engleski

Bilingualism as a handicap? Misconceptions of language adequacy in a familial speech of bilingual speakers in Pula (Croatia)

The paper addresses the attitude towards bilingual and bidialectal speakers in a small area of Pula and its vicinity in Istria (Croatia). In order to provide a broader picture of bilingualism and multidialectism in several chosen families, a broader picture is given with the aim of contextualizing the challenges bilingual speakers face while attempting to communicate familial contents. Pula is traditionally regarded as bilingual (Italian and Croatian) linguistic surrounding, but it is moreover a multidialectal area where several Croatian dialects interact and sometimes intertwine with the indigenous Romance dialects. Although Italian is one of the official languages in Istria in Croatia, we question the way Croatian speakers perceive the usage of the Istro-Venetian dialect of Pula in the context of narrow family surroundings in mixed families. Based on our research conducted in several mixed languages and mixed dialect families and the personal experience we attempt to contribute to the understanding of the discrepancy between the socially recognized attitudes towards bilingualism and its occurrence in real life situations. Special attention will be given to the notions of proper usage of lexemes, phrases and reported speech. The paper also analyses the relation between the standard Italian vocabulary and Italian dialect.

multilingualism, multidialectalism, Istria, Istrovenetian, Istriot

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