Oral narrative in Italian as a Foreign Language at an intermediate level (B1)

Abstract

Oral production in dyadic and virtual conversations between native speakers and learners in Italian as a foreign language (IFL) provides information on narrative strategies used in the asymmetric oral interaction by the two interlocutors. In this study, the conversations, which took place in an academic context during the year 2019-20, featured learners of Italian Language D-III (third semester) of the Translation and Interpreting (UA) degree. With regard to the methodology, the model adopted is of action research and we focus on its third phase, the compilation and analysis of oral production, which derives from the first two (experiencing the problem and imagining a solution by putting it into practice) and leads to the fourth (modification and improvement of the activity). Through telecollaboration, the learners produce the conversations that become the analysis material of the teacher-researcher. The results of this project will be an input for the renewal of the next academic year’s Italian language curricular design. As specific objectives, we seek to classify the strategies and identify how the speakers organize and structure the communication according to their communicative language competence (B1), following the criteria proposed by CEFR and PCIC related to narration. By implementing this practice, the interlocutors create a learning context centered on the learner, who, throughout the process, by autonomous and collaborative means, achieves the purpose of communication.