent with nativist, parameter-setting models of language development is irrelevant to the specific hypothesis being evaluated. (25 references) (JL)

Addresses the current status of teaching Italian, outlines problems that teachers of Italian must confront, and offers recommendations for improving the Italian pedagogical scenario. (CFM)

Two experiments examined the proposition that transfer effects between English and Italian translations are restricted to words from the same lexical paradigm. The experiments involved standard repetition priming, a traditional laboratory procedure, and a comparative analysis of the impact of high-frequency and low-frequency words in one language…

Suggests that one method to help advanced language students acquire new vocabulary is to study word formation and derivation. Suggests ways in which this can be done in the teaching of Italian. Discusses the process of derivation from three perspectives: (1) contrastive analysis, (2) lexical fields, and (3) etymology. (SED)

Analyzes the purpose of metaphor, distinguishing five different types, proposes terms that describe its components, and lists seven procedures for its translation. It is claimed that metaphor is at the center of all problems of translation theory, semantics, and linguistics. (MES)

Discusses an interdisciplinary approach to foreign language learning that is integrated with an academic/professional curriculum as opposed to a traditional beginner's course. The use of an electronic concordance is described; the language of a pedagogic corpus is examined; and an example is given of an Italian course for Renaissance theater…

Introduces and describes the functions of the Opera del Vocabolario Italiano (OVI) database, a powerful Web-based, full-text, searchable electronic archive that contains early Italian vernacular texts whose composition may be dated prior to 1375. Examples are drawn from scholars in various disciplines who have employed the OVI in support of their…

Much Italian-American culture and writing, beginning with the Italians' migration and settlement in the United States from 1880 to 1920, is forgotten today. Italians traditionally did not value literacy and education. Italian-Americans, for economical reasons that they share with other ethnic and racial minorities as well as cultural…

White ethnic Americans have not achieved status commensurate with their economic and educational achievements because of bigotry. Bias against these ethnic groups permeates all levels and places in American society. (Author/EB)

First results of a survey of English use in 202 Italo-Australian subjects in 46 situations show a widespread shift to English, beginning with younger (first generation) subjects and increasing dramatically among members of the second generation. Italo-Australians' English usage depends more on personal characteristics of speakers than on topic or…

Argues for the inclusion of courses in phonetics and phonology in college Italian programs, claiming that the myth of Italian as a phonetic language blurs the clear need for such training and that students actually require advanced coursework in phonetics and phonology to improve their articulation and pronunciation. (43 references) (Author/CB)