Language Testing, "Integration" and Subtractive Multilingualism in Italy: Challenges for Adult Immigrant Second Language and Literacy Education

Autor/in	Love, Stephanie V.
Titel	Language Testing, "Integration" and Subtractive Multilingualism in Italy: Challenges for Adult Immigrant Second Language and Literacy Education
Quelle	In: Current Issues in Language Planning, 16 (2015) 1-2, S.26-42 (17 Seiten)Infoseite zur Zeitschrift PDF als Volltext Verfügbarkeit
Sprache	englisch
Dokumenttyp	gedruckt; online; Zeitschriftenaufsatz
ISSN	1747-7506
DOI	10.1080/14664208.2014.947017
Schlagwörter	Language Tests; Second Language Learning; Multilingualism; Italian; Immigration; Language Variation; Educational Policy; Refugees; Standard Spoken Usage; Laws; Nationalism; Adult Education; Literacy Education; Second Language Instruction; Outcomes of Education; Adult Students; Language Planning; Foreign Countries; Semi Structured Interviews; Italy; Italy (Rome) + Suchen Sie Ihr Suchwort? Language test; Sprachtest; Zweitsprachenerwerb; Mehrsprachigkeit; Multilingualismus; Italienisch; Sprachenvielfalt; Politics of education; Bildungspolitik; Flüchtling; Gesprochene Sprache; Umgangssprache; Law; Recht; Nationalismus; Adult; Adults; Education; Adult basic education; Adult training; Erwachsenenbildung; Fremdsprachenunterricht; Lernleistung; Schulerfolg; Student; Students; Erwachsenenalter; Studentin; Schüler; Schülerin; Sprachwechsel; Ausland; Italien
Abstract	Since Italy's unification in 1861, the establishment and diffusion of the standard Italian language at the expense of all other linguistic varieties has dominated language and education policy discourses. Today, as Italy has transformed from a country of mass "emigration" to a country of mass "immigration," the language learning of immigrants and refugees has become highly politicized. This politicization was exemplified in 2009 and 2010 when Italian law mandated the passing of a mostly written A2 Italian language test for the renewal of legal immigration documents. As a result, formal language learning has become another potentially prohibitory challenge for the already complicated legal status of many immigrants. This paper explores the historical macro-level discourses and policies concerning multilingualism, education and national identity in Italy from unification to the present context of immigration. Then, it discusses the local-level challenges of providing adult immigrant language and literacy education today. I argue that the politicization of immigrant language learning, with its subtractive instead of additive approach to multilingualism, has become a serious obstacle for the legal and educational outcomes of adult students with little or limited formal education and literacy backgrounds. (As Provided).
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Erfasst von	ERIC (Education Resources Information Center), Washington, DC
Update	2020/1/01