Journal | EL.LE
Journal issue | 9 | 1 | 2020
Research Article | Learning Italian FL i Cameroon

Learning Italian FL i Cameroon

Understanding and Using Idioms and other Fixed Phrases

Abstract

Linguistic research has demonstrated the importance of theories of language interference and positive or negative transfers from one language to another. Our study is based on written texts produced by the Italian language students of the ENS of the University of Maroua. The observed data indicated a clear influence of French and especially of its local variants over the use of idiomatic expressions. It is therefore legitimate to ask whether the lexical and syntactic deviations of French-speaking learners of Italian as a foreign language in Cameroon are only the result of a closeness of the two linguistic systems, or of an inadequate competence in the French language. The purpose of our work is to analyze the causes of such interference and possibly to draw useful strategies for the teaching of Italian in Cameroon.


Open access | Peer reviewed

Submitted: Jan. 9, 2019 | Accepted: April 23, 2020 | Published July 30, 2020 | Language: it

Keywords Idiomatic expressionsFigurative competenceItalian as foreign languageInterferences


Read this article