Journal of Pragmatics | 2019
Perceptions of address practices in Italian interregional encounters. A case study of restaurant encounters
Abstract
Abstract Italian regions constitute distinct cultural and linguistic entities, each with their own language varieties. Address forms are reported to be used with different frequencies and connotations in the various regions, not only in local Italo-Romance dialects but also in regional varieties of Italian. As part of a large-scale study on address in Italy with a focus on restaurant encounters, this article investigates perceptions of address practices when individuals relocate to or simply visit other regions of Italy. Upon enquiring about regional differences in the ways waiters and customers address each other, it has emerged that: a) many speakers do perceive regional differences in address practices; b) being addressed by waiters with unexpected forms in interregional encounters can result in positive or negative reactions; and c) reflecting on the perceived pragmatic behaviour by waiters can sometimes lead speakers to formulate representations of regional cultures and identities. Regional pragmatic variation in Italian presents itself as a promising field of research, the results of which would improve our current knowledge of regional varieties of Italian and perceptions thereof.