LA FOSSILIZZAZIONE NELL'ACQUISIZIONE DI UNA SECONDA LINGUA : Uno studio di due informanti svedesi in Italia che hanno imparato la lingua italiana in modo naturale

Författare

Anna Svensson Henning

Summary, in English

Purpose: The purpose of this thesis is to analyze the fossilization in language acquisition of Italian of two Swedish learners. I intend to use the Processability Theory and the Theory of

gradual construction of italian verbs of the Pavia project. I also intend to investigate the sources of linguistic input of the learners .

Methodology: I have recorded two learners as they speak and based on these recordings I have made an analysis in three steps. In the first part I have divided the mistakes of the

learners into ten different problem areas. In the second part I have used the Processability Theory. In the third part I have used the Theory of gradual construction of italian verbs of the

Project of Pavia.

Theoretical perspectives: In the theoretical part of the thesis I have discussed the theories mentioned above. I have also included a discussion of the Italian language and a brief

theoretical background to second language acquisition.

Objects of study: The analysis is based on two Swedish born sisters, who have lived in Italy for more than 35 years.

Conclusions: The Italian of both learners has been fossilizated and the learners find difficulties in more or less the same problem areas. The learners both have problems in using

passato prossimo, imperfetto and conditional tenses. They also have problems in using prepositions, articles and to conjugate correctly according to gender and number. I have

discoverd that the Processability Theory is not compatible in explaining the language development of a learner who is not a beginner. I therefore suggest that in defining the level

of a learners language, the reasercher should use more alternative methods than just the Processability Theory.

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