“Didattica acquisizionale” e cortesia linguistica in italiano L2

Abstract

Handling the pragmalinguistic and sociopragmatic rules governing the use of address forms and the modulation of illocutionary force is extremely demanding for Italian L2 learners. Most of these rules are acquired very late, and even proficient learners of the target language can hardly cope with them. Not only are the linguistic forms intrinsically difficult, but also the input is not of help, as native speakers tend to present non-native speakers with a pragmatically simplified variety of the target language. Violating the rules governing the linguistic expression of politeness can become a source of hindrance to learners’ smooth participation in the L2 community. Furthermore, a basic form of discrimination could stem from native speakers’ use of simplified input, and the adoption of the simplified variety by non-native speakers could result in a strategy of cultural accommodation but even in an implicit legitimization of that discrimination. On these bases, and supported by our data, we argue that a syllabus designed according to the principles of the so called “didattica acquisizionale” should train in using linguistic forms of politeness from the very beginning of the instructional program, even against any evidence of teachability.