Dialetto e identità nei racconti di Beppe Fenoglio

Abstract

The concept of identity is intrinsically ambivalent, and used in a variety of contexts. As a multi-faceted phenomenon, identity has generated numerous studies in the last fifty years, but what interests me, for the purpose of my research, is the appearance, from the early 1980s, of studies focusing on
the linguistic aspects of identity. Language is indeed the most evident marker of personal identity, and the first instrument we use to negotiate our relationships with others. In the first part of this paper some theories on the language/identity relationship are briefly examined, such as, for example, Le Page and Tabouret-Keller’s acts of identity theory, and Howard Giles’ language accommodation theory. Then, such theories are applied to some passages taken from Beppe Fenoglio’s rural short stories, where some characters decide to resort to Piedmontese dialect, in order to explain the language switch, and demonstrate how dialects can also contribute to assert speakers’ personal identity and their belonging to a social group.