Honors Theses
Advisor
Jennifer E. Haan, Ph.D.
Department
English
Publication Date
4-2017
Document Type
Honors Thesis
Abstract
The Italian-American identity is inextricably linked with language. Italian immigrants and their descendants have formed a culture in the United states with a dynamic history, particularly when it comes to language use and perceptions. This study examined multigenerational Italian Americans’ perceptions of English, Italian, and the unique Italian-American dialect; it aimed to discover changes in the usage of Italian-American dialect over time. Italian Americans in the Dayton area were interviewed and presented with surveys to gather both quantitative and qualitative data. Results indicate that while overall usage and recognition of Italian-American lexical items has decreased dramatically since the 1980s, younger generations of Italian Americans today show greater interest in learning about Italian culture and language than those in previous decades.
Permission Statement
This item is protected by copyright law (Title 17, U.S. Code) and may only be used for noncommercial, educational, and scholarly purposes
Keywords
Undergraduate research
Disciplines
Arts and Humanities | English Language and Literature | Italian Language and Literature | Linguistics
eCommons Citation
Pedrotti, Elizabeth Loyacano, "Aiscrima e Checchi Italian-American Dialect and Development in the New Millennium" (2017). Honors Theses. 104.
https://ecommons.udayton.edu/uhp_theses/104
Included in
English Language and Literature Commons, Italian Language and Literature Commons, Linguistics Commons
