The current study aims to investigate form, composition, distribution of acknowledgement and agreement assessment signals in upper intermediate/advanced Italian as L2 speakers. Data are video-transcribed computer mediated conversation for mutual language learning (Teletandem) during which two female volunteer university students (L1: English and German) talk with a NS female interlocutor (L1: Italian) for developing L2 language proficiency. For each pair data have been collected during two different meetings: meeting 1 comprises free discussion for mutual introductions; meeting 2 is a discussion on a topic chosen by the Italian non- native speaker. The analysis shows that L2 subjects employ a great variety of acknowledgement and agreement listener responses, both lexical and non-lexical units whose functions, positions and frequency are affected by the level of involvement in the discourse, of acquaintance of the two speakers and by the type of task. Particularly in the second meeting, when a topic is discussed, NNSs use lexical units more than in the first meeting, thus showing how situational variables can affect discourse structure.

This study addresses the issue of interactional dominance in Teletandem conversations, in which two speakers communicate via video calls and chat and alternatively use their L2, the latter being the native language of the interlocutor. In particular, the research focuses on the impact of language competence (native/non-native) and content expertise (minus/plus familiarity with the topic at hand) on the role assumed by each interlocutor in structuring conversation. The data consists of 3 hours of computer-mediated recorded and transcribed conversations during 3 meetings: meeting 1 comprises free discussion for mutual introduction; meeting 2 is a discussion in English of a topic chosen by the Italian native speaker; meeting 3 is a discussion in Italian of a topic chosen by the English native speaker. The participants' language proficiency in L2 ranged from upper-intermediate to advanced. The following indicators were considered: sequential dominance, determined by identifying and counting topic moves; interaction dominance, defined in terms of average turn length; interruptions. The research design considers behaviours that are potentially salient for language learning (e.g. clarification requests). Results show no tendency by the native speaker to control conversation flow: neither the English nor the Italian speaker is dominant during events in which her own native language is used. As regards content familiarity, this seems to have an effect when topic knowledge becomes expertise like during meeting 3, when the English native speaker produces more topic moves and longer turns in L2 than her partner.

This pilot study aims to highlight a) differences in pragmatic function and distribution of discourse markers (DMs) in computer mediated and face to face (FtF) settings and b) any correlation of DM uses and language competence. The data have been collected by video-recording and analysing three speakers of Italian L2 (language level competence: A2, B2) talking with an Italian native speaker face to face and through computer mediated video calls. A pragmatic functional approach has been applied for analysing data. Our investigation shows that the difference between face to face and computer mediated environments is worth noting only in less expert L2 speakers’ discourse (i.e. A2 level). In fact, less advanced learners show a tendency to use more discourse markers with an interactional function (specifically addressee oriented) in face to face than in virtual environments. Conversely, there is no remarkable difference in the use of discourse markers by the two more expert speakers.

La ricerca analizza il ruolo del locutore nativo nel corso di scambi comunicativi via software open-source (es. Skype, ooVoo) durante i quali parlanti nativi e non nativi di lingue diverse discutono in modo alterno nella loro L1 e L2 per apprendere la lingua madre dell’interlocutore. I dati sono due ore di conversazione tenute dalle stesse parlanti in lingue differenti. Il ruolo dei parlanti nella strutturazione del discorso viene analizzato considerando: a) quantità di parole dette e scritte in chat dai singoli interlocutori; b) quantità e tipologia di mosse di avvio di negoziazione del significato avviate dai singoli parlanti. I dati dimostrano che il nativo non è il perno della conversazione; infatti lo stesso interlocutore tende ad avere un ruolo più attivo nella conversazione anche quando parla in L2. L'indagine sottolinea, inoltre, che un’alta percentuale di processi di negoziazione del significato prende l’avvio da richieste esplicite di chiarimento (es. non ho capito/ripeti per favore) una forma di partecipazione al discorso che in altri contesti risulterebbe poco cortese.

The study investigates the impact of language expertise on the type and duration of focus on form sequences during native/non-native peer-peer multimodal video-call and chat communication. Data are constituted by the interaction of two adult pairs whose L2 language competence ranges from A2 to C1 of the Common European Framework. In all the 4 conversations it has been investigated: a) the impact of focus on form sequences over the total duration of the conversational flow; b) the features of focus on form sequences. The findings indicate that especially in the initial level (A1) the gap of language proficiency is an emerging feature of the participants and structures the conversational flow, whereas from level B1 the diversity of language expertise in the target language shows progressively less importance. The study invites to reflect on the possibility that participants’ L2 language competence might determine different language use and learning contexts: one oriented mainly to the code, the second to the practice of communicative and intercultural exchange.

In the current study keyness is used to identify the essential lexicon and lexical patterns needed to study history at school, considering the out-of-school input to which a young learner is exposed to. Two frequency-ordered lists have been compiled. The first frequency list, from a corpus of history textbooks used in lower secondary schools in Italy, called CoMaS (Corpus di Manuali di Storia), indicates the words that a teenager should know in order to study history at school. The latter, compiled from a corpus of Italian spoken language, called LIP (Lessico di Frequenza dell’ Italiano Parlato) specifies words mostly used in daily communication. The comparison of the most frequent words of the textbook corpus with the oral corpus has been carried out by using the key word component of Wordsmith Tools n.5.

Nello studio si analizza la “leadership” durante conversazioni Teletandem, realizzate da parlanti di differenti L1 che adoperano in modo alternato la loro L2, a sua volta lingua nativa dell’interlocutore. I dialoghi avvengono tramite un software di messaggistica istantanea e VoIP (es. Skype). In particolare, la ricerca mira a evidenziare l’impatto della competenza linguistica (nativo/nonnativo) e del grado di conoscenza relativo ad un determinato argomento sul ruolo assunto dai parlanti nel processo di strutturazione della conversazione. I soggetti sono quattro studentesse universitarie che compongono due diverse coppie Teletandem. Due partecipanti sono parlanti native di italiano, una di lingua inglese ed una di lingua tedesca. Per ogni coppia i dati, video-registrati e trascritti, sono raccolti durante 3 incontri differenti, in due dei quali la scelta dell’argomento di discussione è effettuata dalla parlante non-nativa. I risultati mettono in evidenza una struttura della conversazione in cui: a) le parlanti non-native hanno l’opportunità di gestire la conversazione in termini di mosse forti (es. domande alle quali il partner risponde) e di spazio interazionale (ossia lunghezza media dei turni di parola); b) le parlanti di L1 producono più mosse forti e lasciano parlare gli interlocutori in L2 offrendo così l’opportunità di praticare la lingua obiettivo in turni lunghi.

Nel Quadro Comune Europeo, come in modelli precedenti di competenza comunicativa (es. Canale & Swain: 1980; Canale: 1983; Bachman 1990, Bachman & Palmer: 1996), si sottolinea che il potenziamento della competenza lessicale e dell'accuratezza grammaticale non assicurano la possibilità di scambiare significati in reali contesti d’uso visto che il valore proposizionale, semantico in senso stretto, definisce solo in parte il contenuto e la forza espressiva di un enunciato. Secondo il testo del Consiglio d'Europa, in particolare, la competenza pragmatica e sociolinguistica esistono come entità distinte, di pari grado con la competenza linguistica (lessicale, semantica, grammaticale e fonologica), e sono, quindi, parte essenziale delle capacità dichiarative e procedurali di un apprendente. La teoria degli atti linguistici di Austin (1962; ed. it. 1987) elaborata successivamente da Searle (1969), accanto agli studi di pragmatica in una prospettiva cross-culturale (si veda soprattutto il progetto degli '80 Cross-Cultural Speech Act Realization Project- CCSARP e il Progetto PIXI sulla comunicazione in lingua inglese ed italiana negli incontri di servizio: Aston 1988), o relativi a specifiche lingue (ad es. Bazzanella 1994; Caffi 1999), se da un lato costituiscono un'indispensabile guida per costruire in classe attività per lo sviluppo della competenza d'uso di una lingua, dall'altro non sono sempre di facile accesso a quanti non hanno familiarità con la letteratura sull'argomento. Il divario, quindi, tra la ricerca e la didattica deve essere colmato e deve essere fatto in "a convenient form for the classroom" (Tatsuki & Houck 2010: 2). L'articolo fornisce un contributo in tal senso, In esso si delinea, il quadro teorico utile all'analisi di un dialogo conflittuale tra due parlanti nativi di italiano, vengono messi in luce i fenomeni di intensità del parlato che possono essere trasposti didatticamente in classi di italiano L1 ed L2.

La presente indagine intende esplorare l’uso dei segnali discorsivi (SD) in italiano L2 da parte di parlanti di lingue native differenti (due parlanti di ucraino, due di portoghese-brasiliano, due di anglo-americano, uno di spagnolo-messicano e uno di inglese-britannico). Si intende inoltre ipotizzare una possibile sequenza di acquisizione di tali segnali nelle interlingue di apprendenti con una diversa competenza nella lingua target. Per l’analisi dei dati, lo studio, di carattere essenzialmente esplorativo, adotta una prospettiva di stampo funzionalista (Bazzanella, 1995, 2006; Pons Bordería, 2006).

This study investigates interactional leadership in Teletandem conversations, in which two speakers communicate employing instant messaging and VoIP software (e.g. Skype), each alternately using her L2, i.e. the partner’s native language. The research focuses on the impact of language competence (native/non-native) and content expertise (familiarity with the topic at hand) on the role assumed by each interlocutor in structuring conversation. The subjects are four female university student volunteers forming two Teletandem pairs. Two participants were Italian native speakers, one was a native speaker (L1) of English and one a native German speaker. For each pair, video-recorded and transcribed data were collected during 3 different meetings, in two of which the L2 speakers chose the topic for conversation. Findings show that L2 partners have the opportunity to manage the conversation in terms of topic initiatives and interaction space and L1 speakers produce more topic moves and leave L2 partners to practice the target language during long turns.

Teletandem is included as an L2 learning context in different university degree courses in the world. It is a form of telecollaboration by which two students, proficient in two different languages, interact orally via Voice Over Internet Protocol (VOIP) technology in order to develop their L2 competences. The current paper aims at describing a learning scenario based on teletandem as it is designed and experienced at the University of Salento. Together with teletandem sessions, the learning scenario includes different classroom tasks, performed collaboratively by students and teachers. For the tasks, video-recordings of teletandem sessions are used. Students are asked to select parts of the conversation with their partner in order to discuss linguistic and cultural communicative problems. The whole learning scenario mostly aims at enhancing students’ oral communication ability (both in monologues and in interaction). Thus, the following topics are discussed: the basic characteristics of teletandem interaction, digital resources used for the learning scenario, the role of the teacher as a mediator and how mediation sessions are organized.

abilitazione in lingue straniere, e ruota intorno alle seguenti parole chiave: formazione, collaborazione e uso delle nuove tecnologie dell'informazione e della comunicazione. La ricerca valorizza il contributo delle attuali risorse informatiche nell'insegnamento/apprendimento delle lingue straniere per ampliare i confini dei contesti in cui gli insegnanti operano, aiutandoli a creare una rete con colleghi stranieri e promuovendo così un uso della lingua quale veicolo per stabilire relazioni sociali. Altro aspetto centrale del libro è la pratica riflessiva e l'osservazione di classe, poiché imparare a trarre informazioni da un contesto in cui persone agiscono e capire la connessione esistente tra le azioni che si compiono è costruttivo non solo per chi deve diventare insegnante ma anche per chi lo è già.

Nel contributo si propone e si discute uno scenario pedagogico finalizzato alla valorizzazione del grico, una varietà minoritaria storica presente in Puglia. Lo scenario prevede l’esecuzione di attività sia assistite sia mediate dalla tecnologia attraverso sessioni di Teletandem, grazie al quale si garantisce agli apprendenti uno scambio comunicativo autentico. Il percorso didattico è progettato per studenti universitari appartenenti alle comunità gricofone del Salento che interagiscono via computer con parlanti ellenofoni di università greche. In particolare, si prevede una fase di preparazione, una sessione teletandem su un tema specifico, l’osservazione della propria interazione e, infine, la condivisione dell’esperienza con il gruppo di lavoro.

The article describes how telecollaboration is implemented at the University of Salento (Italy). Particularly, it explores how teletandem, that is peer exchange for foreign language practice via VOIP (Voice Over Internet Protocol) technology, has become the nucleus for developing a socially situated pedagogical scenario, designed to promote basically oral interactional skills and learning in autonomy. The use of information and communication technology is relevant in the whole learning scenario which consists in 12 hrs of teletandem conversations and in workshops during which students do tasks based on the analysis of video-recordings of their virtual meetings in relation to several pedagogical aims. The whole learning scenario is learner-led and is based on students’ reflective discussion with peers. Language use and cognitive processes implemented by the task-based pedagogy are useful not only in institutional like situations but can be as well applied to the informal and self-directed learning experience, for instance, when the higher education curriculum is concluded.

Teletandem1 (Telles and Vassallo, 2006) is a Voice Over Internet Protocol (VoIP) communicative activity in which two speakers are involved, each of whom is an expert in one language and who wishes to learn the language of the interlocutor. “Virtual meetings” which last one hour are organized weekly; students speak half of the time in their L1, and the other half in the L2. Teletandem is also a growing field of research, and the related data, collected by video-recording the conversations between two participants, are an interesting resource for analysing communication and learning processes. In order to build a databank (DOTI – Data of Oral Teletandem Interactions), we collected data from Sao Paolo State University at São José do Rio Preto (Brazil: languages Portuguese/English), and from the University of Salento (Italy: languages Italian/ English). DOTI is currently composed of about 700 hours of video data from, oral teletandem sessions. The current paper describes: i) the state of the art with regard to developing a databank with video recorded oral sessions, as well as chat conversations; ii) teletandem as an interaction space; iii) different learning scenarios and microtasks that might influence the type of data and, in turn, metadata, in this context.

The paper describes how teletandem has been implemented in different university contexts. Teletandem is a model of OIE that uses the resources of webcam images, voice and text offered by VOIP technology (e.g., Skype and Google Hangouts). Within this context, two students help each other to learn their native (or other) language through online synchronous intercultural and linguistic collaboration (Telles, 2009, 2015; Telles & Vassallo, 2006, 2009; Vassallo & Telles, 2008). The works by Brammerts and Kleppin (2001), Brammerts (2003) and Lewis and Walker (2003) on foreign language learning in tandem and the International Tandem Network served as inspiration for the creation of the Teletandem Brasil: Foreign Languages for All project (Telles, 2005). However, our project differs to e-tandem (Brammerts, 1996) and web-based tandem (Appel & Mullen, 2000) in that those projects focussed on written in-tandem interactions, whereas our teletandem model is characterised by the use of webcam images of the partners, along with synchronous voice and text interaction. As was the case of the original tandem projects, teletandem started as a non-mandatory learning opportunity carried out in the institutional context (i.e., universities). Nowadays, teletandem is a part of the language teaching curricula of some university degree courses. Teletandem plus mediation sessions constitute a training programme which is ‘institutionally integrated’.