Oltre la scuola : imparare l’italiano in età adulta a Malta

Abstract

The Italian language has an important role in Malta’s society, and it is part of the island’s heritage and identity. Whereas Italian today is largely associated with the compulsory schooling years, in this dissertation I investigate how the language is taught to adults, including the role that Italian has in the lives of those who decide to learn it in adulthood. I also explore whether the courses of Italian available to adults in Malta are meeting the requirements of the adults that enroll for them. This research is carried out through the observation of twelve Italian lessons to adults at four different institutions (3 lessons at each institution) and through eighteen interviews done with adults learning Italian. Moreover, another four interviews are conducted with those responsible for organizing Italian courses for adults, two of whom have themselves taught Italian to adults. This research demonstrates that several Maltese adults learn Italian in order to be able to speak it fluently when they travel abroad. However, nearly all lessons observed focus mainly on the grammatical aspects of the language, giving priority to reading skills. The Italian language was rarely taught in a communicative context which adult learners can associate to their lives.