Marco Tamburelli | Bangor University (original) (raw)

Papers by Marco Tamburelli

JOURNAL OF MULTILINGUAL AND MULTICULTURAL DEVELOPMENT, 2024

This article investigates the relationship between language attitudes and different bilingual lan... more This article investigates the relationship between language attitudes and
different bilingual language policies in three European communities
where a regional/minority language is spoken: (1) the Lombard – Italian
community in Italy, where Lombard does not benefit from any active
policy; (2) the Moselle-Franconian – German community of the Belgian
Eifel, where Moselle-Franconian speakers are a recognised linguistic
minority, albeit as German-speaking, with Moselle-Franconian indirectly
supported as a closely related German variety; and (3) the Welsh –
English community in Wales, where the Welsh language enjoys full
sociopolitical recognition. In two studies that combine a direct and an
indirect method, we collected attitudinal data from a total of N = 235
participants (aged 23–38 years) across three locations. Results suggest a
link between language policy and speakers’ attitudes, with Welsh
scoring higher than both Moselle-Franconian and Lombard, and
Moselle-Franconian scoring higher than Lombard. This trend is
explained in view of a tripartite model that places horizontal
bilingualism as the most positive societal situation for language
maintenance, followed by diglossia, and with vertical bilingualism as
the least desirable case.

Digital Scholarship in the Humanities 33, no. 2, 2017

While Gallo-Italic varieties clearly belong to the Romance language family, their subgrouping as ... more While Gallo-Italic varieties clearly belong to the Romance language family, their subgrouping as either Gallo-Romance or Italo-Romance has been the source of disagreement in the classificatory literature. While earlier analyses tended to classify Gallo-Italic as Gallo-Romance (notably Schmid, 1956; Bec, 1970–1971), later work has either argued for or tacitly assumed a classification of Gallo-Italic as part of the Italo-Romance branch, a view that is both different from as well as irreconcilable with the earlier Gallo-Romance classifications. In this article, we aim to contribute to the development of an empirically based classification of Gallo-Italic through the use of dialectometry applied to atlas corpora, and specifically through the measurement of Levenshtein distance. Using three wordlists (Swadesh 100, Swadesh 200, Leipzig–Jakarta) and comparing twenty-six linguistic varieties across Italy and south-eastern France, we show that Gallo-Italic is best classified as a third subgroup within the Gallo-Romance branch. Our results also clearly identify all the major bundles of isoglosses established through traditional dialectological methods and confirm Gallo-Italic as a relatively homogenous group distinct from Italo-Romance.

In G. Agresti and M. De Gioia (eds.) L’enseignement des langues locales Institutions, méthodes, idéologies: Actes des Quatrièmes Journées des Droits Linguistiques. Rome: Aracne., 2010

E’ risaputo quanto sia difficile determinare con esattezza le condizioni sufficienti per assicura... more E’ risaputo quanto sia difficile determinare con esattezza le condizioni sufficienti per assicurare l’inversione della deriva linguistica. Nonostante ciò, l’introduzione della lingua locale o di minoranza nel sistema scolastico è ampiamente accettata come una delle poche condizioni necessarie per il mantenimento di tale lingua, oltre ad essere un diritto particolarmente difficile da ottenere. Facendo riferimento ai concetti di “diglossia” e “bilinguismo”, questo articolo esamina le dinamiche comunicative che caratterizzano le comunità linguistiche d’Italia, ponendosi il doppio scopo di (i) provvedere una tassonomia che inserisca tali dinamiche in un contesto più ampio e (ii) esaminare le implicazioni di tale tassonomia in relazione alla deriva linguistica ed alla sua eventuale inversione. Questo esame dimostra come l’Italia sia passata da una situazione di stabilità (diglossia) ad una di deriva linguistica (bilinguismo verticale), e rivela dunque l’immediata necessità di inserire le lingue locali nelle scuole come primo passo verso l’istituzione di un bilinguismo di tipo “orizzontale” attraverso il quale gli idiomi locali possano, sottoforma di lingue regionali, coesistere a livello istituzionale con la lingua di Stato pur non entrando in conflitto con essa.

Il est bien connu combien il est difficile de déterminer avec précision les conditions suffisantes pour assurer l'inversion de la dérive linguistique. Cependant, l'introduction de la langue locale ou minoritaire dans le système scolaire est largement acceptée comme l'une des rares conditions nécessaires pour le maintien de telle langue. Mais il est bien connu aussi que ce droit est particulièrement difficile à obtenir. En utilisant les concepts de "diglossie" et de "bilinguisme" cet article considère les forces dynamiques et communicatives qui caractérisent les communautés linguistiques d'Italie, ayant pour double but, (i) fournir une taxonomie qui intègre ces forces dynamiques dans un contexte plus ample et (ii) examiner les implications de cette taxonomie en relation à la dérive linguistique et à sa propre inversion éventuelle. Cette analyse démontre que l'Italie est passée d'une situation stable (diglossie) à une situation de dérive linguistique (bilinguisme vertical) et révèle donc la nécessité d'insérer dans l'immédiat les langues locales dans les écoles comme premier pas vers l'institution d'un bilinguisme de type "horizontal" à travers lequel les idiomes locales puissent, sous forme de langues régionales, coexister au niveau institutionnel avec la langue d'état, sans pour autant entrer en conflit avec celle-ci.

This paper argues for a theory of lexical acquisition which takes syntactic transfer effects in b... more This paper argues for a theory of lexical acquisition which takes syntactic transfer effects in bilinguals and overgeneralization in monolinguals to be manifestations of the same underlying mechanism. The theory views both transfer and overgeneralization as epiphenomena of an updating system which spreads newly acquired information across paradigms. A consequence of this set up is that both transfer effects and overgeneralization are only expected to affect members of the same paradigm. Experimental evidence, both old and new, is presented in support of this model.

In earlier studies on Bilingual First Language Acquisition (BFLA), Transfer Effects were attribut... more In earlier studies on Bilingual First Language Acquisition (BFLA), Transfer Effects were attributed to the idea that children develop a'hybrid system'which is a combination of the two target languages (see Volterra and Taeschner 1978). However, this view has been repeatedly challenged in recent years as evidence has shown that children seem to separate the two languages from a very early

Bilingualism: Language and Cognition, 2014

ABSTRACT This study examines the production of consonant clusters in simultaneous Polish–English ... more ABSTRACT This study examines the production of consonant clusters in simultaneous Polish–English bilingual children and in language-matched English monolinguals (aged 7;01–8;11). Selection of the language pair was based on the fact that Polish allows a greater range of consonant clusters than English. A nonword repetition task was devised in order to examine clusters of different types (obstruent-liquid vs. s + obstruent) and in different word positions (initial vs. medial), two factors that play a significant role in repetition accuracy in monolingual acquisition (e.g., Kirk & Demuth, 2005). Our findings show that bilingual children outperformed monolingual controls in the word initial s + obstruent condition. These results indicate that exposure to complex word initial clusters (in Polish) can accelerate the development of less phonologically complex clusters (in English). This constitutes significant new evidence that the facilitatory effects of bilingual acquisition extend to structural phonological domains. The implications that these results have on competing views of phonological organisation and phonological complexity are also discussed.

Language and Cognitive Processes, 2012

Nonword repetition tasks (NWRTs) are employed widely in various studies on language development a... more Nonword repetition tasks (NWRTs) are employed widely in various studies on language development and are often relied upon as diagnostic tools. However, the mechanisms that underlie children's performance in NWRTs are very little understood. In this paper we present NWRT data from typically developing 5to 6-year-olds (5:4Á6:8) and examine the pattern of their phonological errors within the syllabic domain. We show that the children display a strong tendency for errors at the syllable onset, with fewer errors in coda position. We then show how the same pattern can be simulated by a computer model, thus shedding some light on the cognitive mechanisms that underlie specific error patterns as well as general phonological development.

Language Acquisition, 2008

This article argues for a theory of lexical acquisition that takes overgeneralization in monoling... more This article argues for a theory of lexical acquisition that takes overgeneralization in monolinguals and syntactic transfer effects in bilinguals to be manifestations of the same underlying mechanism. The theory views both overgeneralization and transfer as epiphenomena of an updating system which spreads newly acquired information across paradigms. A consequence of this setup is that both overgeneralization and transfer effects

Journal of Speech, Language, and Hearing Research, 2013

Journal of Multilingual and Multicultural Development, 2014

Purpose: Deficits in phonological working memory and deficits in phonological processing have bot... more Purpose: Deficits in phonological working memory and deficits in phonological processing have both been considered potential explanatory factors in specific language impairment (SLI). Manipulations of the lexicality and phonotactic frequency of nonwords enable contrasting predictions to be derived from these hypotheses. Method: Eighteen typically developing (TD) children and 18 children with SLI completed an assessment battery that included tests of language ability, nonverbal intelligence, and two nonword repetition tests that varied in lexicality and frequency. Results: Repetition accuracy showed that children with SLI were unimpaired for short and simple high-lexicality nonwords, whereas clear impairments were shown for all low-lexicality nonwords. For low-lexicality nonwords, greater repetition accuracy was seen for nonwords constructed from high over low-frequency phoneme sequences. Children with SLI made the same proportion of errors that substituted a nonsense syllable for a lexical item as TD children, and this was stable across nonword length. Conclusions: The data show support for a phonological processing deficit in children with SLI, where long-term lexical and sublexical phonological knowledge mediate the interpretation of nonwords. However, the data also suggest that while phonological processing may provide a key explanation of SLI, a full account is likely to be multifaceted.

The education system has played a crucial role in Welsh language maintenance, with Welsh-medium e... more The education system has played a crucial role in Welsh language maintenance, with Welsh-medium education providing a central locus of language transmission. However, language transmission through education is not without pitfalls. This paper discusses the impact of top-down minority language transmission and the growing issue of formal domain dependency in Wales. We present results of 4 focus groups, undertaken with 19 male adolescent L2 speakers of Welsh. The key findings indicate that top-down formal domain transmission has amplified the view of Welsh as a language limited to formal, 'high' domains, thus inhibiting language application among male adolescents. The inherent association of Welsh with formality as well as tradition and patriotism has led to cultural disengagement among the target group.

Conference Presentations by Marco Tamburelli

Unpublished manuscript

PREAMBOLO La Carta Europea delle Lingue Regionali o Minoritarie afferma che l'uso della propria l... more PREAMBOLO La Carta Europea delle Lingue Regionali o Minoritarie afferma che l'uso della propria lingua madre sia nella vita privata che in quella pubblica costituisce un "diritto inalienabile". Nonostante ciò esistono ancora molte lingue regionali-e relative varianti locali-alle quali viene negata una tutela, spesso perché incapaci di liberarsi del pesante e discriminatorio epiteto di "dialetti", e molte di queste sono da anni riconosciute dall'UNESCO come lingue in pericolo d'estinzione. La tutela e la promozione delle varie lingue regionali o minoritarie rappresentano un contributo importante alla costruzione di un'Europa fondata sui principi della democrazia e del rispetto per le diversità culturali, e la promozione delle lingue proprie del territorio è quindi un preciso obbligo verso la comunità dei popoli europei nonché verso se stessi. Il problema che si pone è quindi quello dell'attuazione di questi principi fondamentali. A partire dagli anni '90, l'UNESCO ha intensificato le ricerche che si occupano di salvaguardia linguistica, ed ha pubblicato varie relazioni sui diversi metodi di salvaguardia applicati in varie situazioni linguistiche mondiali, dall'Arbresh all'Uchumataqu, dal Catalano al Xhosa, coinvolgendo alcuni tra i più stimati e prolifici riceractori nel campo delle lingue regionali e minoritarie. Queste esperienze di ricerca sono di importanza fondamentale per lo sviluppo di una politica di salvaguardia linguistica in grado di evitare gli errori del passato, e lo scopo di questo riassunto è di sintetizzare i vari risultati di queste ricerche e di riportare le caratteristiche principali che sono ritenute indispensabili per lo sviluppo di un piano d'azione di successo. * Versione: giugno 2015 Parlo la mia lingua preferita perché mi rende ciò che sono Insegnamo ai nostri figli la nostra lingua preferita Perché vogliamo che sappiano chi sono. (Christine Johnson, membro della tribù Tohono O'odham, Istituto per lo Sviluppo delle Lingue Native Americane)