Target 1

Compilation of a corpus of spoken Italian L2 from a homogeneous group of informants (Spanish speakers)

We have compiled an audio-visual corpus consisting of 36 symmetric and asymmetric conversations (12 for each level of language acquisition: elementary, intermediate and advanced) and a small reference corpus of native speakers. The conversations have an approximate duration of 10 minutes and are semi-spontaneous productions, as informants received just some general previous information on the interactive tasks they had to accomplish.

Target 2

Analysis of the discourse markers acquisition process in L2 Italian

All occurrences of discourse markes in our corpus are collected in a database, which offers the following information: discourse marker, linguistic level, type of informant, function or functions of the discursive marker and context of occurrence.

These data have been completed with individual descriptions of some of the more frequent discourse markers from an acquisitional and/or contrastive perspective.

Target 3

Study of some interactional mechanisms in L2 Italian

We have also analyzed in our corpus some conversational mechanisms such as those aimed at taking and giving the floor, interruptions and other phenomena related to politeness strategies.

Target 4

Analyses of suprasegmental and no-verbal elements in the development of oral communication

Two types of studies have been carried out: a) studies on the prosody of discourse markers in the interlanguage of Italian learners, to highlight the differences with the language of the native speakers control group; b) studies on the communication function of non-verbal elements and its importance in the didactics of spoken Italian.

Target 5

Didactic proposal to improve the acquisition of the discourse markers acquisition in an institutional context of language learning

We have carried out a critical assessment of some of the currently most spread L2 Italian textbooks regarding the methodology and exercises employed to introduce discourse markers. On this basis we have elaborated some didactic proposals that seem more adequate to improve oral competence, according to the the results of our acquisitional study.