Transfer interlinguistici e dialetti per l’insegnamento del francese

Studio longitudinale in un liceo piemontese

Abstract

Can foreign language learning be enhanced through metalinguistic reflection that considers error as a pedagogical resource? How can the natural tendency toward interlinguistic comparison be valorized in foreign language teaching? And how can learners’ entire linguistic repertoires be mobilized in order to reduce negative transfer? This study examines the role of linguistic transfer — particularly negative transfer (NT) and positive transfer (PT) — in the teaching of French to language high school students. Through an experimental protocol conducted with 28 multilingual Italian students, the effects of an ad hoc plurilingual teaching sequence were investigated. The results highlight a significant ability to correct NTs, thereby demonstrating the effectiveness of the comparative approach in fostering the memorization of correct forms in the target language and, more broadly, in supporting language learning processes. Furthermore, the integration of languages and dialects belonging to the learners’ repertoires appears to have encouraged a constructive use of plurilingual competences, suggesting that recognizing affinities between languages (PTs) may support both memorization and foreign language learning.