Page 68 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol. 4(1) (2016)
P. 68
zones. It seems that the inquired youth of thestudia universitatis her editati, letnik 4 (2016), številk a 1 68tion “What can you say about italian history/re-
western zone lived more intensively their inter- ligion/food/music/material world items?”, or “If
cultural contacts with italophone speakers and ithereditati I tell you Italian history/Italian religion”/... what
could be supposed that their lexical competence do you think of?” we managed to structure the
resulted from a major familiarity with the Ital- five centers of interest in their constituent parts.
ian mass media. Additionally, concerning the Overall, it emerged from the results that middle
centers of interest “food” and “music”, the results school students expressed just around 30 con-
obtained in the central zone (zone 4), including cepts linked to Italian culture and Italianity,
Pazin-Pisino and Žminj-Gimino, confirmed the which shows a rather lacking intercultural com-
sociolinguistic data that regarded them to be at petence. Secondary school students mentioned
the top of the long list of words and respective instead around 130 items, a number that states a
connotations provided for the centers of inter- solid base of knowledge of Italian culture.
est in question. As the central zone of Istria is al-
most totally croatophone, such a competence of An additional lexical-semantical activity
the students is explainable with a good didactic was proposed, at the end, to investigate the de-
practice sensible to the teaching of culture and gree of lexical competence of the participants,
elements of the Italian civilisation. i.e. the ability to identify the connotative mean-
ings of the lexical units listed for the various
Discussion and conclusion centers of interest. It emerged from the results
With this research we wanted to investigate the that all the centers of interest arouse cultural
degree of lexical competence of Istrian middle connotations related to every single investigared
and secondary school students, studying Italian sphere. Above all, even though there were a few
as L2/FL. The starting point of the conducted difficulties showed by the participants in final-
study was the theoretical assumption according izing the issued activity, the slight quantity of
to which the ability to aquire, produce and inter- collected data seems worth particular attention.
pret the connotative meaning of words and ex- In spite of having a fair knowledge of the Ital-
pressions, and the capacity to identify the prag- ian language lexis, the learners were not educat-
matic functions assumed in concrete linguistic ed to put them in relation to the old and new ac-
speech acts, are of primary importance for the quaintances, or to construct a net of words being
development of the intercultural communica- always ready to provide information. As could
tive competence. Semantics is therefore integrat- have been seen, the learning of new meanings
ed with pragmatics, i.e. with the study of lan- represents the enriching of the net of acquaint-
guage use in context. ance. Broadening one’s own lexis does not mean
just adding new information to the given con-
As for the first aim of the research, which tainer, but even new links and inferences among
investigated the centers of interest in which stu- the old ones. The functionality of language (or
dents met elements regarding Italian culture its capacity to transmit information, a thought,
with major frequency, it emerged from the re- a feeling, and so forth in an adequate way), as has
sults that the participants recognized them been seen, does not depend only on the choice of
mostly in primary resources of elements and words, which was shown to be particularly fair
knowledge bound to the various aspects of Ital- and after all satisfying in the first part of our se-
ian culture, such as the spheres of music, materi- mantic-lexical research. The message is made un-
al world, food, history and religious texts. derstandable, clear, and, from time to time, more
economic by particular models of structural or-
The aim of the first lexical-semantic activ- ganization (examined in the second part of the
ity was to determine which words and expres- lexical-semantic research).
sions were associated to the centers of interest
identified by the participants. With the ques-
western zone lived more intensively their inter- ligion/food/music/material world items?”, or “If
cultural contacts with italophone speakers and ithereditati I tell you Italian history/Italian religion”/... what
could be supposed that their lexical competence do you think of?” we managed to structure the
resulted from a major familiarity with the Ital- five centers of interest in their constituent parts.
ian mass media. Additionally, concerning the Overall, it emerged from the results that middle
centers of interest “food” and “music”, the results school students expressed just around 30 con-
obtained in the central zone (zone 4), including cepts linked to Italian culture and Italianity,
Pazin-Pisino and Žminj-Gimino, confirmed the which shows a rather lacking intercultural com-
sociolinguistic data that regarded them to be at petence. Secondary school students mentioned
the top of the long list of words and respective instead around 130 items, a number that states a
connotations provided for the centers of inter- solid base of knowledge of Italian culture.
est in question. As the central zone of Istria is al-
most totally croatophone, such a competence of An additional lexical-semantical activity
the students is explainable with a good didactic was proposed, at the end, to investigate the de-
practice sensible to the teaching of culture and gree of lexical competence of the participants,
elements of the Italian civilisation. i.e. the ability to identify the connotative mean-
ings of the lexical units listed for the various
Discussion and conclusion centers of interest. It emerged from the results
With this research we wanted to investigate the that all the centers of interest arouse cultural
degree of lexical competence of Istrian middle connotations related to every single investigared
and secondary school students, studying Italian sphere. Above all, even though there were a few
as L2/FL. The starting point of the conducted difficulties showed by the participants in final-
study was the theoretical assumption according izing the issued activity, the slight quantity of
to which the ability to aquire, produce and inter- collected data seems worth particular attention.
pret the connotative meaning of words and ex- In spite of having a fair knowledge of the Ital-
pressions, and the capacity to identify the prag- ian language lexis, the learners were not educat-
matic functions assumed in concrete linguistic ed to put them in relation to the old and new ac-
speech acts, are of primary importance for the quaintances, or to construct a net of words being
development of the intercultural communica- always ready to provide information. As could
tive competence. Semantics is therefore integrat- have been seen, the learning of new meanings
ed with pragmatics, i.e. with the study of lan- represents the enriching of the net of acquaint-
guage use in context. ance. Broadening one’s own lexis does not mean
just adding new information to the given con-
As for the first aim of the research, which tainer, but even new links and inferences among
investigated the centers of interest in which stu- the old ones. The functionality of language (or
dents met elements regarding Italian culture its capacity to transmit information, a thought,
with major frequency, it emerged from the re- a feeling, and so forth in an adequate way), as has
sults that the participants recognized them been seen, does not depend only on the choice of
mostly in primary resources of elements and words, which was shown to be particularly fair
knowledge bound to the various aspects of Ital- and after all satisfying in the first part of our se-
ian culture, such as the spheres of music, materi- mantic-lexical research. The message is made un-
al world, food, history and religious texts. derstandable, clear, and, from time to time, more
economic by particular models of structural or-
The aim of the first lexical-semantic activ- ganization (examined in the second part of the
ity was to determine which words and expres- lexical-semantic research).
sions were associated to the centers of interest
identified by the participants. With the ques-
