The Italian lecture ‘Language Policy’ by Dr Federico Faloppa (University of Reading) was held in October for all IBDP, Italian A pupils. Review by Emma Belletti, Maria Buzzi-Ferraris and Asia Cesa (Year 13):
The first Italian lecture of the year was by Dr Faloppa, Programme Director of Italian Studies at the University of Reading. The Italian Studies programme is one of the most prestigious for Italian in the UK, founded in 1948 by the distinguished contemporary writer and scholar, Luigi Meneghello.
Dr Faloppa talked about the origin and use of Italian, exploring words and the different shades of their meanings used in relation to current political issues. The main themes discussed covered Italian immigration, disabilities, and sexism.
What is the difference between the meaning of ‘migrante’ (migrant) and ‘rifugiato’ (refugee)? The misuse of the word ‘migrante’ is broad and includes economic migrants as well as asylum seekers; often wrongfully employed as a synonym for a refugee. Dr Faloppa discussed how, even among government institutions, there is no fixed definition of a ‘migrante’. This confusion often leads to the lack of congruence/inconsistancy between test statistics on the numbers of migrants in the UK. These statistics are often used by media and politicians to manipulate and mislead the public.
How do you define someone affected by a disability? Dr Faloppa explored how different terms have changed over time and made us aware of the sociopolitical and scientific factors that influence the way people speak. This topic led us to look at the existence of sexism in the language of Italian. Dr Faloppa explained how several Italian terms that stipulate jobs do not have a feminine desinence, or the feminine equivalent has a different connotation. For example, 'segretario' and 'segretaria'. 'Segretario' usually denotes a party secretary, while 'segretaria' can be an assistant in an office. We found this particularly interesting, as sexism in the Italian Parliament has been a hot topic in the recent Italian press.
This lecture was inspirational. Dr Faloppa left us with the notion that to use certain words with a full understanding of their meaning is to understand the impact words could have on others.