Description
Book SynopsisLiving Memory investigates the complex question of language and its place at the heart of Bergamasco culture in northern Italy.
Integrates extensive participant observation with sociolinguistic data collection
Reveals the political and social dynamics of a national language (Italian) and a local dialect (Bergamasco) struggling for survival
Introduces the original concept of the social aesthetics of language: the interweaving of culturally-shaped and emotionally felt dimensions of language-choice
Written to be accessible to students and specialists alike
Part of the Blackwell Studies in Discourse and Culture Series
Table of ContentsSeries Editor’s Preface vi
Preface viii
Constructing Transcripts: Orthographic Conventions and Transcription Processes xiii
1. Introduction 1
2. Bergamasco in Use: The Feel of Everyday Speaking 27
3. Gendering Language 64
4. Bergamasco on Stage: Poetry and Theater 83
5. Modern Campanilismo: The Value of Place 120
6. Bergamo, Italy, Europe: Speaking Contextualized 156
7. Conclusion 189
Notes 206
References 216
