Page 79 - Studia Universitatis Hereditati, vol 11(1) (2023)
P. 79
ia universitatiscombined with the historic development in the in ethnic associations and organisations, that ac-
designations of professions and positions in italian in the slovene littor al ... 79 use of denotations in Italy. count for ethnic external identification and dis-
tinction (Schmidt 2008). Research shows that
From the cross-reference of data on referen- even second (Gardner 2001) and foreign lan-
tial gender and text author emerged a substan- guage learning (Dörnyei 2003) is critically re-
tial personal preference for either male or female lated to the learner’s desire to identify emotion-
referential gender to refer to female designata. In ally, at least to a certain degree, with the target
the RTVC corpus, Italy-based journalists are far language and its culture. Culture-specific traits
more favourable to the use of the female referen- conveyed through language are a means of eth-
tial gender than Slovene-based journalists, who nic identification in terms of ‘communications
are either members of the Italian national com- of a shared system of symbolic verbal and non-
munity or are Italian citizens living in Slovenia verbal behaviour that are meaningful to group
for an extended period of time. members who have a sense of belonging and who
share traditions, heritage, language, and simi-
A preference for either referential gender lar norms of appropriate behaviour’ (Fong and
was also observed in the comparison of designa- Chuang 2004, 6).
ta, holders of a position or profession. Some fe-
male ministers were more likely to be addressed The results of the research we conduct-
by means of the grammatical male and other by ed on gender designation in the Italian as a na-
means of grammatical female gender. No explic- tional community language in Slovenia regard-
it denigration or ridiculing is conveyed by the ing positions and professions traditionally held
use of the grammatical male gender; however, by men, show a usage that depends on a variety
the choice of the grammatical gender itself may of variables, such as geographical location of the
be an expression of the individual speaker’s lin- speaker, contact with motherland Italian and
guistic sentiment (Zarra 2017). with mainstream languages, the prominence of
the denoted position or the profession in the so-
Conclusions ciety, the person holding it, etc. These individu-
Language and culture are inseparable. Research al variables combine with a close relationship to
in Applied Linguistics shows that culture is the Romance heritage of the Peninsula and the
linked to language semiotically, linguistically bond to the motherland civilisation on the part
and discursively (Kramsch 2014). Language re- of the Italian national community and result in a
flects culture and worldview and may affect our linguistic sentiment of speakers (Zarra 2017) to-
cognition or emotion. In terms of designations wards the designee, or the communicative situa-
for titles, professions and positions ‘[g]rammat- tion in general, that is at the basis of the choice
ical gender has specific linguistic functions, but of the grammatical gender. The underlying cen-
at the same time it is related to people’s percep- tury-long Romance cultural substrate emerges
tion and experience of reality. […] [G]rammati- at different levels: (i) in the complexity and mul-
cal gender […] is the principal category through tiplicity of denominations for a single design-
which the difference between female and male ee; (ii) in the overall preference for the gram-
may be represented symbolically’ (Marcato and matical male with reference to women and the
Thüne 2002, 189). formation of the feminine by analogy with the
epicene nouns (la ministro); and (iii) in the lin-
Language constitutes one of three elements, guistic policy that is non-intervening, being con-
besides practicing traditions and participating veyed by means of recommendations as opposed
to grammar regulations of language use, typical
the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, giving rise to the of Slovene.
process of acculturation to the models of Serenissima. Ven-
ice was the element that contributed to the process of dis-
solution of autochthonous neo-Latin languages, but also
a powerful factor of re-Romanization in both Istria and
Dalmatia (Bartoli and Vidossi 1945; Crevatin 1975; Ur-
sini 1998).
designations of professions and positions in italian in the slovene littor al ... 79 use of denotations in Italy. count for ethnic external identification and dis-
tinction (Schmidt 2008). Research shows that
From the cross-reference of data on referen- even second (Gardner 2001) and foreign lan-
tial gender and text author emerged a substan- guage learning (Dörnyei 2003) is critically re-
tial personal preference for either male or female lated to the learner’s desire to identify emotion-
referential gender to refer to female designata. In ally, at least to a certain degree, with the target
the RTVC corpus, Italy-based journalists are far language and its culture. Culture-specific traits
more favourable to the use of the female referen- conveyed through language are a means of eth-
tial gender than Slovene-based journalists, who nic identification in terms of ‘communications
are either members of the Italian national com- of a shared system of symbolic verbal and non-
munity or are Italian citizens living in Slovenia verbal behaviour that are meaningful to group
for an extended period of time. members who have a sense of belonging and who
share traditions, heritage, language, and simi-
A preference for either referential gender lar norms of appropriate behaviour’ (Fong and
was also observed in the comparison of designa- Chuang 2004, 6).
ta, holders of a position or profession. Some fe-
male ministers were more likely to be addressed The results of the research we conduct-
by means of the grammatical male and other by ed on gender designation in the Italian as a na-
means of grammatical female gender. No explic- tional community language in Slovenia regard-
it denigration or ridiculing is conveyed by the ing positions and professions traditionally held
use of the grammatical male gender; however, by men, show a usage that depends on a variety
the choice of the grammatical gender itself may of variables, such as geographical location of the
be an expression of the individual speaker’s lin- speaker, contact with motherland Italian and
guistic sentiment (Zarra 2017). with mainstream languages, the prominence of
the denoted position or the profession in the so-
Conclusions ciety, the person holding it, etc. These individu-
Language and culture are inseparable. Research al variables combine with a close relationship to
in Applied Linguistics shows that culture is the Romance heritage of the Peninsula and the
linked to language semiotically, linguistically bond to the motherland civilisation on the part
and discursively (Kramsch 2014). Language re- of the Italian national community and result in a
flects culture and worldview and may affect our linguistic sentiment of speakers (Zarra 2017) to-
cognition or emotion. In terms of designations wards the designee, or the communicative situa-
for titles, professions and positions ‘[g]rammat- tion in general, that is at the basis of the choice
ical gender has specific linguistic functions, but of the grammatical gender. The underlying cen-
at the same time it is related to people’s percep- tury-long Romance cultural substrate emerges
tion and experience of reality. […] [G]rammati- at different levels: (i) in the complexity and mul-
cal gender […] is the principal category through tiplicity of denominations for a single design-
which the difference between female and male ee; (ii) in the overall preference for the gram-
may be represented symbolically’ (Marcato and matical male with reference to women and the
Thüne 2002, 189). formation of the feminine by analogy with the
epicene nouns (la ministro); and (iii) in the lin-
Language constitutes one of three elements, guistic policy that is non-intervening, being con-
besides practicing traditions and participating veyed by means of recommendations as opposed
to grammar regulations of language use, typical
the thirteenth and fourteenth centuries, giving rise to the of Slovene.
process of acculturation to the models of Serenissima. Ven-
ice was the element that contributed to the process of dis-
solution of autochthonous neo-Latin languages, but also
a powerful factor of re-Romanization in both Istria and
Dalmatia (Bartoli and Vidossi 1945; Crevatin 1975; Ur-
sini 1998).
